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Telegraph Business. » Table showing the number of telegrams forwarded, and the revenue derived therefrom, during the four quarters of the financial years 1902-3 and 1903-4 respectively :—

The telegraph receipts for the financial year, including telephone-exchange subscriptions' private-wire rents, &c, amounted to £237,564 4s. compared with £222 494 16s 6d in 1902-3—an increase of £15,069 Bs. sfd., or 6-77 per cent. The expenditure was £255,863 Is. 2d., as against £228,367 os. 7d. for the previous year—an increase of £27,496 os. 7d., or 12-04 per cent. The increase is largely due to the Pacific-cable subsidy. There were 7,779 miles of line and 22,920 miles of wire at the close of the year an increase of 30 and 248 miles respectively. The net expenditure out of Public Works Fund for telegraph extension was £47 226 19s 7d as compared with £68,578 7s. Bd. in 1902-3. The number of private wires and subsidised lines was 364, compared with 360 in 1902-3. The amount received for rent, maintenance, &c, was £2,018 75., as against £1,967 3s. Bd. in 1902-3. The total number of telegraph and telephone offices open at the close of the year was 1,153. Of these, 261 were telegraph-offices, and 892 telephone-offices. The number of telegrams of all codes forwarded during last financial vear was 4 965 197 an increase of 405,893, or 8-90 per cent., over 1902-3. The proportion of paid telegrams per head of population was 5-65, and 5-32 the previous year. The number of ordinary telegrams forwarded was 3,603,674, of the value of £123 782 6s 8M ' compared with 3,341,813, for £115,896 Bs. 7d., in 1902-3—an increase of 261,861 and £7 885 18s. ljd. The urgent telegrams numbered 176,776, of the value of £11,450 10s. 6d.—a decrease of 6 636 in .number, and £468 18s. sd. in amount. The average value of each ordinary telegram was 8-24d., and of each urgent telegram Is 3-55d 364,860 Press telegrams, of the value of £15,115 19s. Bd., were forwarded in 1903-4 as compared with 374,045, valued at £14,750 3s. lid., forwarded in 1902-3—a decrease of 9,185, or 2-46 per cent., in number, and an increase of 2-48 per cent, in value. The value of each Press telegram averaged 9'94d., as against 9-46d. in 1902-3. The bureau messages numbered 526,594, of the value of £12,148 16s. 9d., as compared with 371,948, of. the value of £10,772 Is. 9d.—an increase of 154,646 in number and £1,376 15s. in amount. The average value of each bureau message was 5-54d., as against 6-95d. in 1902-3. The following figures show the extraordinary growth of the traffic in bureau messages : Average Value. The total number of ordinary tele-1261,861, 0r\ / £7,886, or) _ 1902-3. grams increased by ) 7-84% 6-80% |B'24d. 8-32d. l> and relative receipts by-j The total number of bureau com-) 154,646, or £1,377,* ) munications increased by | 41-58% , (or 12-78'% J^ - 54d. 6-95d. * Deposits for special carriage, reopening fees, and "delivery" fees are included in the amount although not retained as revenue by the Department. The number of Government telegrams forwarded was 293,293, valued at £24,377 Is 7d as compared with 288,086, of the value of £26,440 2s. 10d.—an increase of 5,207 in number, and a decrease of £2,063 Is. 3d. in amount. 54,933 money-orders, for £187,472 145., were transmitted by telegraph, as against 49 230 for £152,407 145., in 1902-3—an increase of 5,703 telegrams. ' ' The number of paid forwarded telegrams to every hundred letters .posted in New Zealand for delivery within the colony was 8-26, as against 8-02 in 1902-3. Tblbgeaph Messengers' Deliveries. Telegraph messengers' deliveries (by Departmental messenger) were established as follows: Auckland—Hikurangi. Gisborne—Tokomaru Bay. Napier—Te Aute. New Plymouth—Eahotu Oamaru—Hampden. Timaru— M akikihi. Wanganui—Bull's ; Taihape. Wellington—Longburn • Shannon.

Number of Telegrams forwarded. Revi >nue, Quarter. Year ended Year ended 31st March, 31st March, 1903. 1904. Increase per Cent. CD -w » a CO m go fl K 1902-3. 1903-4. i June quarter September quarter December quarter March quarter ... 1,007,506 1,086,890 979,372 1,069,311 1,131,682 1,215,959 1,152,658 1,299,744 7-88 9-18 7-45 12-76 £ s. d. 36,643 5 9 35,387 4 5 40,436 4 11J 40,871 8 m £ s. 38,072 6 37,350 18 42,233 3 44,841 5 d. 0 7 6 6* 3-90 5-55 4-44 9-71 4,271,218 4,671,904 9-38 153,338 3 3 162,497 13 7 * 5-97