Report Post .Office and Telegraph -Dep Artment
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", 1871. I VICTORIA. ' REPORT .. .I ON THE POST .OFFICE AND TELEGRAPH -DEP ARTMENT FOR THE YEA¥ • . 187'0. PRESEN'l'ED TO BOTH HOUSES OF 1> ARLIAMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY;S COMIlIANl) . .' 'till ~ut~Otitl! : JOHN F~:RlmS,' GO V}:U.NlIIENl' PRINTER MELBOURNE. I No. 12. J l' , 'I -, , ., , , " t. s. d. I l"nIparatlon-Not given. Frlntlng (&26 copies) .' " <.: ,,' t ... t " , ' I • GENERAL POST OFFICE, Melbourne, 31st March 1871. Sm, , , As required by the 57th section of the Post Office Statute, ;29 Victoria \ No. \ 298, I have the honor to submit a General Report upon tlle. affairs of' the Post Office for the y~ar 1870. I have the honor t!l be, Sir, Your most obedient Servan.t, W. TURNER, Deputy ~ostmaster-Genera} . , Tpe Honorable ~. The Commissioner of Trade and Cus,toms, &c., &c. " , I , ' " I ' - , , REPORT., , Although the business of the_ Department has increased considerably during the past y~ar, tne Revenue R~turns are not so satisfactory as those for 1869. The gross amounts collected in 1870 were-Postage and Money Order Com- mission, £126,596; Telegraphic Messages, £33,145. , . This shows a falling off from the receipts for 1869 on postage, &c., of £624 and on telegraphic messages of £1038, \vhich is to be accounted for by the reduction that has taken place as hereinafter' me~tioned in the rates of postage on intercolonial ship letters and on telegraphic messages; and, to' some extent, by the operation of the, Stamp Statute,- which has greatly decreased the facilities afforded to the public for the purchase of postage stamps by diminishing the number <?f licensed vendors. It sheuld also be noticed.in cpnnection with the Stamp Statute, a~'affecting the revenue for 18,70, that from the,date it came into force ('lst,January 1870), tIie commis sion allowed to .licensed vendors was reduced from 5 per cent. to 2t per cent. Very large' purchases were made in the last few d~ys of December 1869, amounting, at least, to £1500 more than would otherwise have been the case; and, consequently, the sun; named was credited in the accounts of 1869 instead of appearing as part of the receipts of 1870, to which it fairly belonged. But for these ci:rcumstances the revenue of the Post Office for 1870 would have 'shown ariexcess over'the collections for 1869 equal to that of 1868 over 1867, or, say (£5000) five thou,sand pounds. The rates on ship letters .to New Zealand, New South Wales, South Australia, " and Tasmania, were reduced from sixpence to t~reepence per half-ounce on the 27th May, -1st July, 1st August, and 1st Nove~ber respectively. The rates on local telegraphic messages were reduced to the uniform charge of one shilling for ten' words on the 1st January 1870, and on intercolonial messages.' Ion the following'dates, viz. :-South Australia, 1st August; 'New South vVales and . Q~eenslimd, 8th August. , The charges on intercolonial messages were fixed at a minimum of 2s. with ' South Australia, 3s. with New South Wales, except to Albury and Deniliquin, to which places the charge was made 2s., and 6s. with Queenslan,d; this Department receiving on a message to South Australia one-half, on a message to New South Wales, at 2s. rate one-half, a,nd at 3s. rate one-third; and on a message to Queensland one-third. The extraordinary increase in th~ number of telegrams in the early part of 1870, gave promise of a business that would not only prevent any falling off in revenue but would'· cQ!'npensate for the additional outlay occasioned by the appointment of junior operators arid messengers, which the largely. increased transactiQns that imme diately followed the redu~tion in rates made necessary. The failure of these expectations is, no doubt, due. to the depression in business generally throughout the, colony during the latter part of the past year, but more particularly to the extreme dulness that prevailed in the mining districts. N umber of Victorian Messages in 1869 256,723 " " ,,1870 423,591 Cash receipts on account of Victorian Messages in 1869 .. £~4,154 6s. 9d. " '" " " 1S70 .. £22,811 19s. 7<1. Number of Intercolonial Messages in 1869 23,747 " " '" 1870 31,007 Cash receipts on account of Intercolonial Messages in 1869 £10,028 13s. 8d. " " " " ,,1870 £10,333 lOs. 9d. Monthly average of Intercolonial Messages, before reduction in rates, for seven months to 31st July 1870 2,150 per mouth . Monthly average of Intercolonial Messages, aftei reduction in rates, for five mouths from 1st August to 3!st December 1870 , .... 3,191 per month Cash receipts for Interco\oniai M~s8ages, bifo;'~ ,reduction of rates, for seven months to 31st July 1870 ... •.