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Enclosure in No. 16. Memorandum by the Hon. J. VoeEi. The Postmaster-General has the honor to call His Excellency's attention to the little assistance which the Colony has received with respect to the Californian service. Although New Zealand commenced the service, and was subjected to all the difficulties incidental to the initiation of a new enterprise of the kind, it is yet substantially placed in a very much worse position in respect to the past, than the Colony of New South Wales, in conjunction with New Zealand, will be placed in respect to the new service about to be commenced. The Home Government have paid to New Zealand, on account of the postage receipts for the letters sent by the route, the sum of £1,534 only. Whereas, if it had applied to this Colony the same principle as will regulate its contribution to the new service after the end of this year, New Zealand would have received, it is estimated, about £17,116. The amount paid to New Zealand is the absolute profit, after defraying the whole of the expenses from San Francisco to New York, including allowance of the British inland rate, and for all charges from London to San Francisco, including allowance for outward British postages, and including also a charge for the cost of transmitting the mails by the Atlantic steamers, although the greater part of the mails were, it is believed, forwarded by a steamer to which the Imperial Post Office did not make any extra payment. The Colony was more liberally treated during the existence of the Panama service; for in that case, the Imperial Government carried the mails free, to and from Aspinwall. The Postmaster-General ventures to ask that His Excellency will represent, as strongly as possible, to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, the hardship which it appears to Ministers the Colony will sustain as a return for its enterprise in initiating a service- which must prove exceedingly important to the Imperial Government, and which has already been very largely used for Imperial purposes, and to urge that the Colony may be more liberally dealt with. It is proposed, if His Excellency does not object, to send a copy of this Memorandum to the Agent-General, and to request him to see the Secretary of State for the Colonies on the subject. The Postmaster-General will be glad if Hia Excellency can see his way to make such a representation to the Secretary of State as will induce him to lend a favourable ear to the representations of the AgentGeneral. Wellington, 17th October, 1873. Julius Vooel. Memorandum for the Hon. the Postmaster-General. It is estimated that the postages which would be due this Colony from the Imperial Post Office, if payment were based on the arrangement to be brought into operation on the Ist January next, would amount to £17,116. From this sum may be deducted about £6,000, estimated to have been paid by the London Post Office for the territorial and sea transit of mails between San Francisco and the United Kingdom; as well as a sum of £1,534 credited this Colony in April last, representing, after defraying all charges, the surplus accruing to the London Office on account of the San Francisco service up to Juno, 1872. Although the cost of the transit of the newspaper and book portions of our mails from San Francisco to England, and the cost for conveying the newspaper and book portions of the English mails from New York to San Francisco, was made a charge on this Colony, it should be remembered that the Imperial Post Office, by the proposed new arrangement, now undertakes to defray the cost of conveying mails from San Francisco to London and from London to San Francisco; and were this in force during the period of the late service, the accounts would have stood thus: — Estimated postage ... ... ... ... £17,116 Less amount credited Colony ... ... ... 1,534 Balance due Colony ... ... ... £15,582 General Post Office, Wellington, 16th October, 1873. W. Gray.

No. 17. Copy of DESPATCH from Governor the Right Hon. Sir J. Fergusson, Bart., to the Eight Hon. the Earl of Kimberley. (No. 81.) Government House, Auckland, My Lord,— New Zealand, 22nd October, 1873. My Advisers are desirous that I shall inform your Lordship of the yet increasing efforts and more liberal offers which they are making in order to attract industrious population to the Colony. Although a continuous stream of immigrants is passing to the Provinces, according to their individual selection, the number falls short of the demand, and the Government, the Legislature, and the public are agreed that no needful expense shall be spared to procure a supply of labour adequate for the present requirements of the Colony. I have the honor to enclose a copy of a telegram lately despatched to the Agent of the Colony in London, giving him large powers and liberal means for his purpose, the principal features of which are, —