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nightly steam service to and from the colony, the Agent-General having intimated that he is prepared to recommend the acceptance of an offer for such a service, with a subsidy of £30,000 per annum, and for a period of five years. In accordance with your request, we now have the honour to "enclose copy of two cablegrams we have received from the chairman of this company, which led us to ask for the interview to-day I have, &c, H. P Murray-Aynsley, The Hon. the Minister of Immigration, Wellington. Deputy Chairman.

Sub-Enclosure 1 in Enclosure m No. 30. Copy of Cablegram from the Chairman of the New Zealand Shipping Company (Limited), dated London, 9th January, 1884. Agent-General for New Zealand and Shaw-Savill-Albion Company (Limited) pressing New Zealand Shipping Company make joint proposal New Zealand Government business, with subsidy per annum.

Sub-Enclosure 2 in Enclosure in No. 30. Copy of Cablegram from the Chairman of the New Zealand Shipping Company (Limited), dated London, 12th January, 1884. Agent-General desires propound former emigration scheme, states will recommend contract for the period of five years, fortnightly alternate despatch, subsidy per annum, £30,000.

Sub-Enclosure 3 in Enclosure to No. 30. The Hon. the Minister of Immigration to H. P Mureay-Aynsley, Esq Sir, — Immigration Office, Wellington, Ist February, 1884. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 18th ultimo, forwarding me, in compliance with my request, copies of cablegram received by you from the chairman of the New Zealand Shipping Company (Limited), in London, as to proposals for a fortnightly steam service on the terms named therein. As I informed you personally, the Government has no information, and has given no instructions of the nature indicated. I have, &c, W Eolleston, 11. P Murray-Aynsley, Esq., Minister of Immigration. Deputy-Chairman, N.Z. Shipping Company, Christchurch.

No. 31 The Agent-General to the Hon. the Minister of Immigration. Sir, — 7, Westminster Chambers, London, S.W., 23rd January, 1884. With reference to the Hon. the Minister's memorandum of 6th December last (No. 218), transmitting correspondence with the New Zealand Shipping Company respecting a Press telegram published at Christchurch on the subject of a supposed suggestion of mine relating to the division of trade between that company and the Shaw-Savill-Albion Company, I beg to say that I know nothing of the telegram in question. The Minister will have seen exactly, from the minute I sent to both companies on the 6th November last, what I proposed to the companies. I have, &_., The Hon. the Minister of Immigration, Wellington. F D. Bell.

No. 32. The Agent-General to the Hon. the Minister of Immigration Sir,— 7, Westminster Chambers, London, S.W., 31st January, 1884. In many letters to yourself, as well as in the minute to the shipping companies of the 6th November last, I have referred to the difficulties which there must always be on the part of the companies in deciding whether or not to take emigrants by particular steamers. I now transmit copies of memoranda by Mr Kennaway relating to the steamers "Euapehu" and "Tongariro," from which you will see that, in the case of the "Euapehu," the sudden decision of the shipping company to take a number of people, after some previous hesitation, necessitated the immigrants being summoned by telegram, at a cost of £6 12s. , and that, in the case of the " Tongariro," the same indecision left us very uncertain what to do about summoning immigrants. A few days ago, the manager of the shipping company having stated that the " Tongariro " would take immigrants, embarkation orders were got ready to go out next day, and it was not till three days after that the company finally decided to take no people in her at all. lam not making any complaint whatever of the company on the contrary, Ido not think, as you will have seen more than once from my letters, that the uncertainty will ever be avoided in high-class steamers like that company's. But, all the same, the existence of the difficulty, and the certainty of its frequent recurrence, naturally causes much embarrassment in the conduct of immigration. I have, &c, The Hon. the Minister of Immigration, Wellington, F D. Bell.