H.—36,

1916. NKW ZEALAND.

PRINTING AND STATIONERY DEPARTMENT (ANNUAL REPORT OF THE) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH, 1916.

Laid em the Table of the House of Representatives by Leave.

Sib, — Printing and Stationery Department, Wellington, 9th June, 19.1.6. I have the honour to submit the annual report upon the working of this Department for the year ended the 31st March, 1916. The tables accompanying the report show the nature, extent, and result of the year's operations. By the balance-sheet it will be seen that the profits upon the year's transactions have been .£5,377 6s. 9d., after allowing for depreciation on plant and buildings (£2,617 18s. 6d.). Hansard. —The number of copies printed during the session 1915 was 8,500, the number of subscribers 193, and the amount received .£43 2s. Gazette. —The number printed was 1,700, the number of subscribers 115, and the amount received £188 2s. Id. The amount received in payment of advertisements was £690 2s. 7d. Stamp-printing. —The number of sheets of stamps of various values printed was 1,561,398, the number of stamps 220,030,874, and the value of these stamps £1,489,826 ss. Id. The number and value include impressed stamps of Id. and 2d. value. Stereo and Electro Plates. —The number of stereo plates cast during the year was 27,061, the weight being 26,631 11). The number of electrotypes was 6,360, and the weight 1,801 lb. Railway Tic/rets. —The number of railway tickets printed was 9,667,384. The largest numbers w«re printed in the months of August (1,087,583) and March (1,083,810) respectively. Rubber Stamps. —The number of rubber stamps made was 6,449. Work of the Branches. —All brandies have had a particularly busy year, and it has been necessary to work the machine-room in two shifts to cope with the work. Overtime. —Owing to the rush of orders and the number of hands enlisting it has been necessary to work a considerable amount of overtime, and if the work is to be kept up with this condition of affairs will have to continue. Storage Accommodation. —The want of necessary storage accommodation causes much inconvenience, and as a consequence the floors of the machine-room and passages are blocked with cases containing stores. This condition of affairs should be improved very soon, as it is intended to utilize the present machine-room as a store when we move into the buildings now nearing completion. Paper. —During the past year the difficulties in obtaining supplies of paper have been constantly increasing, and the prices have advanced in some cases more than 200 per cent., and in but few cases is paper obtainable at less than 100 per cent, advance. Fortunately, large orders were placed previously to the crisis having reached its acute stage, which lias resulted in the saving to the Government of thousands of pounds. As a consequence of the difficulty of obtaining paper, the number printed of Gazettes and parliamentary papers has been reduced, and we have also been obliged to cut down the issue of the statutes. Supplies of certain lines of papers and pasteboards are difficult to obtain at any price, and it is unlikely that this condition of affairs will improve for some time. Envelopes are almost unobtainable, and it is doubtful if it will be possible to secure these in amy but small quantities till the close of the war. I_ is evident that the Royal Commission set up in England to deal with the paper shortage is mil looking forward to a speedy termination of the present condition of affairs, as will be seen from the following appeal which they make to the public (quoted from the April number of the British Paper Trade Journal) : —

I—H. 36.