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I have been further instructed by my Government to inform you that your letter, addressed to the Postmaster-General in New Zealand, has been duly received, and that a reply to the same is being forwarded by the s.s. " Arawa," which left New Zealand about the 12th December, and that another despatch relating to the same subject will come to you by the s.s. " Coptic," which was fixed to leave New Zealand on the 9th instant. I have, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office. W. B. Peecbval.

Enclosure 2 in No. 90. The Seceetaey, General Post Office, to the Agent-Geneeal, London, Sic,— General Post Office, 19th January, 1892. I duly received your letter of the 11th instant, and, under the circumstances therein represented, instructions were issued for the correspondence for New Zealand, which, according to the arrangement described in my letter of the 27th November, would have been sent by last week's mail via Suez, to be kept back for despatch by the mail going via San Francisco on the 23rd instant. This department awaits with interest the arrival of the letters from the Postmaster-General of New Zealand to which you refer; and, pending the receipt of further information, the plan suggested by you will be continued. I am, &c, Westby B. Perceval, Esq., Agent-General for New Zealand. S. A. Blackwood.

No. 91. The Agent-Geneeal to the Hon. the Peemiee, Wellington. Sic,— 13, Victoria Street, London, S.W., 9th February, 1892. I have the honour to transmit herewith copy of letter which I have received from the General Post Office replying to Mr. Kennaway's letters of the 16th and the 17th of November last, copies of which were forwarded to you on the 6th and the 27th of that month (vide Nos. 67 and 158). I have, &c, The Hon. the Premier, Wellington. W. B. Pekceval.

Enclosure in No. 91. The Seceetaey, General Post Office, to the Agent-Geneeal, London. Sib,— General Post Office, London, E.C., Bth February, 1892. 1 am directed by the Postmaster-General to inform you that he has laid before the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury the representations made by the Acting Agent-General for New Zealand in his letters to this department dated the 6th and the 17th November last, and has now received the reply of that Board. Having carefully considered the matter, their Lordships regret that they must adhere to the terms of the arrangement which they made in October last with regard to the payment by the Colony of New Zealand for the Homeward Atlantic service, and to their decision to limit to one year the continuance of the exceptionally high payment to the colony for the conveyance of the Outward mails from San Francisco to New Zealand. They are also of opinion that, as regards the support which this department should give towards the maintenance of an intercolonial line in connection with the Imperial line to and from Australia, the present system under which this department pays for the forward sea-transit, according to the weight of correspondence carried, should not be superseded by any special arrangement. With respect to the suggestion that some modification might have been made in favour of the colony as regards the land-service from San Francisco to New York, which is expressly excluded from the operation of the Union Convention on account of its enormous extent, I am to state that this department has but recently endeavoured to obtain a reduction of the transit rates charged by the United States Post Office for this exceptional service, and has been informed in reply that no such reduction can be made, as that office already pays for the transit more than it receives at the special rates fixed in 1876. I am, &c, H. BUXTON FOBMAN, W. B. Perceval, Esq., Agent-General for New Zealand. For the Secretary.

No. 92. The Agent-Geneeal to the Hon. the Peemiee, Wellington. Sot,— 13, Victoria Street, London, 8.W., 19th March, 1892. I have to acknowledge receipt of your letters of 21st and 28th January last, and, in reference thereto, I beg to enclose copy of letter received from the London General Post Office, and copy of my reply. I considered that, as the contents of your letters gave so complete an answer to the representations made by the General Post Office, I could not do better than to send in copies thereof in reply, and to explicitly request, as regards the letters, &c, from this country to New Zealand, that only the collections during the first and second weeks immediately succeeding the departure of the mails by San Francisco should be sent via Italy, unless specially addressed to go by that route. I have, &c, The Hon. the Premier, Wellington. W. B. Pekceval.