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No. 34. The Secretary, General-Post Office, Wellington, to the GENiERAd,-. Manager, New Zealand Shipping Company, Christchurch. (Telegram.) Wellington, 16th June, 1898. Vancouver Service Payments.—Only authority we have to pay your company is from Mr. Barnes, senior official receiver, but, as he has since appointed Mr. Cowan liquidator, necessary that that official should give you or your company specific authority to receive payment for him on behalf of Canadian-Australian Royal Mail Steamship Company. Document should be sent you by mail, and certified copy lodged meanwhile with Agent-General, who should.be asked to advise Government by cable when he has received it.

No. 35. The General Manager, New Zealand Shipping Company, Christchurch, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Christchurch, 16th June, 1898. Forwarding you to-day power attorney from official liquidator, giving specific authority to collect subsidies.

No. 36. The General Manager, New Zealand Shipping Company (Limited), Christchurch, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. New Zealand Shipping Company (Limited), Sir, — Christchurch, 16th June, 1898. I am in receipt of your telegram of even date, and now beg to hand you power of attorney from Mr. C. J. Cowan, official liquidator of the Canadian-Australian Royal Mail Steamship Company, to the New Zealand Shipping Company (Limited), authorising us to collect all subsidies due under the mail contract. Will you kindly return the deed when you have done with it ? I have, &c, Isaac Gibbs, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. General Manager. [Acknowledgment, returning power of attorney, not printed.]

No. 37. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, New Zealand Shipping Company, Christchurch. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 18th June, 1898. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 14th instant, forwarding copy of power of attorney from the official liquidator of the Canadian-Australian Royal Mail Steamship Company, authorising you to complete the contract with the Government of New Zealand for the transport of mails between Wellington and Vancouver, and asking that the amount of subsidy earned by the steamers might be paid over to you before the end of this month. ' I have, &c, Isaac Gibbs, Esq., General Manager, W. Gray, Secretary. New Zealand Shipping Company (Limited), Christchurch.

No. 38. ; The Hon. the Premier to the Agent-General. Sir, — Premier's Office, Wellington, 22nd June, 1898. Vancouver Mail-service. —Adverting to previous correspondence, I have now the honour to inform you that the power of attorney empowering Mr. Gibbs, of the New Zealand Shipping Company (Limited), to execute the contract on behalf of the liquidator has been submitted to the Post Office by Mr. Gibbs, but after consideration of the position of the Canadian-Australian Royal Mail Steamship Company I have decided not to have the contract signed at present. Meantime, payment of subsidy will be made the New Zealand Shipping Company, as agents for the liquidator, less the penalties incurred ; and later on the question whether the penalties shall or shall not be waived will be determined. The steamers are now making better time between here and Vancouver ; but, unfortunately, unaccountable delays have taken place in the transport of the mails from Vancouver to London. This was very noticeable in the case of the "Aorangi's" homeward mails, which, although they reached Vancouver a day in advance of time, were not delivered in London until three days after time-table date. The Mail Agent who accompanied the January homeward mails travelled from Vancouver as far as Chicago with the mails, and satisfied himself that close connection up to that point would be