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Post Office engineering works absorb 788 vehicles, the remaining 617 being employed on mail work, telegram delivery, and on hire to other Government Departments. . Because of the age of many of the vehicles and the need for strengthening the fleet to meet urgent extensions of telephone and postal services, and also to provide for the increased requirements of other Government Departments, 150 cars and 250 trucks and truck chassis were authorized for purchase during the year. Of these, 125 cars and all the trucks and truck chassis have now been delivered. These cars'and many of the trucks are now in service. The. building of bodies for the remainder is under urgent action, and all of the vehicles should be on the road by the end of October. 'Even so, there will still be 339 vehicles over ten years old, while there are a number of other units that have been run for many miles beyond their normal economical life. It is the aim to replace these vehicles as soon as the supply position permits. Special Cars for Proposed Royal Tour Six large Daimler cars were purchased for use during the Royal tour. These vehicles are being held pending a decision as to their disposal. In addition to these cars, it was proposed to use six large Ilumber cars made available on loan by courtesy of Messrs. Rootes Limited, and six small Daimlers loaned by the Daimler Company. These twelve vehicles were released to the local agents for disposal in New Zealand. WORKSHOPS Departmental workshops are established at seventeen of the larger centres of New Zealand, the total staff employed being 685. The primary functions of the establishments are the maintenance of the Department's telecommunication apparatus, and the servicing of its fleet of motor-vehicles, as well as the vehicles of most other Departments of State. In recent years, however, the workshops have undertaken the manufacture of bodies for motor-vehicles and of communication equipment and parts which are not readily obtainable from outside sources of supply. As far as workshops resources permit, departmental requirements of office furniture and fittings are also manufactured. Workshops activities are expanding so rapidly that additional accommodation is necessary. To meet this need temporary accommodation has, and is, being provided, but the larger extensions in permanent construction must await the freer availability of men and material. The total value' of the work performed in the various workshops during the year amounted to £570,333, of which £128,313 represents the value of services rendered to other Government Departments. DRAUGHTING OFFICES To meet the many requirements for draughting and allied work, the Post Office - maintains 13 draughting offices with a total staff of 90. Extensive recording of underground and aerial cable reticulation is undertaken, including design, surveying, and mechanical and electrical drawing. Draughting facilities include up-to-date photo-copying machines and reflex copying processes. All modern methods are used in the reproduction of plans and illustrations. PUBLIC RELATIONS The Post Office recognizes that, while fundamentally, its relations with its users rests on the standard of service given, there exists in a Service with such wide ramifications the need for promoting a better understanding of the various

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