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No. 1. (No. 27.) Sir, — Government House, Wellington, 12th April, 1902. I have the honour to enclose you herewith a memorandum from my Premier relative to meat contracts. I have, &c, The Bijyht Hon. J. Chamberlain, RANFURLY. Secretary of State for the Colonies.

Enclosure. Memorandum for His Excellency the Governor. The Premier presents his compliments, and desires that His Excellency will reply to the cable from the Secretary of State, dated the 13th February, relative to meat supply, to the effect that in the Colony of New Zealand there is a well-formed and well-founded opinion, irrespective of the conditions which trammel the Mother-country, that it is prepared to take a course which is within its constitutional rights, and trusts may be in the best interest of the Empire. This larger question was incidentally introduced in respect .to the minor question of South African meat contracts; and when gauging the situation from the specifications of such contracts, arrangements made outside the said specifications were not known to the New Zealand Government. The conditions of tender were not favourable to the colonies ; the time allowed, and with no forms available, and the extension of time refused, gave ground for protest. Again, the stress laid upon delivery was unknown to those here who intended offering to supply. The assurance that in the spirit as well as in the letter the meat supply will be obtained as far as possible from British possessions is satisfactory, and on the supplies being thus obtained great good will ensue. The Premier desires His Excellency to assure the Secretary of State that in neither letter no» spirit did the Premier lay any claim to consideration in respect to the meat contract on account <af or in recognition of the services tendered by the colony during the war ; for in respect to this matter the Premier hopes he made it perfectly clear that, no matter what occurred in respect to the meat supply, it would in no way affect the action of the colony in rendering assistance in connection with the war. Direct trade in relation to supplies for British troops is apart from the larger question of preferential trade, and is in no way connected with the greatest of all questions, Imperial unity and the wellbeing of the Empire, and the help the colony has cheerfully rendered to bring the war in South Africa to a speedy and successful ending. Premier's Office, Wellington, 2nd April, 1902. E. J Seddon.

No. 2. (No. 31.) Sir, — Government House, Wellington, 18th April, 1902. With reference to my despatch (No. 25), dated 3rd April, 1902, enclosing a nominal roll of the Ninth Contingent, I have the honour to forward you now a complete nominal roll of that contingent. I have, &c, The Right Hon. J. Chamberlain, RANFURLY. Secretary of State for the Colonies.

A.-l, 1902, No. 87.

No. 3. (No. 34.) Sir, — Government House, Wellington, 23rd April, 1902, I have the honour to cail your attention to the different treatment of colonial and. British nurses as regards the war in South Africa. A number of nurses from this colony have been employed in the Army Nursing Service Reserve. Two of these, Mabel Brooksmith and Geraldine Jefferies, served in the R.A.M.C. for nearly two years, and received their discharge in London. On applying for the bounty given to the English nurses they state they were informed that colonial nurses were not entitled to it. My Government have pointed out to me this invidious distinction, and have asked me to draw your attention to it, in the hope that colonial nurses may be placed on an equal and similar footing with British ones. I have, &c, The Right Hon. J. Chamberlain, RANFURLY. Secretary of State for the Colonies.