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Savings-bank. During the year 29 offices were opened and 10 closed, leaving 766 offices open at the end of 1914. 78,519 accounts were opened and 53,851 closed, the net gain on the year's working being 24,668 accounts. The number of accounts on the 31st December, 1914, was 483,262, and the proportion per head of population was 1 in 2 - 36, as compared with 1 in 247 at the end of the previous year. The deposits numbered 884,405, representing £11,904,323, an average of £13 9s. 2d. per transaction. The withdrawals numbered 657,622, for £10,603,018, an average of £16 2s. 6d. for each withdrawal. The net amount added by depositors to their savings during the year was £1,301,305, excess of deposits, plus £615,310 interest earned and credited, making a total of £1,916,615. The total amount at credit of depositors increased from £17,131,414, at the close of the previous year to £19,048,029 on the 31st December last, representing a sum equal to £16 I4s. 2d. per head of the entire population, and £39 Bs. 4d. to each-depositor. The interest credited to depositors since the post-office savings-banks were established, in 1867, amounts to £7,156,818. The cost of working the savings-banks amounted to 4'67d. per transaction, or £30,000 for the year. The cost of management per cent, on tho total amount at credit of depositors was o'l6, or 3s. 2d. per £100. During the year 1914, 267 nominations were made by depositors in favour of relatives or other persons to receive Savings-bank moneys due to them at the time of their decease. The total number of nominations in force on the 31st December, 1914, was 937. Transfers of Savings-bank accounts between the Dominion and the United Kingdom by depositors last year were: To United Kingdom, £38,106; from United Kingdom, £11,739. Transfers between the Dominion and Australia were : To Australia, £78,892 ; from Australia, £53,846. In order to avoid any possible embarrassment through extraordinary withdrawals of money from the Post Office Savings-bank on the outbreak, of war, it was found desirable to put into effect the provision of section. 71, subsection (1), of the Post and Telegraph Act, 1908, and to require a depjositor to give seven days' notice of his intention to withdraw money. It was found possible, however, to modify the restriction so far as to permit of withdrawals not exceeding £2 in amount being made without special notice at intervals of not less than seven days. Shortly afterwards the requirement, that a seven-days interval should elapse between successive withdrawals was abolished, and depositors were thus permitted to withdraw the sum of £2 daily. A. further concession was made by allowing any depositor who had been accepted for service in the Expeditionary Force to withdraw without special notice any sum not exceeding £1.0 sterling. By the 17th September the withdrawals from the Savings-bank were so nearly normal that the foregoing restrictions were removed. In order to meet the convenience of persons residing at a distance from a branch of the Post Office Savings-bank, the charging of registration and remittance fees in connection with deposits in and withdrawals from the bank was abolished from tho 16th April, 1915. '.»- Work performed for other Departments. Among the many branches of Government work performed by the Department may be mentioned the following: — Customs duties were collected on parcels and other articles coming through the post from places beyond the Dominion amounting to £76,726, and on account of ordinary Customs work £1,565. Beer-duty stamps to the value of £10.446 were sold by Postmasters. Advances to Settlers receipvts amounted to £2,145,826, and payments to £2,129,528. Fishing licenses were issued by Postmasters to the value of £1,433, and 'game licenses to the value of £3,484. For the Government Insurance Department premiums were collected from the public amounting to £224,696. The sum of £27,906 was paid to Imperial pensioners by Postmasters. Income-tax amounting to £333,299 and land-tax to £609,776 was collected by Postmasters. The sum of £10,812, fees due to the Machinery Department, was received. Under the Mining Act the receipts were £241. On behalf of the Public Trustee, £974,612 was received and £973,444 paid. Fees received for the registration of births, deaths, and marriages amounted to £3,381. Receipts from the Hanmer Springs Sanatorium amounted to £1,889. Valuation fees paid to Postmasters reached £6,254. Claims on the General Government for £1,988.752 were paid on behalf of the Treasury. Discount-stamps numbering 789,120, for £822, were sold and 755,520, for £787, redeemed during the year. Contributions to the National Provident Fund collected by Postmasters amounted to £14,978. Old-age pensions paid during 1914 amounted to £452,356, military pensions to £45,964, and widows' pensions to £30,359; while payments on behalf of the Public Service Superannuation Board reached £129,800. Since the Ist April, 1915, payment of accounts due by Native Land Boards has been arranged through the Post Office.