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No. 39. The Acting Genebal Manages, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secbetaey, General Post Office, Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Sib,— Dunedin, Ist April, 1896. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your favour of the 19th ultimo, regarding the suggested alteration in the sailing-date of the mail-steamers from San Francisco, and note that the Agent-General has been written to to represent to the London Post Office the disabilities attaching to the use of the slower class of steamers for the conveyance of the colonial mails to New York. A copy of your letter has been forwarded to Messrs. Spreckels for their information. I have, &c, W. Gray, Esq., T. W. Whitson, Secretary General Post Office, Wellington. For Acting General Manager.

No. 40. The Acting Geneeal Manages, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Seceetaey, General Post Office, Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Sib,— Dunedin, 14th April, 1896. Beferring again to your favour of the 19th ultimo, re the possibility of making an alteration in the sailing-day of the mail-steamers from San Francisco, the following remarks made by Messrs. Spreckels in their last letter may be of interest to you : " From what we wrote you under this heading (' Mail-service') by the last mail you will have learned that there does not seem to be any prospect of our being able at present to despatch the steamer earlier than Thursday, and we have again, for the third time in succession, to report the mails a day late, the ' Umbria' having only reached New York on Sunday, which makes it Friday morning before the mails could reach here, and we have just learned that they will not arrive until Friday evening. From this you will see that if the mails continue to come forward by the ' Umbria' there will be little probability of our being able to despatch the steamer even on the present schedule date." Yours, &c, W. Gray, Esq., T. W. Whitson, Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. For Acting General Manager.

No. 41. The Agent-Geneeal to the Hon. the Peemiee. Westminster Chambers, 13, Victoria Street, London, S.W., Sib,— 16th April, 1896. In accordance with the instructions contained in your letter of the sth February, I had an interview with the Secretary to the Imperial Post Office, and urged upon him the importance of arranging for the despatch of the San Francisco colonial mails from London to New York by the swiftest steamers. The Secretary recognised the twofold advantage which would result by the mails reaching New York in as short a time as possible, and promised to at once communicate with Sir John Burns, the Managing Director of the Cunard line, and represent the case to him, and he felt sure that, so far as it could possibly be done, Sir John would endeavour to meet the wishes expressed by the Government. I have, &c, The Hon. the Premier, Wellington. W. P. Beeves.

No. 42. The Agent-Genebal to the Hon. the Peemiee. Westminster Chambers, 13, Victoria Street, London, S.W., Sib,— 29th April, 1896. Eeferring to my letter of the 16th instant, I beg herewith to transmit copy of letter which I have received from the London General Post Office, by which it will be seen that the Cunard Company have stated that it will not be possible at present to transfer the " Campania" or " Lucania " to other Saturdays than those indicated in the company's sailing-list for the current year. You will observe that Mr. Buxton Forman states that the " Aurania," which is specially referred to by Mr. Stephenson Smith, has not carried the New Zealand mails for more than a year. I have written to Mr. Smith, giving him the information contained in Mr. Buxton Forman's. letter, and informing him that he has apparently been misinformed as regards the " Aurania." I have, &c, ; The Hon. the Premier, Wellington. W. P. Beeves.

Enclosure in No. 42. The Assistant-Secbetaby, General Post Office, London, to the Agent-Geneeal. Deae Sib, — General Post Office, London, 24th April, 1896. With reference to the conversation which took place in Mr. Walpole's room when you called here on the 16th instant, I cannot but think that some misunderstanding must exist in regard to the steamers by which the mails from this country for New Zealand are carried to New York.