t\ — 6,

5

No. 8

[News Extract, 12th April, 1910.1 San Francisco Mail. (Telegram.) Auckland, llth April, 1910. I.\ reply to a cablegram inquiring the prospects of the United States Shipping Subsidy Bill and the reinstatement of the San Francisco mail-service, the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce received a reply stating that there would be no favourable legislation this Congress. [H.T. p. 406.]

Xo. 9. Mr. J. D. Spreckels, San Francisco, to the Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. (Telegram.) San Francisco. 2nd June, 1910. Discussed Mills through service either with American vessel or partly British. Impracticable under present conditions. Writing. [P.O. 09/4193.]

MAILS BY WEIR LINK, No. 10. The ArTtxo-KrcrRETARY, Postmaster-General's Department) Melbourne, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir, — Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, 28th September. 1909. I have the honour to forward herewith copy of a report received from the Deputy PostmasterGeneral, Sydney, relating to delay to mails in transit from New Zealand to Australia, which mails wore conveyed by one of the steamers of tho Weir line, and to a.sk if yon will kindly cause arrangements to be made to transfer mails in such cases to the faster boats of the Union or ETuddart-Parkei lines, as desired by the Deputy Postmaster-General. 1 have. &c., .1 pa ciNiAN Oxenham, Acting-Secretary. The Secretary. General Post Office, Wellington. [P.O. 09/2068(8).]

Enclosure in No. 10. Copy of Report. Delay to Mails in Transit from New Zealand to Australia. I have the honour to inform you that the s.s. " Tymeric," which left Auckland for Melbourne on the Ist September, and arrived there on Friday, the 10th idem, carried 228 bags of mail-matter from San Francisco for Sydney. Melbourne. Brisbane. &c. Had these mails been kept back in New Zealand lor the s.s. " L'liniaroa." which left Wellington on the 3rd instant, the Sydney portion of the mail would have been received in time for the first delivery on Tuesday, the 7th. and the Melbourne and Brisbane mails the following day. a gain of four days in the Sydney mails, two days in the Melbourne, and four days in the Brisbane portion. Or had they been held in Auckland and forwarded from there by the s.s. " Wimmera," leaving on the 6th instant, the gain would have been one day for Sydney and one day for the Brisbane portion. As the steamers of the Weir line are very slow, the mails on the occasion mentioned in the first paragraph hereof taking forty-one days to reach Sydney, the New Zealand authorities might be requested to transfer mails in future to the faster boats of the Union or Huddart-Parker lines, and thus expedite their delivery, as has been done on previous occasions.