I move:
Go ndeontar suim ná raghaidh £1,629,580 chun slánuithe na suime is gá chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1943, chun Tuarastail agus Costaisí Oifig an Aire Puist agus Telegrafa (45 agus 46 Vict., c 74; 8 Edw. 7, c. 48; 1 agus 2 Geo. 5, c. 26; na hAchtanna Telegrafa, 1863 do 1928, etc.); agus Seirbhísí áirithe eile atá fé riaradh na hOifige sin.
That a sum not exceeding £1,629,580 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending the 31st day of March, 1943, for the Salaries and Expenses of the Office of the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs (45 and 46 Vict., c. 74; 8 Edw. 7, c. 48; 1 and 2 Geo. 5, c. 26; The Telegraph Acts, 1863 to 1928; etc.), and of certain other Services administered by that Office.
The total of the estimated Post Office expenditure for 1942-43 is £2,513,580, representing a net decrease of £33,273 on the provision for 1941-42. The gross decrease amounts to £63,158, due mainly, to anticipated lower payments to the British Administration in respect of outgoing parcel traffic from Eire; due also to expected lesser payments to other administrations in respect of money orders and postal orders issued, and of air mail correspondence posted, for countries abroad; reduced purchases of uniform clothing, of motor transport and of other stores owing to restrictions on supplies; reduced telegraph and telephone construction and renewal work; lower telephone capital repayments; smaller provision in respect of superannuation allowances, etc., etc. Offsetting the reductions there are increases totalling £30,420, the result chiefly of extra staff requirements for augmented telegraph and telephone business; of payment to sub-postmasters for the issue of food vouchers; provision for increments; higher costs of fuel and light; increased expenditure on conveyance of mails by road owing to growing costs; additional payments in respect of retirements under Article 10 of the Treaty; additional staff and equipment for civil aviation purposes, etc., etc. These increases, in conjunction with a lower credit (£535) in respect of Appropriations-in-Aid, make the estimated net decrease in expenditure £33,273.
The financial position of the three main Post Office services—postal, telegraph and telephone—as ascertained from the commercial accounts for the financial year 1940-41, the last period for which these accounts are available, is as follows:—
Postal services.—Revenue, £1,575,589; expenditure, £1,690,846; deficit, £115,257.
Telegraph services. —Revenue, £189,566; expenditure, £319,769; deficit, £130,203.
Telephone services. — Revenue, £647,759; expenditure, £557,369; surplus, £90,390.
That is to say, the surplus of £90,390 on the telephones at the end of 1940/41, was off-set by a deficit of £245,460 on the postal and telegraph services combined, leaving a net deficit on the three services of £155,070, an increase of £142,621 on the deficit at the end of the preceding year. The larger deficit was the result partly of a falling off in postal traffic in 1940-41, caused by emergency conditions, and partly of additional expenditure on staff to meet growth of telegraph and telephone traffic; on substitution of officers on military service or on loan to other Government Departments; building up of reserve stocks of stores; increased provision for depreciation of engineering plant, necessitated by the expansion of the telephone system, etc., etc.
Post Office revenue, that is, actual cash receipts, considerably improved during the financial year now concluding. This was mainly the result of the increased charges which became operative in June of last year. The total revenue for 1941-42 is estimated at £2,292,000, an increase, approximately, of £311,200 on that for the year preceding. Of this increase, approximately £241,800 is attributable to the increased charges, the balance arising from additional telegraph and telephone traffic. Whether revenue can be maintained at its existing level during the next financial year will, of course, largely depend upon the nature and degree of further emergency developments and their reactions on general business activities. At the present stage it would appear as if a drop of about £66,000 must be reckoned on.
The internal mail service generally suffered material deterioration during the past year by reason of the curtailment of train services on the Great Southern Railways system owing to the unsatisfactory coal situation. The difficulties, which first manifested themselves in July last, developed seriously in October, when the railway company found it impracticable to provide, over the greater portion of their system, more than one service a day in each direction that would be of any utility for mail purposes. As a result, however, of discussions which took place with the company, the mails position has since substantially improved and, although there is still unavoidable irregularity in train running, the principal places on the eastern and southern sections have now two outgoing and two incoming mail services each week-day. On the western section the train services available do not admit of more than one mail a day each way. The situation is, of course, entirely the result of emergency conditions and one over which neither the Post Office nor the railway company can exercise any effective control; and, unfortunately, the restrictions on petrol supplies have ruled out road transport as a possible means of improvement. Indeed, the serious position in regard to petrol which is now developing will compel the Department to proceed, as early as practicable, with the substitution of existing motor mail services by other forms of transport. While every effort will be made to carry out the change with a minimum of public inconvenience, it will be appreciated that some disimprovement in the times of deliveries and despatches in many country districts will be unavoidable.
