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TELEGRAPH MONEY-ORDER SERVICE BETWEEN NEW ZEALAND AND FIJI. A telegraph money-order service tietween New Zealand and Fiji was instituted on the Ist July, 1926. INLAND LETTER-TELEGRAMS. The number of inland letter-telegrams sent during the year 1926-27 was 426,816, an increase of 109,332 on the number sent during the year 1925-26. This is an indication of the growing popularity of this cheap class of message. TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE OFFICES OPEN FOR BUSINESS. Particulars of offices opened and closed during the year and remaining open at the 31st March, 1927, are as follow : Offices opened, 18; offices closed, 38; offices remaining open at 31st March, 1927, 2,192. Of this number, 247 are operated by morse, 1,831 by telephone, 4 by radio-telegraphy, and 10 are telephone toll stations only. There are also four radio stations on the mainland (Awanui, Auckland, Wellington, and Awarua), and five in the Cook Islands. As was the case in previous years, the number of offices closed exceeded the number opened. The excess of closing over opening is due to the extension of the telephone system in rural areas, thus rendering unnecessary a number of small telephone-offices. TELEGRAPH AND TOLL TRAFFIC. The figures which follow show the position in regard to telegraph and telephone traffic. Fuller information is contained in Table 11.

Total of all Classes of Message and Value thereof.

Schedule of Paid Telegrams, Gable Messages, and Toll Communications. Number. Value. Ordinary.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5,725,008 483,902 Urgent .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 279,957 28,658 Press .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 555,638 76,770 Letter .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 426,816 19,133 Toll communications .. .. .. .. .. .. 9,329,017 372,612 16,316,436 981,075 Less net amount paid to other Administrations on cable and radio messages .. 192,586 Net total for paid messages of all codes, 1926-27 .. .. .. 16,316,436 788,489 Net total for paid messages of all codes, 1925-26 .. .. .. 16,143,414 782,680 Table showing Use by the Public of Telegraph and Toll Services. 1926-27. 1925-26. Number of ordinary telegrams sent per unit of population .. .. .. 3'98 4-54 Number of toll communications per unit of population .. . . 6-48 6-37 Number of paid messages, telegrams, or toll communications per unit of population 1T34 11-49 Number of paid telegrams for every 100 letters posted .. .. .. 4 - 69 4-39 CABLE SERVICES. DUPLICATION OF PACIFIC CABLE. An outstanding event in the operations of the Pacific Cable Board was the duplication of the cable between Canada and Fiji. This is a consummation of the scheme for providing a complete additional cable channel between Canada and New Zealand and Australia. The first portion of the work was completed in 1923, when cables were laid between Auckland and Suva (Fiji), and between Southport (Queensland) and Sydney. The cable just completed comprises two sections —one between Bamfield (British Columbia) and Fanning Island, and the other between Fanning Island and Suva. The contract for the construction and laying-out of the Bamfield- Fanning Island section was carried out by the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company, of Greenwich; while the Fanning Island -Suva section was constructed and laid by Messrs Siemens Bros., of Woolwich.

1926-27. j 1925-26. i Increase. Increase per Cent. Number .. .. .. j 16,372,226 16,201,874 170,352 ! 1-051 Value .. .. .. | £793,096 £787,670 1 £5,426 , 0-688