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No. 99. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Colonial Postmaster, Suva. Sib,— General Post Office, Wellington, 19th July, 1901. In confirmation of the report made to you by the Mail-agent of the "Sonoma" on her last voyage, I have the honour to formally advise you of the short receipt at San Francisco of one bag of mail from London to Fiji, which was entered on the through waybill to San Francisco as not having reached Chicago. The Washington Post Office has been asked to inquire into the failure. I have, &c, The Colonial Postmaster, Suva, Fiji. W. Gray, Secretary.

No. 100. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Superintendent of Foreign Mails, Washington. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 19th July, 1901. I have the honour to inform you that the Mail-agent on the last voyage of the " Sonoma" reports the short receipt at San Francisco of a bag of mail from London to Fiji, which was noted on the through waybill to San Francisco as having failed to reach Chicago. Will you be so good as to have the necessary inquiries made as to the failure, and advise me of the result ? I should be obliged if you would forward to the Secretary, General Post Office, London, a copy of your reply. I have, &c, The Superintendent, Office of Foreign Mails, W. Gray, Secretary. Post Office Department, Washington, D.C.

No. 101. The Hon. the Premier to the Agent-General. Sir,— Premier's Office, Wellington, 23rd July, 1901. Eeferring to my cablegram of the 19th March last [No. 145, F.-6, 1901], asking you to request the Imperial Post Office to send the North Island mails by Brindisi only in the first week after the San Francisco mail had been despatched, I have now the honour to" enclose copy of a complaint from Messrs. Upton and Company, Auckland, regarding delay to their newspapers, which delay would be obviated were the mails forwarded as suggested in my cablegram. I shall be obliged if you will bring the complaint under the notice of the Imperial Post Office. I have, &c, J. G. Ward, for the Premier. The Hon. W. P. Eeeves, Agent-General for New Zealand, London.

Enclosure in No. 101. Messrs. Upton and Co., Auckland, to the Chief Postmaster, Auckland. Sib,— Auckland, 9th July, 1901. Eeferring to our letter on the subject of transmission of newspapers from London to Auckland, and your reply thereto of the 13th February [not printed], we beg to draw your attention to the fact that the practice complained of still continues, and instead of receiving two dates of English papers by each San Francisco mail only one arrives, while the older date does not reach Auckland for several days, and sometimes a week, later. This is most annoying to the public, and as the remedy is very simple we hope you will use your influence to have the matter put right. We are, &c, The Chief Postmaster, Auckland. Upton and Co.

[Extract from Messrs. Upton and Co.'s letter dated 13th February, 1901: "By the last two San Francisco mails we have received only one date of English papers, instead of two as under the four-weekly service. This means that the issues of the papers for the week before the dates sent vid Frisco do not reach us for some days after the later dates are received."]

No. 102. The Agent-General to the Hon. the Premiee. Westminster Chambers, 13, Victoria Street, London, S.W., Sir,— 23rd July, 1901. I beg to enclose herewith copy of a letter from the Imperial Post Office relating to the payment for mails from this country despatched to Sydney from San Francisco on the 21st November last. I shall be glad to receive, for transmission to the Imperial Post Office, the information for which that Department asks. I have, &c, The Hon. the Premier, Wellington, W, P. Eeeves,