The cross-channel service between Dún Laoghaire and Holyhead is still restricted to one sailing a day each way. The Sunday service on this route was discontinued in September last, mails being conveyed instead by cargo services from and to the North Wall. Agreement has been come to in conjunction with the British Administration for a reduction of the remuneration paid to the contractors, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company, in respect of the restricted services. The use of the Rosslare-Fishguard route for mails has been discontinued, the services now operative being wholly unsuitable.
Foreign mail services have been further adversely affected by the extension of the war zone and the exchange of correspondence with various countries in the Far East has had to be suspended. The volume of foreign traffic generally has fallen considerably and, even where services continue to be practicable, the times occupied in transmission are considerably prolonged. Incoming mails from all places abroad arrive very irregularly. The slowness and uncertainty of surface transport were, however, the cause of a remarkable increase in air mail traffic during the past year. Thus, the number of items posted for conveyance by the North Atlantic air mail service in 1941 amounted to about 420,000, as compared with about 47,000 in 1940. Correspondence for other air services also substantially increased.
The financial position of the telegraph service at the end of 1940/41 showed an improvement as compared with that at the close of the preceding year, the loss on the services falling from £141,562 to £130,203, a decrease of £11,359. The improvement was due mainly to additional credits in respect of services rendered to other Government Departments. There was actually a fall in traffic receipts in 1940/41 because, although the number of internal telegrams rose appreciably by reason of emergency conditions affecting general trade and industry, e.g., restrictions of transport services, difficulties as regards supplies, slowing down of mail communication, etc., the increase was more than offset by a decline in traffic with Northern Ireland, Great Britain and places abroad. While the traffic position improved in the year now concluding, namely, 1941/42, both as regards volume and revenue, the betterment was the result wholly of circumstances arising out of the emergency and it must, I fear, be accepted that, when these disappear, the normal tendency of the telegraphs to decline, owing to the growing expansion of telephones, will again manifest itself. This is, however, an experience common to all administrations and the reductions of rates, which are not infrequently suggested, would at present prove no effective remedy. But decline in traffic will not, unfortunately, be accompanied by a corresponding reduction in costs. The telegraphs are essential for people—the great bulk of the population—who cannot be reached by telephone and, so long as traffic continues to arise, staff for its expeditious disposal must be provided and an elaborate and expensive system of lines and apparatus maintained, even if the cost thereby involved be not covered by the revenue accruing. While, therefore, the telegraphs must be continued, there is no prospect whatever of any substantial or permanent improvement in the financial position of the service.
The scheme for provision of telegraph communication between islands off the western and south western coasts, having populations of 100 and over, and the mainland has been completed. In all 19 islands now have service—six by cable, one by overhead line and the remainder by wireless. Three of the islands—Bere Island, Arranmore and Inishmore (Galway)—have public telephone as well as telegraph communication with the mainland.
The telephone service continues to expand steadily. Revenue during the past 12 months shows an estimated increase of about £45,000 on that of the previous year. Of the increase, approximately £18,000 is the result of the 5 per cent. Budget increase in tariffs which became operative in October last, the balance being due to extra receipts from traffic which has expanded in remarkable degree. During the 12 months ended 31st December last the number of local calls made was 36,000,000, an increase of 1,471,000 on the local traffic in 1940. The number of trunk calls was 4,966,000, an increase of 927,000. The increase in trunk traffic was entirely on internal calls, that is calls within Éire. In considering the figures of expansion, however, it must be borne in mind that the great bulk of the increase was the result of the emergency conditions and cannot, therefore, be regarded as of a permanent character. There was a decrease of approximately 52,000 in the calls to Northern Ireland and Great Britain due to war conditions. The Continental and overseas telephone services have been suspended since the outbreak of hostilities.
The total number of subscribers' lines at the end of 1941 was 30,602, an increase of 1,359 on the previous year. The total number of telephones in use was 47,407, an increase of 2,025. The number of automatic telephones in the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire areas is now 26,172, an increase of 1,329. The transfer of subscribers in the Ballsbridge exchange to the automatic system was completed early last year. It is unlikely that any further transfers to the automatic system can be undertaken until emergency conditions have passed.
Five new exchanges and two new public call offices were opened during the year. There are now 841 exchanges and 1,512 call offices, including 153 street kiosks. Forty-nine additional trunk circuits were provided. The number of high efficiency "carrier" circuits on the main trunk routes is now 74, an increase of 12.
Completion of the new telephone exchange in Exchequer Street, Dublin, has been delayed owing to difficulties in supply of plant and equipment. Every effort is being made to expedite installation, and it is hoped that it may be possible to have the exchange in service by the end of the year. As I have mentioned on previous occasions it is the intention, later, to provide an additional exchange in St. Andrew Street, linked with Exchequer Street, so as to admit of the trunks being wholly removed from the Crown Alley exchange, which will then function solely as an automatic exchange for local service.
