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No 22
The Secretary, General Post Office, to the Managing Director, Union Steam Ship Company Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 27th December, 1893. I have the honour to inform you that the Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney, has intimated, in reply to a letter from this office, that provision has been made on the estimates for 1894 for the contribution of the Colony of New South Wales towards the cost of the Sail Francisco mailservice for another year, but that the amount has not yet been voted by Parliament. I have, &c, The Managing Director, W Gray, Secretary Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin.
No 23. The Managing Director, Union Steam Ship Company, to the Secretary, General Post Office. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited) Dunedin, Sir, — 13th January 1894. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your favour of 27th ultimo, and am obliged to you for the information that the Deputy Postmaster-General of New South Wales has intimated that provision has been made on the estimates for 1894 for the contribution by that colony towards the cost of the San Francisco mail-service for another year, but that the amount has not yet been voted by Parliament. I have. &c, T W Whitson, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. For Manging Director
No. 24. The Hon. the Premier to the Agent-General. (Telegram.) Wellington, 15th June, 1894. Frisco Postal Conference resolved that service be renewed for three years. Propose ask House agree. Will Imperial Government continue existing arrangements for this term?
No. 25 The Wellington Chamber of Commerce to the Hon. the Postmaster-General. Sib, — Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Wellington, 19th June, 1893. I have the honour, by the direction of the President of this Chamber to bring under your notice certain subjects to which attention was drawn at a general meeting of members held on the 16th instant, and as to which the opinion expressed by those present was unanimous. San Francisco Mail-service. —It is felt that the benefits of this otherwise excellent service are, to a great extent, lost to a large proportion of the colony through the present arrangements as to the ports and dates of arrival and departure, and it is urged that such alterations should be made in the dates as would enable correspondents in all parts of New Zealand to answer their letters in a reasonable time by this route. At present the opportunity to reply does not occur till between three and four weeks after receipt of letters. It is, however still strongly felt that, if the service is to be continued, Wellington, as the most central port, should, in the interests of the majority, be the port of arrival and departure. I have, &c, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. S. Carroll, Secretary
No. 26. The Secretary, General Post Office, to the Hon. the Postmaster-General. (Memorandum.) 22nd June, 1893. The inward San Francisco mails reach Auckland two days before the departure of the outgoing steamer There is, therefore, an interval of thirty days between the steamer's arrival and departure on the return voyage. Auckland, and Auckland only secures the advantage of answering letters received on Thursday by the mail leaving two days later and this, apparently, is the mainspring of the Chamber's grievance. Other parts of the colony have the fast direct steamers leaving either Wellington or Lyttelton on the Thursday after the arrival of the San Francisco mail at Auckland. That the Wellington and southern merchants are by no means badly served may be seen by the following example Last inward Frisco mail arrived at Auckland 15th June, and Wellington 16th last outward Frisco mail left Auckland 17th June, and is duo in London 19th July , direct steamer left Lyttelton to-day (22nd June) and is due London 2nd August next outward Frisco mail leaves Wellington 13th July, and Auckland 15th, and is due in London 16th August. So that the steamer leaving Lyttelton to-day with replies to Frisco letters by the mail which arrived at Auckland last Thursday should reach London fourteen days before the next outward Frisco mail. In addition, there are the weekly mails via, Brindisi. The present Frisco time-table, as the Postmaster-General may remember, was framed so as to secure the swiftest