F.—l

XIII

Invercargill — Once to twice weekly Te Anau and Mararoa (during summer). Oamaru — Thrice weekly to daily Georgetown Post-office and Railway-station. Wanganui — Thrice weekly to daily Mangaonoho and Ohingaiti. Twice to thrice weekly Wanganui and Hunterville. Once to twice weekly Mangaonoho and Tokaanu (during summer). Wellington — Once to thrice daily Woodville and Pahiatua. The following services were reduced in frequency : — Greymouth— Twice to once weekly Greymouth and Clonmore. Invercargill— Twice to once weekly. Te Anau and Mararoa (during winter) The following services were abolished : — Auckland— Hikurangi and Puhipuhi, Lichfield and Taupo , Puketutu and Ohura Tarukenga and Rotorua Whitianga and Tairua. Christchurch— Cheviot and Waipara (Saturday service, one way only) , Winslow and Lismore. Dunedin — Pembroke, Omarama, and Lake Pukaki. Thames— Gordon and Shaftesbury , Puriri and Nevesville Tauranga and Te Puke •Te Aroha, Waiorongomai, and Shaftesbury Timaru— Timaru and Sandietown. Wanganui — Hawera and Meremere, Manaia and Kapuni. Wellington— Feilding and Kiwitea, Foxton and Kereru. The extension of the railway to Jackson's, Rotorua, and Hyde admitted of an acceleration in the delivery of the mails conveyed by these lines, and increasing the frequency of the more important of the mail-services branching from Hyde. The biennial tenders closed in October last. The tendering resulted in a slight increase of the cost of the general services. Several new services were provided for, the frequency of others increased, while many were re-arranged in order to keep pace with extended settlement. Buildings. The new offices at Ahaura, Pahiatua, Hawera, and Tapanui have been completed, and portable offices have been provided at Colyton, Taueru, Alfredton, and Lowburn Ferry The following works have also been carried out Additional gas- and water-services, Auckland office, and gas-fittings generally, renewed concrete floor laid in letter-carriers' room, new fittings, Chief Post-office, Christchurch repairs, &c. Chief Post-office, Dunedin lineman s workshop and battery-room, Invercargill office , additions and repairs, Herbertville office additions, Postmaster's residence, Manaia repairs and painting, Opunake building Rotorua building renovated and painted, improved drainage and ventilation, Timaru building, alterations, Temuka office, repairs and drainage, Westport building, additions, Postmaster's residence, Waiau , additions and alterations, Palmerston North office repairs, White's Bay cable-building, additions, Alexandra South office, repairs, &c, Arrowtown office water laid on, Blenheim office alterations, &c. Masterton office , repairs, &c, Nelson office alterations and additions, Waitotara office (recently purchased) rebuilding Kaikora North office , repairs and alterations, Rawene office alterations, public lobby, Kaitangata additions and repairs, Takaka office , fencing at Waipawa. The erection of new offices at Queenstown and Cheviot is in hand, and the new building at Stratford is to be proceeded with immediately The additions and repairs to the Wanganui and Gisborne offices have been completed. Ocean Mail-services. The San Francisco service has been renewed for three years from November 1894, in terms of the following resolutions approved by the House of Representatives last session :— "Resolved —l. That this House empowers the Government to arrange for a renewal of the San Francisco mail-service for a period not exceeding three years. '2. That the basis of the payment for conveyance of mails from New Zealand shall be a rate of lis. per pound on the net weight of the letters conveyed. 3. That all payments or contributions from Great Britain or other countries shall be receivable by the contractors, the colony's direct liability to be for payment of its outward letters only. " 4. That at least one New Zealand steamer in three shall be employed. "5. That the time between San Francisco and New Zealand shall not exceed twenty days. The port of call in the colony to be Auckland or Wellington, at the option of the contractors. No bonus to be paid for early arrival, and penalties, at the rate of £4 an hour, to be enforced only when late delivery exceeds forty-eight hours. " 6. That all the provisions of the existing agreement, where not at variance with the foregoing provisions, shall be applicable to any new contract made under this authority " The London Post Office agreed to continue its payments in aid of the service until 1897 and the sudsiby of £4,000 a year now paid by the Government of New South Wales is also to be continued, subject to the amount being annually appropriated by Parliament.