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No. 24. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to Messrs. Henderson and Macfarlane, Auckland. Gentlemen, — General Post Office, Wellington, 14th July, 1904. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 17th May last, on the subject of the claim of £236 by this Department for late arrival at San Francisco of the "Ventura " on the March-April voyage. In reply, I have to inform you that in keeping with the decision conveyed in my letter of the sth instant the amount in question will not be claimed. I have, &c, }| W. Gray, Secretary. Messrs. Henderson and Macfarlane, Auckland.

No. 25. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to Messrs. Henderson and Macfaelane, Auckland. Gentlemen, — General Post Office, Wellington, 2nd August, 1904. Referring to previous correspondence on the subject of the recurring delays in the arrival of the mail-steamers at San Francisco, resulting in the Homeward mails missing the east-bound train leaving there at 10 a.m. on the Monday, I have now the honour to call your attention to another failure on the 27th June, when the " Sierra " did not arrive until 9 a.m., preventing the mails being landed to connect with the morning train. As a consequence, they did not reach New York until two hours after the departure of the s.s. " Lucania," although efforts were made to detain her, and they were delayed in New York until the 6th July, arriving in London between four and five days late. As the serious delay results in considerable inconvenience to commercial men and others, both in this colony and in the United Kingdom, besides greatly discrediting the route as a means of speedy mail-communication, it is considered necessary to press for some alteration, and I must ask you to be so good as to make such representations to your head office as will expedite the arrival of the steamers at San Francisco, and insure a connection more in keeping with the timetable. Now that the call at Fanning Island has been discontinued, there should be less difficulty in arranging a delivery of the mails in San Francisco some hours earlier than is at present the case. I have, &c, Messrs. Henderson and Macfarlane, Auckland. W. Geay, Secretary.

No. 26. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. Sib, — General Post Office, Wellington, 2nd August, 1904. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th ultimo, forwarding copy of a communication from the Superintendent of the Railway Mail-service, San Francisco, with further reference to the efforts to arrange for the conveyance of our Homeward mails by the 20th Century Limited train from Chicago to New York. I note that until certain improvements are effected advantage cannot be taken of the fast train for the mails. I have, &c, W. Gray, Secretary. H. Stephenson Smith, Esq., Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco.

No. 27. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, 2nd August, 1904. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 7th ultimo, reporting the late arrival of the s.s. " Sierra " on the 27th June, whereby connection was missed with the 10 a.m. east-bound train. For the reasons already given in previous correspondence it is not practicable to arrange for an earlier departure of the mail-steamers from this end as suggested by the general manager of the Cunard Steamship Company. I have, however, again asked the agents of the Oceanic Steamship Company in Auckland to take such action as will bring about an earlier arrival of the steamers at San Francisco, so that the mails may always go forward by the 10 a.m. east-bound train on the Monday. I have, <fee, W. Gray, Secretary. H. Stephenson Smith, Esq., Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco.