The Ashburton Guardian. MAGNA EST VERITAS ET PRÆVALEBIT. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1892. POSTAL PROGRESS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 2859, 28 December 1892, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. MAGNA EST VERITAS ET PRÆVALEBIT. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1892. POSTAL PROGRESS.

A most interesting Christmas card has been issued by the officers of the Postmaster - General's Department, Wellington. Besides conveying Christmas greetings it tells its recipients something of the work of the department from which it emanates, and the magnitude of this work is, we think, not imagined by many of those who ebjoy the benefits of the postal and telegraphic services of the Colony. The Secretary of the Department in making a presentation at Wellington gave a sketch of the progress of the Post Office since 1863, showing that the business had grown in a way almost beyond conception. From the card and ; the speech we learn that in 1863 the ' total number of letters received and , despatched was about 3,400,000. In 1891 the number had increased to no less than 47,612,684, besides which there were 2 y 000,000 post cards and' and 7,000,000 books and samples—in all about 57,000,0000 articles. The number of newspapers in 1863 received and despatched was about 3,400,000. In 1891 they had increased to 18,501,912. The revenue in 1863 was £32,341, and the expenditure £110,567 —of which between £60,000 and £70,000 was for sea mail services. The expenditure was therefore very nearly four times g»*«ater than the receipts. In 1891 the combined Post Office and Telegraph revenue was £320,058, and the expenditure £268,343, leaving a credit balance of £51,715 to be paid over to Consolidated Revenue, But dealing with the postal figures alone, the receipts for 1891 amounted to £209,894, or about five times greater than in 1863, while the expenditure was £153,698, an increase of only 39 per cent, over the expenditure of twenty-eight years ago. In 1863 11,586 money orders were issued for £55,700, and 3040 paid for £14,070; and in 1891 195,239 for £651,989 were issued, and 16,0,279, for £582,661 paid. The staff, including country postmasters, totalled 361 in 1863, and increased to 2349 in 1891, and the number of post offices increased from 276 to 1231. There had been progress in other directions as well. The Post Office Savings Banks were established in 1867, commencing with 46 offices, 6977 deposits for £96,373 ; while in 1891 there were 311 offices, 176,971 deposits for £1,842,987, and at the end of the year there was a balance of £2,695,447, diyided among 104,467 depositors—ran average of nearly £26 to each depositor, There had also been the introduction of post cards, postal notes, and the parcel post, the extension of the accounting system, and the completion of the telegraph system frqm one end of the colony to the other. In 1863 there were some 200 odd miles of line in existence, principally in the provincial districts of Canterbury and Otago. Now there were no less than 5349 miles of line, and 13,235 miles of wires. The North and Slquth Islands were, connected by cables, and a Sab,|e hq,d alsq been laid between the colony and Australia, whioh has brought us into telegraphic touch with all parts of the world. Nearly 2,000,000 telegrams were transmitted last year, and the telegraph receipts were over £85,000. The amalgamation of the two branches of the sepviee iapk plape ty I^BQ. More recently there had. been the establishment of th,e telephone exchanges I and material reductions, h,acj been made in both postal and telegraphic charges. • Public facilities had been extended, and the latest step of j importance had been New Zealand entering the Universal Postal Union. The progress of the department had been undoubtedly g^at» but they had advanced quietly, ah.d witliqut ostentation. Successive Mincers? had always endeavored to keep pace with, tfre prqgress of the country, but, though much has been done, the Department is capable of (Joiog much more f The record is an excellent one, and oonr firms the public feeling of conil.lenoe in the Post and Telegraph Department as one of the best conducted of our public offices.