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No. 23. The Secretary, General Post Office, London, to the Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Sir, — General Post Office, London, 6th September, 1907. The United States Post Office has informed the Postmaster-General that arrangements have been made for a four-weekly service between San Francisco and Auckland and Sydney by the steamships of the Australian Mail Line, commencing on the 30th August. The Postmaster-General proposes to take advantage of the new service for the transmission of correspondence from this country for New Zealand. Mails for Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Wellington, and Wellington (forward), will accordingly be despatched hence on the 14th of this month and on every fourth Saturday thereafter. The mails will be due at Auckland about thirty-eight days after despatch from London. They will contain correspondence which reaches London after the despatch of the mails for New Zealand by the Suez route on the previous evening, in addition to correspondence specially superscribed by the senders for transmission by way of San Francisco. The Postmaster-General will be much obliged if you will be so good as to issue the necessary instructions for the due disposal of the mails. I am, &c, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. E. W. Farnall. [S.F. Agr. 07/163.]
No. 24. The Chief Postmaster, Auckland, to the Inspector of Post-offices, Wellington. (Telegram.) Auckland, 7th September, 1907. American mail via San Francisco : Agents state that the steamers leave Sydney for Sari Francisco direct, not touching at a New Zealand port. They also state that they are in communication with the company with a view of inducing them to make Auckland a port of call on the outward trip to San Francisco. [S.F. Agr. 07/158.]
No. 25. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 14th October, 1907. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 30th August last, notifying that American mails for New Zealand would go forward on that day by the " Foreric," the first vessel of the Australian Mail Line (Messrs. Andrew Weir and Sons) to leave San Francisco for Auckland. In reply, I have to inform you that the " Foreric " arrived at Auckland at 5 p.m. on the 28th ultimo, the Wellington portion of the mails reaching here on the 30th idem. The Washington Office advises that the steamers of the Australian Mail Line have been tendered to the Post Office Department of the United States for the conveyance of mails for New Zealand and Australia, and that the tender has been accepted, the time from San Francisco to Auckland to be about twenty-five days. It is not understood what is meant by " tender "in this case, but it is presumed that only Postal Union transit rates are paid. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. H. Stephenson Smith, Esq., Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. [S.F. Agr. 07/162.]
No. 26. The Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir, — Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, 19th October, 1907. I have the honour to inform you the following is copy of a memorandum dated the 30th ultimo, received at the General Post Office, Sydney, from the Chief Postmaster, Auckland, N.Z., namely : — " American mails for Australian States, totalling 229 bags, were transhipped from the ' Foreric ' to the ' Waikare,' at Auckland, this day. Gratuity payable Sydney." 2. With regard to the statement therein that gratuity is payable at Sydney, I beg to point out to you that this Administration is not liable for the payment of gratuity in connection with the sea transit of such mails. I have, &c, Robt. T. Scott, Secretary. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. [S.F. Payts. 07/84.]