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promptly handling and expediting the movements of colonial mails reaching this office by the " Sierra " on the Bth December last en route to the east. It is exceedingly pleasant to feel that in our efforts to advance the general interests of the postal service we have earned your approbation. It is the effort of this office at all times to spare no pains in making the exchange of the important mails from Australia and New Zealand for London as prompt and satisfactory as possible, and that will continue to be both our policy and our pleasure. Again thanking you for your kind words, and asking that you will convey my reciprocal regards to the Postmaster-General, who has directed you to write this kindly letter, I remain, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. W. W. Montague.

No. 86. The Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir, — Eesident Agency for New Zealand, San Francisco, 17th February, 1903. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 20th January, covering a complaint from Messrs. Henderson and Macfarlane, agents for the Oceanic Steamship Company in New Zealand, in respect to the misconnection of the through mails to Great Britain received'here in October last per s.s. " Sierra," also quoting the report of the Superintendent of the Eailway Mail-service at New York in connection with the matter, and referring to the position of the Cunard Steamship Company at New York in respect to connections at New York generally. In reply, I would state that, in respect of the failure to connect at Chicago as indicated in the report, I have interviewed the Superintendent of the Eailway Mail-service here, who states that the failure to notify the Chicago office of the mails being en route was caused by the default of the officer in charge at Omaha, and that special instructions have now been issued to the Ogden office to notify both the Omaha and Chicago offices as soon as the mail leaves Ogden, and that it is anticipated that no further error of this nature will occur in the future. In respect to the connection at New York with the Cunard Steamship Company's steamers, I would state that I have frequently directed the attention of this company to the vital importance of connecting with their Saturday's steamers at New York, and have personally made the same representation to the general manager of the Cunard Company at New York, and I am confident that no stone is left unturned by the management of this company to insure connection with their steamers on the Saturdays. But it must not be forgotten that New York is a tidal harbour, and that the large steamers of the Cunard Company can only leave port when the tide permits. The Cunard Company have always, I feel confident, waited for the Australian mails up to the last moment of safety. As my personal relations with the Cunard Steamship Company have in the past been extremely cordial, and of such a nature that I have felt that I could at all times call upon them for reasonable delays, with the assurance that all would be done that was possible under the circumstances of the case at the time of application, I have not deemed it in the best interests of the through connections to forward any complaint, such as that made by Messrs. Henderson and Macfarlane, feeling that no good could be accomplished, and possibly some friction would be caused. This company has just held their vessel over an hour in order to connect with the mails ex " Ventura." If the Oceanic Steamship Company can only accelerate the passage of their steamers (which I believe they are endeavouring to do) so as to reach this port in time enough to connect with the morning train for the east from here, there will be more reasonable hope of the New York connection being assured. I have, &c, H. Stephenson Smith, Resident Agent for New Zealand. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington.

No. 87. The Agent-Genebal to the Hon. the Premier. Westminster Chambers, 13, Victoria Street, London, S.W., Sir,— 16th March, 1903. In compliance with the instructions contained in your letter of the 20th January last, I communicated with both the Imperial Post Office and the Cunard Company, bringing under their notice the circumstances under which the New Zealand mails via San Francisco were delayed at New York, and urging that on future similar occasions it may be so arranged that the steamers of the company may be detained for a few hours in order to avoid the otherwise late delivery of the mails in London. Herewith I transmit copies of replies from the Post Office and Cunard Company, from which it will be seen that the company represent that it is not possible to comply with the request, as the times of sailings of the steamers are fixed according to tides, and to miss a tide would mean a detention of twelve hours. The Cunard Company, however, state that the company's agents in New York have done, and will continue to do, everything possible to assist in making a connection with the mails, and a copy of the correspondence will be sent to them, so that they may keep the matter before them. I have, &c, The Hon. the Premier, Wellington. W. P. Reeves,

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