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No. 31. The Right Hon. the Prime Minister to the High Commissioner. Sir, — Prime Minister's Office, Wellington, 20th February, 1906. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 9th ultimo, concerning the telegraphic advice furnished by the London Post Office of the arrival at that office of colonial mails forwarded via San Francisco. In reply, I have to inform you that I approve of your action in asking that when the mail reaches London in two portions the times of arrival of both be cabled to the New Zealand Post Office. I have, ifec, Albert Pitt, for the Prime Minister. The Hon W. P. Reeves, High Commissioner for New Zealand, London. [lac. 06/15.]

No. 32. The Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco, to the Acting-Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir, — ... Resident Agency for New Zealand, San Francisco, Bth March, 1906. I regret to report that the s.s. " Ventura "■■ did not get here until late on Tuesday night, the mails not. leaving until Wednesday, which caused the Atlantic steamer to be missed, and the mails only left New York on Tuesday by the " Kaiser Wilheim Der Grosse," which I fear means a two or three days late delivery in London. From what Mr. Rudd informs me it would appear that there was not any reason for the late arrival here, as the weather was very good and sea smooth, but it seems that the steamer only came along at barely 13 knots. Yours, &c, H. Stephenson Smith, Resident Agent. [S.F. Agr. 08/10.]

No. 33. The Acting-Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne. Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, 30th March, 1906. Adverting to'my letter of the 31st January last, and your reply of the 2nd ultimo, I have now the honour to forward herewith for your information copy of a letter from the Resident Agent for New Zealand in San Francisco containing further particulars of the destruction of Australian mails at Ah Say, U.S.A. I have, &c, Thomas Rose, Acting-Secretary. The Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne. [U.S. Inc. 06/19.] : ' ;. "

Enclosure in No. 33. The Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco, to the Secretary, General Post Office, - .. ■ . Wellington. Sir, — Resident Agency for New Zealand, San Francisco, 7th March, 1906. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 31st January, having reference to the absence of a report from me of the destruction of mails in transit through this country reported -by the Agent-General in London, as having occurred on the sth December, 1905. In reply, I would state that, upon the occasion of the burning of the mail-car following the collision in Nevada in December last, I made inquiry of the Postal Department in this city, and was assured that the New Zealand and Australian mails had gone through the day prior to the accident, and therefore we were not concerned in the reported burning. Upon receipt of the communication now under reply, I have again interviewed the Postal authorities, located in this city, and am informed that the information given me in December was correct at the time given, but that since it has been reported that a small portion of the colonial mails that were sent forward upon the San Francisco Office, destined to Pennsylvania and points south thereof, was destroyed with the other American mail at the time of the disaster. This information, however, was never given me until now, and therefore I presumed that the information given me at the time, to the effect that our mails were not involved in this wreck, was correct. I have, &c, H. Stephenson Smith, Resident Agent. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, [US. Inc. 06/18.] '. ■ . . ■-.