F.—l

12

The revenue collected from this class of telephi Eoi the year ended 31s1 March, 1913, was L 1.192 ss. 9d. The charge on full-rate Press telegrams Erom New Zealand to Great Britain l>v all routes was reduced on the 10th October. 1912, to 7Jd. per word. By the Country Telephone-lines Act, 1912, power was given to County Councils to borrow money lor the purpose of erecting telephone-lines to connect with Government exchanges, and to levy taxation sufficient to ensure payment of interest and redemption of the loan. From tiie Ist August, 1912, the amount to be demanded from guarantors of new telephone-lines was reduced from one-half to one-third of the estimated deficiency. As the public demand fur hooks of embossed telegram forms bad almost entirely ceased, thej were withdrawn Erom sale in February, 1913. * At Wellington and Christchurch a trial is being given to the conveyance of telegrams between the principal telegraph-office and the sub-offices by telegraph message-boys mounted on motor-cycles. Previously Hie messages were transmitted by telegraph or telephone instrument. Both expedition and economy have resulted from the change. By a rearrangement of wires effected at New Plymouth by the Telegraph Engineer, Wellington, communication between New Plymouth and Auckland lias been greatly accelerated. To give the King-country telephone-communication with offices in the Waikato and with Auckillic circuit was erected between Taumarunui and Hamilton. An additional telephone circuit is being erected between Wellington and Palmerston North to cope wit h i iic increased business. A second metallic circuit was erected between Christchurch ami Timani. and by superinipusition liner telephone circuits between those places have been obtained. The weather-foreoast-telegram system was extended to 200 stations on the 2nd September, 1912. During -Inly. 1912. telegraphic communication in the South Island was seriously retarded by damage to telegraph-lines through heavy falls of snow. Repairs to the lines over Whale's Back, between Waiau and Kaikoura. were effected by linemen on skis. A lineman was accidentally killed at Wellington on the 28th May. 1912. through coming into contacl with a high-tension electric-light wire and falling off a telephone-pole. New Zealand Cable Sekvtce. There were 374 knots of submarine cable in the Dominion on the 31st March. 1913. A length of 2-38 knots of cable was laid for the Pori Hardy extension at D'Urville Island, The submarine cables generally gave some trouble during the year. Breaks occurred in one ill the Oterangi Bay cables in August, 1912. Repairs were effected, 2.300 yards of new cable being used. On the Gth May, 1913, two Cook Strait cables parted some distance out from Lyall Bay. A lanh also occurred in the Foveaux Strait cable. The Wanganui-Wakapuaka cable developed a fault, and the faulty portion was located and replaced by a new piece of cable. Ocean Cable Services. The ordinary international telegrams for the year increased by 13"5 per cent., and the intercolonial by 7 per cent. New Zealand's proportion of the deficit of £40,498 18s. lid. on the tenth year's working pf the Pacific cable, 1911-12, amounted to £4,499 17s. Bd. The receipts and working-expenses of the Pacific cable for the year ended 31st March, 1913, are estimated as follows: — t t Traffic revenue .. .. 157,000 Annuity and renewals .. 107,545 Estimated deficit .. . . 37,400 Working-expenses .. .. 86,855 £194,400 £194,400 New Zealand's proportion of the loss is stated at £4,156. The share of ordinary paid business handled by the Pacific cable shows a slight increase on thai obtained during the previous year. In 1908 the Pacific proportion was <S5 per cent., the Eastern 15 per cent. The 1912 13 figures are : Pacific, 71 per cent. ; Eastern, 29 per cent. The following figures show the total number of ordinary telegrams forwarded for each of the pasl five years, and the percentages of such business falling to each route : — Pacific. X.X.A. & ('. 1908 .. .. 101,724 85 1908 .. .. 18,873 15 L 909 .. .. 96,648 83 1909 .. .. 19,812 17 1910 .. .. 87,326 72 1910 .. .. 33,273 28 [911-12 .. .. 89,276 69 1911-12 .. 39,374 31 IDI2-13 .. .. 99.617 71 1912-13 .. 40.680 29 hnring tiie year New Zealand has given the Pacific route 71-12 per cent, oi the ordinary business to Australia, as against 69-48 per cent, last year. Returns received from London showed that for the first three months of 1913 the average time of transit on New Zealand business over the Pacific cable was only eighty minutes. The station at Auckland now works directly with Suva through repeaters at Norfolk Island, thus reducing by two tlic number of transmissions between New Zealand and the Mother-country.