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No. 83. Draft Conteact foe Conveyance of Ocean Mails.—Agreement between the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited) and the Postmaster-General of New Zealand. Abticles of agreement made and entered into this day of , one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight, between the Eight Honourable Bichard John Seddon, the Post-master-General of the Colony of New Zealand, appointed as such Postmaster-General under " The Post Office Act, 1881," and acting for and on behalf of the Government of the said colony, of the one part, and the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), carrying on business at Dunedin and elsewhere in the Colony of New Zealand (hereinafter termed "the Company "), of the other part. Wheeeas by articles of agreement made on or about the fourteenth day of August, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five, between the then Postmaster-General of the said colony, of the one part, and the Company, of the other part, for the considerations, in the manner, and on the terms and conditions therein set forth, the Company agreed to convey Her Majesty's mails and other mails as therein mentioned between the Ports of Sydney, Auckland, Apia, Honolulu, and any ports intermediate between Auckland and San Francisco as therein provided, during a period of three years to be computed from the fifteenth day of November, one thousand eight hundred and ninetyfour : And whereas the period for which the said agreement (hereinafter referred to as "the original contract ") was made has now expired, but by mutual arrangement between the parties hereto the Company is continuing to perform the said service up to and including the thirty-first day of March, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight, upon the terms of the original contract, so far as the same are applicable, and a true copy of such contract is hereunto annexed : And whereas, on or about the thirteenth day of December last, the House of Representatives of the said colony passed the following resolutions, that is to say, — " Resolved, — " (1.) That this House authorises the Government to extend the San Francisco mailservice for twelve months from the 31st March, 1898. " (2.) That the basis of payment for the conveyance of mails from New Zealand to San Francisco shall be at the rate of 10s. sd. per pound for letters, Is. per pound for books, packets, &c, and 6d. per pound for newspapers, with a guaranteed minimum payment of £7,500. " (3.) That the port of call in the colony shall be Auckland. " (4.) That the time between San Francisco and Auckland shall not exceed nineteen days. " (5.) That no bonus shall 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 at least one New-Zealand-owned steamer shall be employed in the service. "(7.) That the steamers to be employed shall be of not less than 3,000 gross registered tonnage. " (8.) That all payments or contributions from Great Britain and other countries shall be receivable by the contractors. " (9.) That the passenger rates and rates for freight shall be mutually agreed upon, and be fixed and embodied in the contract. " (10.) That the provisions of the existing agreement, where not at variance with these conditions, shall apply to any new contract made under this authority. " (11.) That a clause be embodied in the contract providing that not less than the current rate of wages ruling in New South Wales for steamboat seamen shall be paid by the contractor." Now, therefore, these presents witness that for the purpose of giving effect to the said resolutions the Company doth, for itself, its successors and assigns (so far as the agreements and covenants hereinafter contained are to be observed and performed by the Company), hereby covenant with the Postmaster-General of the Colony of New Zealand and his successors in office, and the said Postmaster-General doth, for and on behalf of himself as such Postmaster-General, and his successors in office respectively, and the Government of the colony for which he is such PostmasterGeneral, hereby covenant with the Company and its successors in manner following, that is to say,— 1. The Company shall from time to time, and at all times hereafter, during a period of twelve calendar months, computed from the thirty-first day of March, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight, unless previously terminated in pursuance of any provision of these presents, convey all Her Majesty's mails which, and all other mails of whatever country or place which, the Postmaster-General shall from time to time and at any time require the Company to convey from and to the following ports—that is to say, Sydney, Auckland, Apia, Honolulu, San Francisco, and any port or ports intermediate between Auckland and San Francisco at which the steam-vessels employed under this contract may call, or any of such ports, and within the respective times and in manner hereinafter provided for. 2. So long as the whole or any part of the services hereby agreed to be performed ought to be performed in pursuance of this contract, the Company shall and will .provide and keep seaworthy and in complete repair and readiness for such purpose a sufficient number of, and not less than three, good, substantial, and efficient screw steam-vessels of the first class, and fully equal to class 100 Al, Lloyd's Eegister, and of not less gross register tonnage than three thousand tons each, constructed of iron, and propelled by first-rate engines of adequate power for the performance of the voyages within the times hereinafter specified, and having spar decks and large capacity for passengers and cargo, and ample ventilation for passing through tropical climates. 3. At least one of the said steamers to be so employed in the performance of this contract shall be owned in the Colony of New Zealand, and all of such vessels so employed shall each, according