F.—6

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delivery in England. The mails by the Vancouver route left New York per "St Louis "on the Ist instant, and should arrive on contract date. The outward mails left New York on the 4th, and should arrive at Vancouver in time to permit the " Miowera " to leave on time. I have, &c, H. Stephenson Smith, Besident Agent. W. Gray, Esq., Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington.

No. 123. The Seceetaey, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Besident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. SlB _ General Post Office, Wellington, 9th March, 1899. I have the honour to request that you will be so good as to procure and send me at your convenience a copy of the Hanna-Payne Shipping Bill [See No. 113]. I have, &c, H. Stephenson Smith, Esq., W. Geay, Secretary. Besident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco.

No. 124. The Seceetaey, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Besident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. SlB _ General Post Office, Wellington, 10th March, 1899. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 4th ultimo [see N0..265], stating that the late arrival in the United Kingdom of the mails ex " Mariposa " was no doubt due to bad weather then prevailing on the Atlantic. «.-,., .• , t I should be obliged if you would ascertain from the New York Post Office the particulars of the delay, as it is not understood why the mails were not despatched from New York until the Thursday night and the Friday morning. I have, &c, H. Stephenson Smith, Esq., W. Geay, Secretary. Besident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco.

No. 125. The Postmasteb, San Francisco, to the Seceetaey, General Post Office, Wellington. San Francisco Post Office (Office of the Postmaster), San Francisco, Deab Sic,— 28th March, 1899. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your communication of the 27th February last inviting my attention to the desirability of despatching mails from this office vid Honolulu for New Zealand by the steamer sailing from here one day before the departure of the mail-steamer from Vancouver, the idea being to insure an early delivery of correspondence. In answer to this suggestion, I beg to state that the matter had already been anticipated by this office, and instructions issued to that effect. This office has also been in communication with the Superintendent of Foreign Mails at Washington, and various plans are under consideration for expediting the movement of trans-Pacific mails, in all of which we fully appreciate the fact that your office has a deep interest. Thanking you for your suggestions in the matter, I am, &c, W. W. Montague, Postmaster. W. Gray, Esq., Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, New Zealand.

No. 126. The Seceetaey, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Supebintendent of Foeeign Mails, Washington. gIE _ General Post Office, Wellington, 29th March, 1899. I have the honour by direction of the Hon. the Postmaster-General, to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the Ist ultimo, informing me that the Postmaster at San Francisco had been instructed to forward Australasian mail-matter by steamers trading to Honolulu for transhipment there to Vancouver mail-steamers en route to Wellington Mv letter of the 27th ultimo will have informed you that the-desirableness of the connection had already been brought under the notice of this office. Now, however that the Vancouver mailservice is to cease with this colony on the 31st instant, it is probable that the time-table of the steamers will be changed, and that they will in future journey between Canada, Honolulu, Brisbane, and Sydney, possibly omitting Fiji, which arrangement would render the proposed transhipment of mails inadvisable. 1 haye > *"■> The Superintendent of Foreign Mails, W. Geay, Secretary. Office of Foreign Mails, Post Office Department, Washington, D.C.