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No. 59. 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, sth February, 1912. We regret to have to advise you that, owing to dense fog, the R.M.S. " Maitai " was unable to reach San Francisco until Friday, p.m., and, in consequence, missed the usual connection for her mails. I have, &c, R. McK. McLennan, for General Manager. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. [Wn.-S.F. 12/33.]

No. 60. 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, 6th February, 1912. I beg to mention that we have advice from our San Francisco agents to the effect that they detained the " Tahiti " there until the morning of the 11th ultimo, in response to the request of Mr. Stephenson Smith, to enable the overland mails to connect. The steamer therefore left San Francisco twenty-one hours late, but arrived at Wellington a little before her due time. I have, &c, R. McK. McLennan, for General Manager. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. [Wn.-S.F. 12/32.]

No. 61. 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, 6th February, 1912. I have pleasure in acknowledging receipt of and thanking you for your letter of the 11th ultimo, intimating that the Department accedes to our request for permission for the south-bound mailsteamers to wait at Rarotonga on Thursdays until midnight if the necessity should arise, owing to quantity of perishable cargo for shipment. I note that the steamers should arrive in Wellington in time for the mails to connect with the Main Trunk express for Auckland, and under ordinary weather conditions I do not anticipate any difficulty in their doing this. I have, &c, R. McK. McLennan, for General Manager. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. [Wn.-S.F. 12/31.]

No. 62. The Acting-Secretary, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Sir,— Dunedin, 15th February, 1912. Referring to your letter of the 31st ultimo, I now have the honour to enclose memorandum of agreement [see enclosure to No. 69] for extension executed at to-day's meeting of the Board. I have, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. C. Hughes, Acting-Secretary. [Wn.-S.F. 12/36.]

No. 63. 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, 20th February, 1912. Passage Rates between New Zealand and the Islands by Mail-steamers. Referring to clause 4 in the San Francisco service contract and clause 6 in that prepared for the Vancouver service, I beg to submit that, in consequence of advances in cost of maintenance and general working, including in particular the recent advances in wages to all departments aboard the steamers and to the waterside workers (with claims to further advances still pending), the conditions