E.—No. 6,

12

PAPERS RELATING TO EXTENSION OE TELEGRAPH

No. 40. Mr. Floyd to Mr. C. Lemon. (Telegram.) Ga., 20th May, 1871. I have paid McKenzie £139 4s. on account of eighty-seven poles delivered and erected on the line from Tauranga to Kati Kati. W. H. Floyd, Electrician.

No. 41. Mr. Floyd to Mr. C. Lemon. (Telegram.) Aongatete, 3rd June, 1871. Clearing and flagging party now close to Rereatu Kahia. I remain with men till delicate ground passed. Natives removed my second lot of flags, so I put some more in yesterday. They said they should not remove them " to-day nor to-morrow, but after that, when more Maoris came, they would pull them down." I have informed Mr. Clarke, who had previously sent a letter telling the Natives the wire must go up. I am pushing on as fast as possible, and devoting every energy to the work. McKenzie is behind hand. His men are stopped by want of poles. Out of two hundred and forty poles submitted by McKenzie I have had to reject eighty. They were very bad indeed, many of them being quite half sap. W. H. Floyd, Electrician.

No. 42. Mr. Floyd to Mr. C. Lemon. (Telegram.) Ga., 12th June, 1871. I have this day paid McKenzie an instalment of £112 on account of poles. This is the second payment, and makes the total sum paid to McKenzie up to this time £251 4s. W. H. Floyd, Electrician.

No. 43. Mr. Floyd to Mr. C. Lemon. 12th June, 1871. Following from McKenzie just to hand. Without doubt there has been some bad weather, as he says. He has now on ground, including those erected, about half the number of poles required, and will probably be able to finish by the 10th July. W. H. Floyd, Electrician. " Dear Sir,— " Tauranga, 12th June, 1871. " Through wet weather and bad roads I have been detained getting the telegraph poles in terms with my contract for the line from Tauranga to Kati Kati. Hoping you will grant me another month longer till the 10th July ; by so doing you will oblige " Mr. Floyd. " Hector McKenzie."

No. 44. Mr. Floyd to Mr. C. Lemon. (Telegram.) Ga., 23rd June, 1871. Got in from camp this afternoon. Two days coming fifteen miles in a boat; very bad weather. I finished pegging on tho morning of the 19th instant. Could have got done three weeks earlier, but as McKenzie was so far behind I kept only a moderate staff employed, and stopped to do extra clearing and track making that might have waited till wire was up. Had I been supplied with poles from Wellington, and done all the work myself, I could have opened a temporary office at Kati Kati on Ist July ; as it is I fear we shall not get through for another six weeks. No more poles have arrived since McKenzie applied for extension of time, and we may expect a large proportion of bad weather during next two months. Altogether I have rejected 110 poles, principally for sap, several of them had bark on. I believe those I have accepted are really good poles. McKenzie makes a great fuss about my numerous rejections, but lam thoroughly satisfied I have only done my duty. 219 poles are erected. 279 more to be erected ; total, 498, with spare poles ; my full number will be about 520. I will give you chained length of lino on Monday. I commence wiring next week, and have reserved some necessary work en route to employ my men on when they are stopped b}- want of poles. Clearing round poles and sowing grass-seed will be done by my own men after wiring finished—nearly all poles will require it. W. H. Floyd, Tauranjra. Electrician.