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No. 87. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram) Dunedin, 9th September, 1908. Just received cable from Sydney advising that, owing slight accident machinery. " Maitai " was stopped for two and half hours on passage across. [Suez Conn. 08/73.1 __^_____^___^__

No. 88. The Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney, to the Secretary. General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Sydney 9th September, 1908. **•*** * * * * * Your mails per " Maitai " were sent to Melbourne per special train last night. [Suez Conn. 08/74.] ______^_^_^__^_^_

No. 89. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney. g IR _ GeneralPost Office, Wellington, 10th September, 1908. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your telegrams of the Bth [not printed] and 9th instant, and to confirm mine of the Bth idem [not printed]. Kindly say at what hour the mails by the " Maitai " were landed at Sydney. You might at the same time give me a fresh table of particulars as follows, which will be of great use :— Time of departure of ordinary train with mails. Latest time for landing of mails to connect with ordinary train. Latest time for landing of mails to connect with special train. In respect of the last item you formerly gave this office one hour as the time required to deliver the landed mails to the special train ; and I assume that an hour is still required. |Your reply however will settle the point. I have, Ac., The Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney. D. Robertson, Secretary. [Suez Conn. 08/7ti. 1

No. 90. The Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Postmaster-General's Department, SIR _ General Post Office, Sydney, 23rd September, 1908. Referring to your communication of the 10th instant, I have the honour to inform you that the first sling of "mails was landed from the " Maitai " at 8 p.m., and that the express train leaves Svdney at 7.50 p.m. ~.„*« m, • , The latest time for landing of mails to connect with the express would be 6.50 p.m. lhe special train leaves at 9.28 p.m., and the mails would require to be landed one hour earlier, or 8.25 p.m. I have, &c., E. J. Young, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Deputy Postmaster-General. [Suez Conn. 08/80.] ._^___^___^__^_

No. 91. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), a Dunedin, 25th September, 1908. 1 have to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 31st ultimo, attaching an extract from Hansard and asking for our remarks on the proposal made by Mr. Aitken, M.P., that the days of the Auckland and Wellington sailings from Svdney should be reversed. As pointed out by the Right Hon. Sir J. G. Ward when replying to Mr. Aitken, an alteration such as that suggested would involve a complete reorganization of the whole intercolonial services and the coastal connections ; and, in view of the fact that the arrivals of the inward mail-steamers at Commonwealth ports are irregular, we would suggest that no advantage would be gained by considering the question at the present juncture. 1 have, kc., C. HOLDSWORTH, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. General Manager. [Sue/. Conn. 08/81.] ___^____^^__

No. 92. House of Representatives, 7th October, 1908. Mr Aitken to ask the Postmaster-General, Whether the Government have entered into any arrangements for an improved mail-service contract between London and Australia via Suez, and whether any information is available as to which days of the week the mails by that service will arrive at and