F.—6

15

Enclosure in No. 28. Change in Time of Overland Express East and West. Eastbound. Leave San Francisco (say) Monday by Southern Pacific ... ... 6 p.m. Arrive at Ogden Tuesday by Southern Pacific ... ... ... 6.30 p.m. Arrive at Omaha Wednesday by Union Pacific... ... ... 11.45 p.m. Arrive at Chicago Thursday by Burlington ... ... ... 10.30 a.m. Leave Chicago Thursday by Lake Shore and New York Central and Hudson River (letters only) ... ... ... ... 2.30 p.m. Arrive New York Friday by Central and Hudson River (letters only) 9.30 a.m. Leave Chicago Friday by Lake Shore and Hudson River (newspapers, books) ... ... ... ... . . 10.30 a.m. Arrive New York Friday by Lake Shore and Hudson River (newspapers, books) ... ... ... ... ... 2.55 p.m. Note.—Twentieth Century Express will not carry anything but letters. Westbound. Leave New York (say) Monday by Hudson River and Lake Shore... 3.15 a.m. Arrive Chicago Tuesday by Hudson River and Lake Shore ... 1.20 a.m. Arrive Omaha Tuesday by Burlington ... ... ... 1.57 p.m. Arrive Ogden Wednesday by Union Pacific ... ... ... 2.56 p.m. Arrive San Franckco Thursday by Southern Pacific ... ... 12.29 p.m. This is the new fast route, but scarcely likely that the time can be kept in winter,

No. 29. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Resident Agent fob. New Zealand, San Francisco. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 31st January, 1906. I have the honour to inform you that in a cablegram to the Prime Minister of the 13th ultimo, the High Commissioner reported that three hundred bags of Australian mail-matter sent via Sari Francisco had been destroyed by fire, and, from further particulars furnished by the Mail Agent of the R.M.S. " Sonoma " on the sth instant after his arrival in this colony, it appears that the "Overland Limited" train which left San Francisco on the sth December collided with a freight train at Ah Say, Wyoming, with the result that all the United States mails were destroyed, including correspondence from Australia and New Zealand for points between Wyoming and New York State, except registered letters which had missed despatch from San Francisco. No report from you on the subject has yet reached me, either by cable or by post. I should be glad if you would inform me whether or not you were in a position to advise me of the incident. The cablegram from the High Commissioner was very indefinite. Even now it is not positively known here what Australian and New Zealand mail-matter was actually destroyed. I have, &c, W. Gray, Secretary. H. Stephenson Smith, Esq., Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. Inc. 06/40.]

No. 30. The Mail Agent, R.M.S. "Sierra," to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir,— New Zealand Marine Post Office, R.M.S. "Sierra," 12th February, 1906. The 6 p.m. passenger train formerly leaving San Francisco daily for New York has been taken off, and a fast mail-train substituted. The following is the time-table for the " Fast Mail ": — Leave San Francisco. Arrive Chicago. Arrive New York. Monday, 6 p.m. Thursday, 10.30 a.m. Friday, 9.30 a.m. Tuesday, „ Friday, „ Saturday, „ Wednesday, „ Saturday, „ Sunday, „ Thursday, „ Sunday, „ Monday, „ Friday, „ Monday, „ Tuesday, „ Saturday, „ Tuesday, „ Thursday, „ Sunday, „ Wednesday, „ Thursday, „ Leave New York. Due Sa,n Francisco. Monday, 3.15 a.m. Thursday, 12.28 p.m. Tuesday, „ Friday „ Wednesday, „ Saturday „ Thursday, „ Sunday „ Friday, „ Monday „ Saturday, „ Tuesday „ Sunday, „ Wednesday „ This reduces the actual time between San Francisco and New York to three days twelve hours thirty minutes, and between New York and San Francisco to three days twelve hours thirteen minutes. I have, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, W, Isbjsteb, Mail-agent, [P.O. 06/504.1