Capital expenditure on telephone in 1941-42 was, approximately, £120,000. The programme for the coming year will involve about £145,000. Of the latter amount, approximately £65,000 will be in respect of additional subscribers' and renters' circuits; £31,000 for automatics, mainly for equipment in Exchequer Street and Crown Alley; £23,000 for underground development schemes in Dublin and the provinces; £11,000 for additional overhead trunks; £3,000 for high efficiency "carrier" circuits, etc. While it is hoped that it will be possible to carry out the contemplated programme in full, the practicability of doing so will be largely dependent on the extent to which further demands for the provision of telephone facilities for emergency services are made on the Department.
The bulk of the plant and apparatus used for engineering purposes in Eire is manufactured outside the country and renewal of supplies is now a matter of the utmost difficulty, certain items being, in fact, unobtainable. For this reason the policy of economy in regard to engineering construction stores, which had to be adopted last year, must be continued, and with even greater rigidity—construction works which involve any substantial quantity of plant being, except where essential services are concerned, curtailed to the utmost. Subject to the preservation of the stores position, however, it is hoped that it will be feasible to continue to provide service to new subscribers residing within a reasonable distance of a telephone exchange. Applications involving the use of any substantial quantity of plant may have to remain over indefinitely. I may mention that the facility hitherto available for the plugging in of a telephone at different points in a subscriber's residence can now only be provided in the most exceptional circumstances owing to shortage of materials.
The standard of service throughout the country as a whole is reasonably satisfactory, both as regards speed in answering and quality of transmission, especially having regard to the circumstances of the times. The abnormal increase of trunk traffic to which I have already referred and the necessity for giving priority to urgent calls on defence and other emergency services give rise at times to unavoidable delay, but the position is entirely the result of emergency conditions and there is no complete remedy. The additional trunk circuits provided during the past year tended to improve matters and the further trunks which it is intended to provide during the coming year will still further ameliorate the position. I would like it to be understood, however, that even if difficulties in regard to supplies of engineering stores did not exist, it would not be possible to provide circuits to cater fully for the increased traffic, the bulk of which is, as I have said, of an emergency and non-permanent character.
The standard of the local service generally is definitely good. In Dublin the automatic service is occasionally affected by the inadequacy of the equipment in Crown Alley exchange where, at peak periods, on account of the growing traffic, congestion sometimes results. Any difficulties in this connection, however, particularly as regards calls to "0", "30", and "31", will disappear when the new exchange in Exchequer Street is in operation. The position is one which cannot be wholly rectified earlier.
The considerable pressure experienced in the stores branch during 1940, by reason of conditions arising out of the emergency, continued unabated during practically the whole of 1941. The total value of contracts placed amounted to £1,921,500, of which £1,784,350, or 93 per cent. was in respect of articles manufactured or assembled in Éire. The figures are on practically the same level as those of the previous year. The bulk of the expenditure was in respect of clothing and equipment for the new forces, and the orders placed with factories and mills in Eire were of material assistance to many of them in keeping their operatives in employment. The Post Office factory was utilised to supply deficiencies in various items ordinarily obtained from outside contractors, but which were not forthcoming, by reason, mainly, of inability to procure the necessary raw materials, and an average increase of 14 in the workers employed in the factory resulted for a time. The difficulties arising from the largely increased volume of stores supply work were greatly accentuated during the year by the more stringent restrictions placed on the export of materials from Great Britain, as well as by shipping difficulties in the case of orders placed in the United States of America.
Owing to the complete stoppage of imports of foreign timber, all poles now purchased for telegraph and telephone purposes are of native origin. The home-grown poles are, however, only suitable for light construction.
In regard to Post Office buildings, final plans for the improvement of the accommodation at James's Street District Office, Dublin, have been settled and it is expected that building work can commence within the next three months or so. It is hoped, too, that it will be practicable to proceed before long with the improvement and extension of the office accommodation at Thurles. Also that it may be possible to make some progress during the year with the proposed new office in St. Andrew Street, Dublin, which is to replace the present office in College Green.
The position of the savings bank continues to be very satisfactory. The number of depositors at the close of the year 1941 shows an increase of 24,000. The ordinary deposits for the year amounted to £3,646,000 and the withdrawals to £2,164,800. There was thus a net increase of £1,481,200 in the balance remaining invested, exclusive of interest earned during the year which amounted to approximately £319,500. The deposits were £419,800 more, and the withdrawals £146,800 less, than those for the preceding year.
In addition to the ordinary deposits a sum of £583,250 was deposited by way of investment in respect of moneys received by the Minister for Finance for the credit of trustee savings banks under Section 31 of the Finance Act, 1940, bringing the total so invested since the 21st November, 1940, up to £624,650. Of this amount £15,100 was withdrawn by the banks during the year. The interest credited to the banks in respect of these investments amounted to approximately £7,800.
The provision, under sub-head Q for Civil Aviation and Meteorological Wireless Services, which are provided and operated by the Post Office on behalf of the Department of Industry and Commerce, amounts to £36,885, an increase of £14,825 on the provision for 1941-42. The increase is due almost entirely to increased staff requirements and to provision for installation and maintenance of additional apparatus.
The staff of the Department performed their various duties throughout the year with customary efficiency, and I take this opportunity of expressing my appreciation thereof.
