P.—B

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No. 25. The Hon. the Postmastee- Genebal, Wellington, to the Managee in Austealasia, Eastern Extension Company, Adelaide. (Telegram.) Wellington, 30th April, 1900. Soeey you cannot see your way to reduce money-order rates ; but there should be a fixed rate, and I shall be glad to know what you will make it. I hope it will not be more than 2s. 6d.

No. 26. The Postmastee-Genebal, Adelaide, to the Seceetaby, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Adelaide, 30th April, 1900. I have advised all colonies to adopt Id. per word, and will seek approval from Government to-morrow re money-orders. Sorry to say Warren feels unable to make any exception with them, so that word-rate will have to apply.

No. 27. The Undee- Seceetaby, Post and Telegraph Department, Brisbane, to the Seceetaby, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Brisbane, 30th April, 1900. We purpose adopt word-rate sixpence. Colonial proportions penny each.

No. 28. The Deputy Postmastee-Genebal, Sydney, to the Seceetaby, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Sydney, 30th April, 1900. Be local rates. New Zealand messages : Postmaster-General has matter under consideration ; but, as present rates cannot be altered without Executive Council sanction, we shall have to observe them, at any rate, for few days. Should the word-rate be adopted, we favour a penny for each colony. Meanwhile, if you decide to adopt word-rate at once, we should, of course, pass your messages through, taking our proportion of the local rates you levy.

No. 29. The Managee in Austealasia, Eastern Extension Company, Adelaide, to the Seceetaby, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Adelaide, 30th April, 1900. No; cannot agree to fixed rate for money-order telegrams. As already stated, New Zealand public have lowest cable-tariff in whole world, and no such concession as you ask is granted in any other country.

No. 30. The Manages in Austealasia, Eastern Extension Company, Adelaide, to the PostmasteeGenebal, Wellington. (Telegram.) Adelaide, 30th April, 1900. Eeasons already given why cannot comply your request. Find average number of words since January to be from New Zealand fifteen point five [in money-order telegrams]. Eeferring to your public statement last week re cost working cable, your experts considerably underestimated cost of working, &c. Our last year station-expenses amounted five thousand eight hundred and fiftythree pounds, and no allowances were made for amortization, which cannot be placed at less than six thousand pounds per annum for each cable. The expenses this year will be much greater, owing to the recent extensive renewals to original cables.

No. 31. The Managee in Austealasia, Eastern Extension Company, Adelaide, to the Hon. the Post-masteb-Geneeal, Wellington. (Telegram.) . Adelaide, Ist May, 1900. As I see you have published your telegrams to me, may I ask you to be good enough to publish my replies to you, as I think the New Zealand public should be enlightened as to their having the cheapest cable-tariff in whole world.

No. 32. The Seceetaby, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Deputy Postmastee-Genebal, Sydney. (Telegram.) Wellington, Ist May, 1900. Cable-eates : Thanks for message. We charge one penny inland all round, and have fixed rates as follows : New South Wales, fivepence ; Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, sixpence; Tasmania, eightpence; and Western Australia, sevenpence per word. Money-order telegrams also charged word-rate, Warren refusing to have fixed rate. Change, however, means that an elevenword message, our average, to your colony would cost 4s. 7d. instead of 3s. 6d.