F.—l

XI

Cr. Postages from London Post Office : Under old P. and 0. contract ... ... 45 6 0 Under old Orient contract ... ... ... 15 0 3 Under present P. and O. and Orient contract ... 95 911 Postages collected in thj colony ... ... ... 659 9 7 815 5 9 Net profit to the colony ... .. ... £37 12 6 The number of letters, books, and newspapers conveyed from and to the United Kingdom, &c, by the P. and O. and Orient packets were: Eeceived, 34,387 letters, 18,192 books, and 30,667 newspapers ; despatched, 5,531 letters, 214 books, and 187 newspapers.

Return showing the several Subsidised Mail Steam Services, the Subsidy Payments for the Year 1888, the Dates when established, and the Date on which each terminates.

The steam service with the Chatham Islands, once every quarter, has been renewed for two years, from the Ist April last. The subsidy is £200 per annum. The service between Hokitika and places south as far as Martin's Bay, once every three months, has also been renewed for two years, from Ist January last, at a subsidy of £375 a year. The Westport and Karamea service is now monthly, at a cost of £120 a year. A fortnightly service of a temporary character between the Bluff and Port Pegasus was established in March last. The subsidy is at the rate of £208 per annum, which is paid by the Mines Department. The weekly steam service between the Bluff and Half-moon Bay and Patterson's Inlet is still running. Money-oedees. Eleven money-order offices were established during the year, viz., at Mititai, Avondale, Cullensville, Belfast, Middlemarch, Blackstone Hill, Kumeroa, Winchester, Ngahauranga, Kaiwarawara, and Denniston; and the office at Karangahake closed. The name of the money-order office called Albany Street, Dunedin, was changed to Dunedin North. The total number of money-order offices open at the end of the year was 303. 162,387 money-orders, for £555,996 os. 9d. were issued, compared with 159,579 orders, for £555,744 13s. 55., issued in 1887. Money-orders to the number of 144,450, for £513,728 Bs. 2d., were paid, compared with 133,910 orders, for £482,437 17s. 4d., paid in 1887. The number of money-orders issued on the United Kingdom, the Australian Colonies, the United States of America, Canada, &c, and also on other foreign places, through the medium of the London Post Office, was 40,345, for £123,939 14s. 7d., and 22,701 money-orders, for £82,403 18s. 6d., from places beyond the colony were paid in New Zealand. The balance against the colony on money-order account was therefore £41,535 16s. Id. In 1887 the balance against the colony was £72,872 Is. 3d. 16,464 telegraph money-orders, for £56,878 15s. 10d., were issued, compared with 16,899 orders, for £61,389 15s. Id., in 1887. The money-order commission for the year amounted to £8,377 6s. 4d. Postal Notes. The postal-note business still continues to increase. 143,979 postal notes, of the value of £56,039 9s. 5-Jd., were sold, compared with 114,526, for £45,950 17s. 7d., sold in 1887. 142,235 notes, for £54,413 165., were paid during the year. The postal-note commission amounted to £1,057 16s. Hid., an increase of £201 12s. BJd. over that for 1887.

Service. Annual Subsidy or Payment. D nration of Service. Number of Voyages When terminated An^m when terminable. Mileage for Complete Voyage. Cost per Mile. When established. Auckland and San Francisco Direct Steam Service Auckland and Fiji New Zealand and South Pacific Islands New Zealand and Chatham Islands Helensville and Matakohe .. ) Helensville and Dargaville .. J Auckland and Great Barrier Island Nelson and Golden Bay Hokitika, Bruce Bay, Paringa, Haast River, Okuru, Okarito, and Jackson's Bay Westport and Karamea Bluff and Stewart Island Intel-provincial Service in connection with San Francisco Line Intel-provincial Service in connection with Direct Contract Steamers .. £ s. d. 24,400 0 0 19,661 9 2 1,690 0 0 Nov., 1885 Dec, 1884 June, 1880 Nov., 1889 Dec, 1889 13 13 13 11,916 23,019 2,334 £ s. d. 0 3 1-8 0 1 3-77 0 1 1-87 1,200 0 0 200 0 0 June, 1885 March, 1891 8 4 f 52 \ 104 52 72 6,992 1,050 118 ) 170 { 120 130 0 0 5-15 0 0 11-43 450 0 0 Jan., 1881 Dec, 1890 0 0 4-53 125 0 0 200 0 0 Dec, 1884 Dec, 1888 Dec, 1889 0 0 4-81 0 0 5-13 600 0 0 150 0 0 200 0 0 Jan., 188G June, 1886 July, 1886 Feb., 1889 Dec, 1888 June, 1889 6 13 52 280 102 40 0 7 1-71 0 2 3-15 0 1 11-08 4,500 0 0 Nov., 1886 Nov., 1889 3,000 0 0 Dee., 1884 Dec, 1889