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INTERNATIONAL RADIO-TELEGRAPH CONFERENCE. It is proposed to hold a Radio-telegraph Conference next year at Washington, D.C., U.S.A. As the last Conference was held in 1912, and since then wireless telegraphy has progressed by leaps and bounds, the Conference will afford a valuable opportunity for some very interesting discussions. It is intended that the Dominion shall be represented at the Conference. ESTABLISHMENT OF STORES BRANCH AT AUCKLAND. Owing partly to lack of accommodation at other centres the greater part of the Department's stores is housed in Wellington ; but, as the accommodation available in Wellington is limited and the principle of distributing stores direct to the port nearest the point of use could with advantage be developed, the establishment of branch stores is highly desirable. During the year a branch of the Post and Telegraph Stores was opened at Auckland. The new branch controls the issue of stores in the Auckland, Hamilton, and Thames Postal Districts. Its establishment will facilitate the extensions of the system of direct shipment, and will reduce expenditure of both time and money. The system of distributing from Wellington is expensive on account of freight and handling charges, and when material is required urgently it frequently causes a waste of valuable time. Apart altogether from the foregoing aspects of the question, however, it is necessary to consider the chaos which would arise in the Department and the loss of service to the public that would result if a serious fire occurred in the Wellington Stores. From this point of view alone it is highly desirable that the system of establishing branch stores be extended where possible. MOTOR TRANSPORT. The Department's fleet of motor-vehicles continued to grow during the year. At the four centres garage fleets were improved by the addition of sedans. In accordance with Government policy, vehicles of English manufacture were purchased for use on services on which they could be economically employed. My Department continues to purchase motor-vehicles on behalf of other Government Departments. MOTOR-REGISTRATION. The manner in which the registration of motor-vehicles has been carried out has proved eminently satisfactory. It can safely be said that the Department with its widespread ramifications has enabled the owners of motor-vehicles to comply with the requirements of the Motor-vehicles Act, 1924, with the minimum of inconvenience. For handling this class of business the Post Office, unquestionably, possesses greater facilities than any other Government Department. Taking into consideration the volume of work involved in compiling and maintaining the register there have been remarkably few complaints. WORK PERFORMED FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS. The Post Office in New Zealand is probably unique in its ramifications. There are few, if any, Departments of State that do not at some time or other utilize my Department's organization for work quite apart from the handling of mail-matter and telegrams. The principal assistance rendered other Departments is in the collection of revenue and in the disbursement of amounts due to the public. My Department does not aim at making a profit out of the work. The charge for conducting the various transactions is fixed at a rate calculated merely to meet the cost of carrying out the service. The distribution of the population has rendered necessary the establishment of over two thousand post-offices, of which nearly nine hundred are money-order offices. The agencies of the Post Office are thus sufficiently numerous to permit of the efficient conduct of General Government business. In fact, in a young country such as New Zealand it is difficult to conceive a way of handling General Government business better than the way it is handled through the Post Office.

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