f;—i

XIV

Begistered Letters. The number of registered articles dealt with in 1903, compared with the numbers in 1890, 1900, and 1902, is shown below :—

Official Correspondence. The estimated volume and value of official and other free correspondence posted during 1903 is given in the statement below : — ____ ___

Dead Letters. The following comparative table shows the number of unclaimed letters, letter-cards, and post-cards dealt with in the Dead Letter Office and by Chief Postmasters during the undermentioned years :—

1890. 1900. 1902. 1903. Postal Districts. Prom Places beyond the Colony. Eegis- ; tered in m, the u Colony. Totals. From Reeis . fejna taredm Colony. ™™yTotals. Places Colony. Col °*yTotals. Places Ee S is " i™ff, tered in beyond the Colony. Colon yTotals. Auckland Thames New Plymouth .. Gisborne Napier Wanganui Wellington Blenheim Nelson Westport Greymouth Hokitika Christchurch Timaru Oamaru Dunedin Invercargill 7,119 130 341 118 999 211 6,129 92 322 112 102 95 3,659 312 278 4,615 1,740 34,398 4,781 3,372 2,120 10,911 6,060 30,369 3,193 3,430 3,254 8,879 2,579 20,404 3,551 2,505 19,696 9,819 169,321 41,517! 4,911! 3,713 2,238 11,910 6,271 36,498 3.285 1 3,752 : 3,366 8,981 2,674 24,063 3,863 2,783 24,311 11,559 18,108 267 1,310 421 1,659 2,151 9,513 116 644 354 680 94 5,404 1,196 120 6,954 3,352 101,533j 19,912 16,903 7,193 26,685 24,9801 85,915! 6,37lj 14,726: 6,974 11,606 4,344 49,049 9,973 8,880; 44,003' 24,989 1119,641 20,179 18,213 7,614 28,344 I 27,131 i 95,428 i 6,487 ' 15,370 7,328 12,286 4,438 54,453 11,169 j 9,000 ■ 50,957 28,341 18,779 297 1,890 426 1,904 2,390 15,953 372 1,220 882 527 562 6,430 1,100 136 7,986 5,580 120,739 20,057 19,736 6,651 26,282 33,212 96,336 7,736 16,919 8,431 7,955 6,643 51,215 13,174 6,094 53,411 31,233 139,518 20,354 21,626 7,077 28,186 35,602 112,289 8,108 18,139 9,313 8,482 7,205 57,645 14,274 6,230 61,397 36,813 20,068 345 2,150 337 1,-836 2,442 17,934 147 1,314 926 957 536 7,480 705 114 8,797 6,700 121,952 19,034 22,199 6,791 26,079 30,453 121,729 9,182 18,043 8,425 13,901 10,324 51,623 10,496 6,171 53,895 29,214 142,020 19,379 24,349 7,128 27,915 32,895 139,663 9,329 19,357 9,351 14,858 10,860 59,103 11,201 6,285 62,692 35,914 Totals 26,374 195,695 52,343 464,036 516,379 66,434 525,824 592,258| 72,788 559,511 632,299

District. Letters. Packets. Registered Articles. Newspapers. Auckland Thames New Plymouth .. Gisborne Napier Wanganui Wellington Nelson Westport Greymouth Hokitika Blenheim Christchurch Timaru Oamaru Dunedin Invercargill 1,016,860 121,407 143,650 43,628 247,364 239,681 1,488,097 165,750 43,810 75,244 42,809 53,131 653,341 111,514 55,588 743,678 304,044 10,560 2,896 15,100 3,643 13,688 4,370 587,369 7,580 697 4,502 3,780 2,190 18,993 3,744 1,968 62,511 19,276 14,528 2,240 4,577 1,168 1,224 7,200 34,832 6,160 2,028 3,308 4,018 1,092 16,159 1,240 880 14,132 6,278 69,385 36,712 62,835 18,450 57,730 105,732 479,458 47,594 32,700 57,112 32,229 25,114 129,878 23,900 32,126 222,590 81,946 Totals 5,549,596 762,867 121,064 1,515,491 The estimated value of official correspondi mce was £88,742 14s. lid.

Manner of Disposal. 1884. 1885. 1887. 1889. 1890. 1895. 1896. 1898. 1899. 1900. ___ 1901. 1902. 1903. Opened and returned |68,942 66,592 to the writers Returned unopened to 9,134 8,115 other countries Reissued .. .. I 107! 185 Destroyed .. .. 3,986: 2,872 Returned unopened by |17,593119, 187 Chief Postmasters Totals .. 99,762 96,951 62,847 7,287 96 5,974 20,185 62,654 6,220 92 4,340 21,164 60,540 7,779, 141 2,660 21,931 61,065! 63,112| 68,872 12,929i 7.546J 8,899 199 j 148| 219 i 3,6171 4,069 s 3,368 25,980: 26,414 33,273 !l03,790101,289[114,631 I 74,132 76,6921.100,036 9,706 9,707J 12,251 178: 265 *5,112 4,536! 4,900' 5,705 22,915 40,2S2 44,523 111,467131,846167,6271 107,476 14,401 fl3,373 6,249 54,285 107,271 18,176 203 9,579 93,920 96,389 94,470 93,05l| Il95,784 229,149 * Includini 4,911 troo] iers' letters. + Including 13,180 troopers' letters.