F.—l.

1939. NEW ZEALAND.

POST AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT (REPORT OF THE) FOR THE YEAR 1938-39.

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

To His Excellency the Right Honourable Viscount Galway, P. 0., G.C.M.G., D.5.0., 0.8. E. May it please Your Excellency,— I have the honour to submit to Your Excellency, with the following comment, the Report of the Post and Telegraph Department for the year ended on the 31st March, 1939 : — RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS. The revenue collected during the year exceeded that for the previous year by £385,320. The amount received was £4,687,564, compared with £4,302,244 for 1937-38. Increases in revenue were again recorded in respect of all phases of the Department's activities. Payments for the year in respect of working-expenses (including interest on capital liability amounting to £588,000) totalled £4,529,358. The excess of receipts over payments was £158,206. POST OFFICE SAVINGS-BANK. Post Office Savings-bank deposits were £30,434,292, compared with £33,041,082 during the previous year. Interest credited to depositors amounted to £1,726,574. The withdrawals totalled £34,597,708, compared with £29,629,074 in the precedingyear. The amount at credit of depositors at the 31st March was £60,710,087. The number of accounts open at the 31st March was 946,822, which is 26,017 in excess of the total recorded at the end of 1937-38. STAFF. During the period —over three years —the Department has been under my control I have lost no opportunity of acquainting myself with the ramifications of the Service and the diversified duties of the staff, and I view with pleasure and satisfaction the commendable spirit of service and pride in achievement that characterize the work of officers of all ranks. Heavy increases in work are met cheerfully, emergencies are faced confidently, and new systems and services necessitated by changes in conditions or in legislation are introduced without affecting the efficiency of the organization as a whole. Above all, opportunities of serving the public are accepted with alacrity. I appreciate that in giving good service officers are actuated by the desire to advance in status by demonstrating their worth to the Department, and it is pleasing to record that towards the end of the year Government was able to raise the salaries of some seven hundred officers, most of the increases being made retrospective to the Ist April, 1938.

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