F.~-8a

8

PACIFIC CABLE.

BUILDINGS, DEPOT, FINANCE, ETC.

No. 6. The General Manager, Pacific Cable Board (at Wellington), to the Right Hon. the Prime Minister. Sir,— Wellington, New Zealand, 20th April, 1906. In compliance with your verbal request, I have the honour to bring to your notice that when the site of the Pacific cable-station at Doubtless Bay was acquired by the Board by purchase from a Mr. Harris, the New Zealand Government allotted to the Board, as a part of the site for the station, an adjoining piece of land of about 16 acres as a permanent reserve for the cable-station. This piece of land is rough bush, of no value for agricultural purposes, and the Pacific Cable Board was charged in 1901 a sum of £32, or, roughly, £2 an acre, as the purchase value of the land. The Board has cleared and fenced the land, and the Public Works Department has recently erected a cottage for the Board's staff partly on this land. As other buildings may hereafter have to be erected on this land, it is desirable that the Board's title should be defined; and, as it appears that under ordinary conditions Government reserve land cannot be sold outright, I beg to apply that the Board's exceptional position as trustees for the Governments owning the Pacific cable may be recognised by the confirmation of the sale of this piece of land for £32, as above stated. I have, &c, C. H. Reynolds, General Manager for the Pacific Cable Board. The Right Hon. R. J. Seddon, P. 0., &c, Premier of New Zealand.

No. 7. The Under-Secretary, Public Works Department, Wellington, to the Acting-Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Memorandum.) Public Works Department, Wellington, 24th April, 1906. Wharf for Cable-steamer at Auckland. In your letter to the Secretary of the Pacific Cable Board of 7th February, 1905, copy of which was supplied to this Department, you stated that the above work was to stand over pending receipt of an intimation of the Board's intention in respect of the employment of coloured labour on the cable-steamer. The General Manager to the Board has made certain proposals (with which Mr. Logan is familiar) in reference to the wharf, but before acting thereon this Department would be glad to know if anything further has yet transpired in reference to the coloured-labour question. Kindly let me know the present position of the matter. H. J. H. Blow, Under-Secretary. The Secretary, Post and Telegraph Department, Wellington.

No. 8. The Acting-Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Under-Secretary, Public Works Department, Wellington. (Memorandum.) General Post Office, Wellington, 16th May, 1906. Wharf for Cable-steamer at Auckland. The present position in respect of the employment of coloured labour has not been officially communicated to the Department. It is understood that Mr. Reynolds informed the Superintendent of Electric Lines that all Chinese had been discharged except two or three stewards, and that the stewards would be discharged also as soon as their places could be filled. This information is also understood to have been given to the Right Hon. the Prime Minister. Thomas Rose, Acting-Secretary. The Under-Secretary, Public Works Department, Wellington.