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No. 28. New Zealand, No. 120. My Lord,— Downing Street, 29th June, 1918. I have the honour to inform Your Excellency that your telegram of the 22nd June has been communicated to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, who desires to express his appreciation of the message of congratulation from yourself and the Government and people of New Zealand on the occasion of his birthday. I have, &c, WALTER H. LONG. Governor-General His Excellency the Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool, P.0., G.C.M.G, M.V.0., (fee.

No. 29. New Zealand, Dominions No. 368. My Lord, — Downing Street, 9th July, 1918. I have the honour to request Your Excellency to inform your Ministers that it has been represented that serious inconvenience is caused to the war work of the Admiralty in connection with merchant shipping by the changing of ships' names, and His Majesty's Government have now decided that it is to the interest of shipping generally that the facilities for changing merchant ships' names should, as a war-emergency measure, be suspended. 2. Registrars of shipping in the United Kingdom have accordingly been instructed that during the war it will not be possible to authorize any change in the name of a British merchant ship or of a foreign merchant ship placed on the British Register, and that a new merchant vessel cannot be allowed a name which is already on the Register or has been on the Register during the previous twelve months. There may, however, be cases in which the owners and the Admiralty may think it expedient that a name should be changed, and in such cases the change will be authorized. 3. I should be glad if your Government would consider the possibility of adopting a similar policy. I have, &c, WALTER H. LONG. Governor-General His Excellency the Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool, P.C., G.C.M.G., M.V.0., &c.

A.-1, 1.018 No. 11.

No. 30. New Zealand, Dominions No. 369. My Lord, — Downing Street, 9th July, 1918. I have the honour to transmit to Your Excellency, for the information of your Ministers, a copy of a translation of a Decree of the Republic of Panama, ordering certain measures with regard to the visa or authentication of passports of foreign citizens or subjects travelling to Panama. I have, &c, WALTER H. LONG. Governor-General His Excellency the Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool, P.0., G.C.M.G., M.V.0., &c.

Enclosure. Enclosure in Sir C. Mallet's No. 6 Treaty of 15th May, 1918. [Translation.] Republic of Panama. —Decree No. 14 of 1918 (op 29th April), ordering! certain Measures with regard to the vlsa or authentication op passports op foreign citizens or Subjects travelling to Panama. The President of the Republic, in the exercise of his powers under Law 61 of 1917, and considering— That the state of war in which the Republic finds itself requires that all necessary precautions should be taken to prevent espionage;