576 BRITISH POST OFFICE 



1,750,000, hut alternative schemes are in the field. Mention may also be made of the 

 adaptation of disused portions of the Roman Foss Way in Lincolnshire for modern traffic. 



The system of propulsion of electric vehicles without rails, by means of overhead trolleys, 

 has received much attention, and has an example in Leeds, where a public service on this 

 principle was inaugurated in June 1911. 



Tramways of the United Kingdom. The total length of tramways open at the end of 191 1 

 was 2597; the paid-up capital 74,725,440; the gross receipts 13,777,001 (an increase of 

 5.3 per cent on the preceding year). Working expenses amounted to 8,500,941 (increase 

 4.5 per cent); net receipts to 5,276,060 (increase 6.6 per cent). The number of passengers 

 carried during the year was 2,907,177,120, an increase of 9.2 per cent. 



Post Office. With the close of the ye..r 1911 the telephone system of the National 

 Telephone Company passed under the control of the Postmaster-General, whose de- 

 partment under this arrangement entered into possession of some 1,500 exchanges and 

 undertook the service of 400,000 subscribers in addition to about 80,000 who were pre- 

 viously served by existing post-office exchanges. With very few exceptions, the com- 

 pany's staff was transferred to the government service, the total personnel amounting 

 to about 18,000. The rates were not immediately affected by the change, but public 

 opinion was freely expressed that the efficiency of the service had deteriorated; 



The following statistics relate to the year ending March 31, 1912. The total 

 number of letters delivered in the United Kingdom was 3186.8 millions (in England 

 and Wales 2729.8, Scotland 273.8 and Ireland 183.2 millions), an average per head of the 

 population of 75 in England and Wales, 58 in Scotland and 42 in Ireland, or 70 for the whole 

 kingdom. There were also delivered in the Kingdom 1265.5 million newspapers and half- 

 penny packets, 905,500,000 postcards, and 124,254,092 parcels with an average postal rate 

 of 4.840., providing a revenue of 2,505,068, of which 1,122,605 was paid to railway com- 

 panies. The length of telegraph lines in 1910-11 was 52,413 miles overhead, 5569 under- 

 ground and 3314 submarine, but these figures represent lengths of wire of 440,315 miles 

 overhead, 787,553 underground and 10,727 submarine. Telegraph business was transacted 

 at J 3.959 postal and other offices, and telegrams numbered 76,029,000 inland (a decrease of 

 596,000) and 15,585,000 foreign (an increase of 478,000 on the preceding year). Receipts on 

 telegrams and telephones amounted to 5,121,341, including 2,297,953 from inland tele- 

 grams and 1,952,537 from telephones (including royalties) ; expenditure on this department 

 amounted to 6,352,281. 



Money orders were issued in 191 1-12 to the amount of 35,260,390 in England and Wales, 

 4,467,975 in Scotland and 2,367,366 in Ireland (total 42,095,731), and postal orders to the 

 amounts of 41,337,000, 4,432,000, and 2,261,000 respectively (total 48,030,000). 



The demolition of the old General Post Office in St. Martin's le Grand, London, was 

 undertaken in July 1912. It was hoped to preserve the fagade, which is of some 

 architectural interest (E. B. xvi, 945b), by its re-erection elsewhere. 



Finance (see under " History " above, ad fin.} For 1911-12 the tQtal revenue for 

 the United Kingdom was 185,090,286, and the expenditure 178,545,160.' 



The following were the details of revenue: Customs, 33,649,000; Excise, 38,380,000; 

 Estate Duties, 25,392,000; Stamps, 9,454,000; Land Tax, 750,000; House Duty, 2,130,- 

 ooo; Income Tax, 44,804,000; Land Value Duties, 481,000; Post Office, 19,650,000; 

 Telegraphs, 3,105,000; Telephones, 2,945,000; Crown Lands, 530,000; Receipts for Suet 

 Canal shares, etc., 1,281,497; Miscellaneous, 2,538,789. 



The following were the details of heads of expenditure: National Debt, 24,500,000; 

 Development Fund, 1,709,859; To local taxation account, 9,636,399; Civil list, 470,000; 

 Annuities and Pensions, 317,745; Salaries and Allowances, 56,572; Courts of Justice, 

 523,000; Miscellaneous, 325,525; Army, 27,649,000; Navy, 42,858,000; Miscellaneous 

 Civil Services, 46,001,000; Customs and Excise, 2,297,000; Inland Revenue, 1,654,000; 

 Post Office (Telegraphs, etc.), 20,547,000. 



The income brought under review for the assessment of income tax was stated as follows, 

 for the year ending April 5, 1911: Schedule A (ownership of lands, houses, etc.), England 

 233,006,688, Scotland 26,944,348, Ireland 14,971,877. Sch. B (occupation of lands), 

 England 12,282,010, Scotland 1,925,858, Ireland 3,231,092. Sch. C (interest on securi- 

 ties, etc.), United Kingdom 49,562,418. Sch. D (profits from business, professions, etc.), 

 England 509,578,244, Scotland 57,036,283, Ireland 16,697,542. Sch. E (salaries, etc.), 

 United Kingdom 119,697,415. 



The National Debt on March 21, 1912, consisted of: Funded Debt, 602,200,092; Termi- 

 nable Annuities, 33,044,389; Unfunded Debt, 39,500,000; Other capital liabilities, 50,061,- 

 947. Total gross liabilities, 724,806,428. 



Parliamentary Electors. In 1912 the registered number of parliamentary electors 



