F.—l

IX

The following table shows the number and weight of parcels exchanged with the United Kingdom, and foreign countrie viâ London, the Australian Colonies and the South Sea Islands, during the years 1897 and 1898: —

The declared value of parcels received from places outside the colony in 1898 was £57,627. The Customs duty collected amounted to £13,302 lis. 4d. In 1897 the value was £41,820, and the Customs duty collected amounted to £9,567 12s. lid. The declared value of parcels despatched to places beyond the colony was £9,245, as against £8,153 in 1897. Since the issue of the last report foreign parcel exchanges have been established with Eussia, Guatemala, Bolivia, and Formosa. The principal alteration in parcel rates has been the reduction of postage to almost all British colonies and possessions by the abolition of the former 1 lb. progression, and the substitution therefor of a three-stage scale—(l) Under 31b.; (2) over 31b., but not over 7 lb.; (3) over 71b., but not over 11 lb. An insurance scheme for parcels was inaugurated on the 10th April last. So far the system applies to parcels for places within the colony, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania, the United Kingdom, and other places with which the United Kingdom has exchanges, but the time during which insurance has been in operation has been too short to permit of any conclusion as to the extent to which it is likely to be availed of. The other colonies having now consented to join in the adoption of the scheme, arrangements will probably, from the Ist October next, be made to enable senders of parcels to and from the United Kingdom and the Australian Colonies and New Zealand to insure delivery of parcels to the addressees free of Customs duty and all other charges.

Official Correspondence. The estimated volume and value of official and other free correspondence posted during the year 1898 is given in the statement below: —

ii—F. 1.

Despatched. Eeoeived. Country. 1897. 1898. 1897. 1898. Number. Weight. Number. Weight. Number. Weight. Number. Weight. Jnited Kingdom and foreign offices (via London) Victoria lew South Wales louth Australia Queensland Tasmania Vestern Australia .. iamoa larotonga .. lawaiian Islands leylon itraits Settlements Jruguay .. r anoouver.. i'iji 15,742 lb. oz. 53,002 4 17,823 lb. oz. 58,865 0 4,197 lb. oz. 9,510 8 4,023 lb. oz. 9,705 8 3,174 3,521 239 374 243 185 4 11 54 150 1 10,105 12 9,875 6 791 12 858 12 446 0 454 6 33 0 22 7 97 3 343 5 4 14 3,292 4,614 235 343 143 190 17 5 42 326 10,682 8 13,384 3 688 2 704 0 382 0 459 11 65 11 18 5 97 8 701 12 1,526 1,681 179 256 224 270 117 4S 39 126 2,869 1 3,838 4 414 4 540 14 723 0 676 12 299 14 163 8 96 7 289 6 1,311 1,779 190 267 308 236 123 62 18 145 2,792 3 4,601 15 517 13 686 15 747 4 543 2 382 4 218 4 55 9 249 0 7 'I 4 15 37 27 18 13 101 8 112 3 "u 53 12 Totals 23,698 76,035 1 27,044 86,102 8 8,670 19,426 2 8,541 20,732 5

District. Letters. Packets. Registered Articles. Newspapers. Value of Official Correspondence. Auckland Thames New Plymouth Gisborne Napier Wanganui Wellington Nelson Westport Greymouth Hokitika Blenheim Christchurch Timaru Oamaru Dunedin ., Inveroargill 266,642 48,476 102,550 20,752 114,036 174,037 920,711 68,319 24,316 57,600 19,757 40,018 266,890 57,718 31,759 288,440 133,272 24,770 3,158 10,280 2,856 9,152 11,946 144,521 4,686 156 2,8491,799 2,000 17,925 2,400 1,144 39,456 11,850 12,714 1,426 1,645 904 2,240 2,656 22,298 3,622 682 1,957 896 500 14,615 1,033 864 2,949 3,106 98,915 22,850 31,632 11,024 46,488 78,420 168,956 31,890 18,720 33,188 9,784 21,000 108,800 24,200 28,080 89,031 59,439 £ 7,524 1,382 2,657 637 3,128 4,859 22,819 1,965 800 1,729 582 1,146 7,415 1,547 1,126 7,634 3,780 Totals 2,635,293 290,948 74,107 882,417 70,730