F.-4

1881. NEW ZEALAND.

SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE (FURTHER PAPERS RELATIVE TO). [In continuation of Papers presented on 17th August, 1880.]

Presented to both Houses of tlie General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

No. 1. The Agent-Geneeal to the Hon. the Postmastek-Geneeai. Sm,~ 7, Westminster Chambers, London, S.W., Bth April, 1880, I have the honor to transmit herewith copy of a letter addressed to the Agent-General for New South Wales and myself by the President of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, in reply to our joint letter to that company of the Ist March last,* on the subject of the alteration of the day of departure of the mails from San Francisco, a copy of which I enclosed to you in my letter No. 188, of the 10th March.f 1 naye > &c -> Julius Vogel, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. A gent-General.

Enclosure in. No. 1, The Pbesident, Pacific Mail Steamship Company, to the Agents-General for New South "Wales and New Zealand. Pacific Mail Steamship Company's Pier, foot of Canal Street, Gentlemen,— New York, 18th 'March, 1880. We are in receipt of your valued favour of the Ist instant, from which we note that you duly received our telegram of the 22nd February respecting change in dates of sailing our Australian ships from San Francisco, and that you have duly informed our London agents of the change; for which please accept our thanks. "We also note that you have received a message from the Government at Sydney directing you not to alter the day of departure of the mails from London —i.e., from Thursdays to Tuesdays —as had been intended by your good selves, but merely to urge London to send the mails by fast steamer. The object of this we understand to be that the time between London and San Francisco be reduced two days, which our San Francisco agents seem sanguine can be done, although we ourselves are not so confident. It is true the Central Pacific Railroad Company has reduced its time between Ogden and San Francisco six hours, and it is possible the Union Pacific Railroad Company may also reduce its time correspondingly between Omaha and Ogden. The mails at present, therefore, arrive at San Francisco about noon ; and, if they arrive in New York in time to be despatched thence overland the Saturday previous, our agents claim there is little doubt they will arrive at San Francisco in time for the despatch of the Australian ship on Saturday This, however, premises the arrival here of your Thursday mail in very quick time, which could doubtless be relied on during the summer months, but certainly could not be expected during the winter season of long passages. We have proposed to your Government, through our San Francisco agents, to reduce our time between San Francisco and Sydney by one day, and thus improve the entire schedule between London and Sydney three days. This, at the request of the Hon. the Postmaster-General of New South Wales, who cabled us through our Auckland agent that the new semi-monthly time-table of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Shipping Company showed better time between England and Sydney by three days, and that he desired us, if practicable, to meet the emergency In accordance with our previous understanding, therefore, we are advertising the "Australia" to leave San Francisco on Saturday, April 10th, " or on the arrival of the London mails," and have forwarded copy of your letter under reply to our San Francisco agents, for their guidance. Trusting that we may be able to improve the time of the San Francisco route in the manner indicated in the foregoing, I have, &c, John Eiley, President P.M.S.S. Co. The Agents-General for New South Wales and Now Zealand.

* Enclosure lin No. 38, F.-3,1880. t N°' 38, 2: 188°--I—F 4.