79

F.—6

from New York, will be complied with, and information desired sent in " collect" telegrams. Very respectfully, C. van Cott, Postmaster. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, New Zealand.

No. 268. The Hon. the Peemiee to the Agent-Geneeal. Sic, — Premier's Office, Wellington, 22nd February, 1899. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letters of the 13th and 30th December, enclosing copy of correspondence with the Imperial Post Office on the subject of the despatch by Suez of mail-matter for New Zealand posted up to the Friday evening following the despatch by San Francisco. The decision of the London Post Office has been noted. I enclose herewith for your information a return [not printed] showing the number of letters, &c, received from London vid Vancouver from the 10th September last to date, from which it will be seen that the new arrangement has resulted in a marked decrease of the volume of correspondence for this colony sent by way of Canada. I have, &c, W. C. Walkeb, for the Premier. The Hon. W. P. Reeves, Agent-General for New Zealand, London.

No. 269. The Postmasteb, Vancouver, to the Seceetaey, General Post Office, Wellington. Sic,— Post Office, Vancouver, 8.C., Bth March, 1899. With further reference to your letter of the 3rd October last [No. 18, F-6b., 1898] asking me to communicate with the Canadian Pacific Railway authorities and manage, if possible, to have the present arrangements of having the mails for New Zealand from Great Britain forwarded as received, I beg to enclose a communication regarding the matter received from Mr. Marpole, the general superintendent. I have, &c„ Feancis E. Haeeison, Assistant Postmaster. W. Gray, Esq., Secretary, Post and Telegraph Department, Wellington, New Zealand.

Enclosure in No. 269. The Geneeal Supebintendent, Canadian Pacific Railway Company, Vancouver, to the Postmasteb, Vancouver. Canadian Pacific Railway Company, Office of the General Superintendent, Deae Sic, — Vancouver, 8.C., 14th February, 1899. I return you the letter of Mr. Gray, Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department of New Zealand, dated the 3rd October last, in reference to the New Zealand mail. You will recollect it was mentioned in previous correspondence that it was the intention of our company to hold back the first batch of mails at St. Paul until the second lot came, forward, and on completion of my inquiry I find that the Australian and New Zealand mail usually consists of two lots, and these have been arriving from two to five days apart (usually two days apart), and no change has been made in this respect. The enclosed memorandum [not printed] shows the dates of the arrival of these mails and the dates the steamers sailed. Yours truly, J. Miller, Esq., Postmaster, Vancouver. R. Maepole, General Superintendent.

[Read here No. 196, and enclosures.]

No. 270. The Geneeal Supebintendent, Canadian Pacific Railway Company, Vancouver, to the New Zealand Mail Agent, Wellington. Canadian Pacific Railway Company (Pacific Division), Office of the General Deae Sic, — Superintendent, Vancouver, 8.C., 7th April, 1899. Replying to your letter of the 9th March [not printed], informing me that the first portion of the British mails for the colonies, due here Tuesday previous, did not arrive here until the 9th March, and stating that they should have arrived earlier, I have inquired into the reason for this mail, consisting of thirty-nine sacks, being delayed. This mail was held up at Minneapolis from the 3rd March to the 6th March, on which date the thirty-nine sacks were despatched along with 171 sacks which arrived there on that date. This delay was caused by there not being room in the maij compartment of the regular car, and it would have been necessary to send a special car to accommodate it, which the Soo Line Railway Company were not willing to do. It was mentioned in a previous communication that the first instalments of mail would be brought through to Vancouver whenever it could be accommodated in the regular mail-car, but that we could not undertake to haul special cars with small lots of mail. Yours truly, R. Maepole, General Superintendent. Mr. R. L. Martin, New Zealand Mail-agent, Wellington, New Zealand.