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. No. 3. The Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Washington, to the Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Sir, — Post Office Department, Washington, 18th April, 1911. With reference to previous correspondence [Nos. 50, 66, 74, &c, F.-6, 1911] concerning the expediting of mails from New Zealand landed by the Union Steam Ship Company's steamers at San Francisco, I have the honour, by direction of the Postmaster-General, to inform you that since the inauguration of the service, clerks have been detailed to the dock from the San Francisco office to check and to transfer mails for Europe and eastern destinations direct to overland trains, and the delays which have hitherto occurred appear to be due to the fact that a considerable time has elapsed between the docking of the steamer and the time the first mails are put on shore. Under the new arrangement by which the steamers will be able to land their mails after sunset, I trust that no connections will be missed. It will perhaps, however, be of assistance to your office to understand that the connections with the fast Cunard steamers sailing from New York on Wednesdays are made by the mail train leaving San Francisco at 10.40 a.m. the preceding Friday. I am informed by the Postmaster at San Francisco that the schedule time of arrival of the" Union Steam Ship Company's steamers is Friday. When the later transcontinental trains out of San Francisco at 6.40'p.m. or 9 p.m. Friday reach New York punctually it is sometimes possible to make a very close connection with the outgoing Cunard steamers. In the majority of cases, however, the connecting train is that which I have mentioned, leaving San Francisco Friday at 10.40 a.m. It would also much facilitate the handling of the mails at San Francisco if you could arrange that those destined for points in the eastern part of the United States and for Great Britain could be separated on the steamer and transferred to the postal clerks on the dock accordingly. You can understand that where very close connection is to be made with outgoing trains from San Francisco the arrangement I have suggested might often be of prime importance. Under the circumstances I have described, every effort will be made to co-operate with your Administration in securing the best connections from New York for your mails destined for Great Britain, and I trust that hereafter, from the information I have supplied, you will be able to operate the service of the Union Steam Ship Company's steamers to the greatest advantage. I have, &c, Joseph Stewart, Second Assistant Postmaster-General. The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington, New Zealand. [Wn.-S.F. 11/117.]

No. 4. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Sir,— Dunedin, 10th May, 1911. It has been pointed out from San Francisco that a Saturday departure from New Zealand during the winter months in the Northern Hemisphere would imperil prompt transfer of mails to the American railways that connect with the fast Atlantic steamers^ Unfortunately, it is impossible to leave Auckland on Friday, as there is barely sufficient time at present for the necessary overhaul of machinery in Wellington. In view of the Vancouver service being initiated from Auckland on the 4th August next, I would ask permission that Wellington should be made the port of departure for the "Aorangi" ["Maitai"] time-tabled to leave Auckland on the 26th August, and "Maitai" ["Aorangi"] 23rd September, thus anticipating the provision of the contract by two voyages. Trusting this application will receive favourable consideration at the hands of the Minister. I have, &c, ' C. Holdsworth, General Manager. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. [Wn.-S.F. 11/99.]

No. 5. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. g IR; General Post Office, Wellington, 10th May, 1911. I have the honour to refer to your claim for a subsidy of £1,666 13s. 4d. for the voyage performed by the R.M.S. " Aorangi," which ended on the 11th ultimo, and to ask you to submit reasons why the penalty provided for in section 15 of the contract for the late arrival at San Francisco and also in New Zealand should not be enforced. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin. [Wn.-S.F. 11/82.]