46

F.—6

TNTEKPKOVINCIAL SEBVICE.

No. 110. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Manager, Northern Steamship Company, Auckland. g IR _ General Post Office, Wellington, sth October, 1907. I have the honour to inform you that the Chief Postmaster, Auckland, has brought under the special notice of this office the readiness with which you acceded, at inconvenience to your own business, to his request for the detention of the s.s. " Rarawa " at Onehunga on the 19th ultimo, to bring on Australian mails, and has reminded me that the Department has more than once been under an obligation to you for meeting our requirements in a similar way. As the principal mails from the United Kingdom are received at Auckland, the prompt despatch of the southern portion from Onehunga is of considerable public importance ;. and one of the essential contributors to the satisfaction that is felt throughout the Dominion with the Department's arrangements is the willingness of your company to detain your steamers when necessary. The PostmasterGeneral desires to express his thanks for your action in complying with the wishes of the Chief Postmaster on the 19th ultimo, and appreciation of the public-spirited manner in which you have at all times considered the exigencies of the Postal service. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The Manager, Northern Steamship Company (Limited), Auckland. [P.O. 07/2469.] __^^_^^__^^^__^^_

No. 111. The Branch Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Auckland, to the Chief Postmaster, Auckland. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), g IR Auckland, 27th November, 1907. I beg to draw your attention to the delay which was occasioned the " Hauroto " to-day through the late shipment of the mails which arrived from the South. About 11 a.m. to-day your Chief Clerk called and asked for the postponement of|the steamer, in order to allow the mails to be put on board, mentioning at the time that the detention necessary would not be more than half an hour. The " Rotoiti" berthed at Onehunga to-day at 9.15 a.m., but your Department did not have the mails which she carried alongside the " Hauroto " till I.3o—that is to say, an hour and a half after the advertised time of sailing. It was a matter of great urgency that the vessel should be despatched to-day not later than noon, and it appears to me that the exercise of proper expedition would have enabled us to so despatch her instead of waiting from noon as above mentioned till 2 p.m. The result of this detention in the way of costs remains to be seen. In the meantime I would respectfully suggest that on such occasions extra hands be put on for the sorting of mails, and thus prevent delays to steamers, which may not only be attended with considerable unnecessary outlay, but cause irritation to the travelling public, who are compelled to remain on board between the advertised and actual sailing-time of steamer. I have, &c, A. B. I. Irvine, The Chief Postmaster, Auckland. Branch Manager. [P.O. 07/3392.]

No. 112. The Chief Postmaster, Auckland, to the Branch Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Auckland. g IK Chief Post-office, Auckland, 30th November, 1907. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 27th instant, complaining of the delay occasioned the " Hauroto " last Wednesday through the late shipment of mails which arrived from the South. I regret the " Hauroto " did not obtain prompt despatch ; but the delay was unavoidable. Two officers were specially sent out to Onehunga with the view of expediting the arrival of the south mail in Auckland. They report that the " Rotoiti " was made fast to the wharf at 9.25 a.m., and that the mails arrived by the 10.12 a.m. train, reaching Auckland about 10.51. The whole of the available staff was on duty, and no time was lost at this office in opening up southern mails, and preparing the matter for despatch via Vancouver. If the arrival of the steamer from the south cannot be accelerated, it seems to me that mails from the south despatched via Vancouver will have to be brought up the previous day, and this will interfere with the usefulness of the Vancouver service. lam bringing the matter under the notice of my Head Office, and in the meantime it should be made quite clear that the delay in the despatch of the "• Hauroto " was in no way due to any fault on the part of my office. I have, &c, F. D. HOLDSWORTH, Chief Postmaster. The Branch Manager, Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Auckland. y [P.O. 07/3392.]