• ,'" £871 lIs. Od. per month Cash receipts for Intercolonial Messages, after reduction of rates, I for five mouths to 31st December 1870... ... ... ' £846 lOs. 9d. per month 6 , ' ,EXPENDITuRE. ' - I , , The -gros~ amount of expenditure on account of the Post Office and Telegraph under the h~ads Salaries and Wages, Contingencies, and Jnland Mail' Service, " during 1870, was £14,325 in excess of that for .1869,' which is to be ascribed to ,the ,appointment of additional assistant' opera.tors and telegraph messengers, £3254 ; . annual increments allow~d by law, and, additional allowances to country postmasteI~s ~nl;<?9:p.seqUEm~eiof, incr~ased: busin~ss,;a:qd, qvertlme,:,.t:,U75; ma'nufactur~ of stamps under Stamp, Statpte, £1;046 ;;,Inl~~d ,Mail ~ervice, £7347., ,,' , ,'." q ~ ~;':l'l'<i,r1;teamoup.t ch~rged,~gainst. the cqlQ:p.y of Victoria OJ?, 3:c~ount ofS~ap:l Postal Communication, 1870, is £35,529 5s. 8d., ' tj,;,,;':' An '; accQmlt, of" th~, ,rey,e!lue, .an~, ,~xpep.qiture, will" be J~p,n~, a~, pag~ ,21 ~f this v .Report. , -".i "" t. /:: ,: J;NLAND CORRESPONDENC~;: ,t<' .. /: , 'j " According to the, statement,on,·the.n~xt page,,;which has,be~~,carefp,lly"compil~d from,the·retmmsreyeiv;ed ,fr~m, the various! country post offices,' and ehec:ked by the.1;>e~t me~n$' at the, disposal of, the •. officers .of.this... Department',i,the·)I).crease i~, the,;ip.lm~d. c@rresl')ondenye ..in·,the), year. ;1879,·..;.oYer" thaLfor,,186,9may. :be:estimated :;a,t. si~,:( 6.1 'percent. ~ ',;, " . ,.', '1'1,' " 'to:' ;t -<> 1 As(';xplaip.~d in previous:Reports, ,there are 3:lmost:i:qsuperable~ djfficuitiesjI).;the wa¥~o£,allriving,at. the: ,exact:number. of inland Jettens that ,have circulated,'throug~o,!l.t the colony" during any: 'gi;ven, perio&'; nevertheless;l., from ,the .various, .tests· ap,plje,e} , in :,Con;tputingL thepercentagetlof.increase;, ,that)now,: given-may .be,,~ke:n. as, .. c19s.eJy , approximating to fact. " , ',,'" :... ii'''d:~ There has also~beenaninc.rease,in th(:dnland~packets of ni\le,(9}pe:r: ce,nt., arid in the ,inland ,newspapers .of nearly four ~4) ,per,:,cent. '. j,: ",: " ,:,,-{,r.., ", ': INTERCOL0NIAL ~\ .FOREIGN LETTERS, ETC. : ,i ,':"';;,1 ,:,';;, I , • , " , . There . has 'been, ail· increase' in Intercolonial· letters 'despatched sinqe :the .reduction in the rate 9f p()stage at'l;he'rate of 1000 pet month.; the percentage"of increase for 1870 over 1869 being abouf,2i per-cent. " " ' . ';: ;,;: ~. On'Intel'colonia;I'packets,despatched: during t4e . same pe~i()d the increaseha.8 oe,en'nearly'25 per cent.; aild,OIdntercoJomal newspapers' six (6}per.cerit... ; . ',' ; ,:~.r ' '" .In British. and Foreign ship l~tters, packet~, and newspapers, outwards, ·thGre hal:( been ari jncrease in 19tter~ ':1~,":in:, packets ::t,:fractio,n" and in newsp,aper~ 2 per cent." , , . ,:....: ," .. , " " ".:, ' • . .... f ' r:<:", , Of Intel'colonialletters 'and'packetsreyeived there"has bee:p.~ail increase,·very trifling -in the letters, aJ?d about 6t per c'e'nt. in packets. ,.:. /",,' '. ;,::,~,: " .: ,:' ' ,,' In, In,terc()lo:tiial., newspapers' received, th€lre ,has l?een" a, \falling' off,:,of· about 2.,t per: c'ent.· . ',,' . " ' "';, .!.. ',- " ",' " '" i >~:,- , 'Of British 'and... ·E o,r~igl1 letters~' pa~kets; and ·newsp'ape~s: :r!3ceived • .there' Has ,l:iee~i a,'very' 'slight inGrease,~ the letter,s andp~ck;et~;:!1nder 1 per-cent. in ;each~ casc','; )1l1(,l' in' newspapers a' decrease of rather more thi:m· 6 per cent." ' : " ,;,,"'"'' :' . ;';:"" • 'I' , :, ,,' "\' I," ,,'.. NEWSPAPERS. ".' '('" • " I •• , , • V";, "Complaints are:·frequen~IY:Q1!td~ 'of.- the'1)1iscal1il!ge ,,'of newspapers. P9stlild· :,ill England for transmission to.Nictoria 'by-the English mail; and the:'persons',;who',do not receive ;:the '. pap~rs' which, they feel certain, hav~ ,been ~for,warded",,for. them .:almost invari;:tQly assume that the blame're~ts 1rith t4~ Colonial P9~t.Offi~e. , There i~, how eve~, ,good reason to, believe that: j.t;l.. most case~ where such c~Iirplaint :ismade the . missing newspapers have never been despatched from England, but have been detained in the L,9ndon office on account of ;some, irreg~larity in .. tne :posting. , .. According to the EnglishJ~w the terms 'upo~ whjch; ne~spap.er~ caJ? ,be f01;"warde~ by post ,at:e much more restrictive ,than thos~necess3;t'Y to 'be observed in this colony." :' , . The following are the hea,ds of the leading iJtdispensable conditions enforced in the London office :_ I' . , i.. Newspapers must be posted,:w,i~hir: ~ .days of publicati?n~, " '" ", ., f!""Newsp~p~r postagE?: must be,p~e,p~l9. ~n .f\lf~... Q.JaY IW:tp;lyfor ,every A: ounces or " fraction of 4 ounces. I ' T~er~ mu~t. be no"writing-, or"other, ~~k, on: ,a :newspaper :,~u.t i,the lrHline arid i ,: address' of t1;te pers~m to ~.h~m It IS ,:ad<4"!3s~~. " (The ~mltia:Is: of. ~hq sender ;would lead to deteliti?n.)'·" .