7

F.—6

No. 14

The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 13th September, 1909. 1 have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 9th ultimo [No. 67, F.-6, 1909], in reference to the amount payable to your company for the conveyance of mails from Papeete to New Zealand. " Foreign closed mails " : A check has been made at this office of the weights of the mails received from the United Kingdom. The weights of the mails forwarded from Papeete to Wellington on the 19th February last appear to be understated. The total weights entered on the letter-bills from the United Kingdom to New Zealand are : Letters, 264,359 grams ; other articles, 2,531,457 grams. These are 8,349 and 321,563 grams respectively in excess of those given in the account furnished to your agents by the United States Post Office. The weights of the mails from the United Kingdom forwarded from Papeete on the 25th March last appear to be approximately correct. United States mails : Weights are not shown on the letter-bills by the despatching offices ; but from the estimated weights given by the receiving offices, the account relating to these mails appears to be approximately correct. " Foreign closed mails," no doubt, includes all mails sent through the United States. There are, however, very few such mails except those from the United Kingdom. I note the contents of Messrs. Spreckels Brothers' letter to the Second Assistant PostmasterGeneral, Washington [Enclosure in No. 67, F.-6, 1909]. I suggested when in San Francisco that the question of rates should be keptjopen"pending any further action to be taken by New Zealand. I am now dealing with"the',question. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The General Manager. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin. [P.O. 09/311(2).|

No. 15. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited). Sir,— Dunedin, 20th September, 1909. I have to thank you for your favour of the 13th instant, in reply to ours of 9th ultimo [No. 67, F.-6, 1909]. We are writing to our agents, Messrs. J. D. Spreckels and Brothers Company, in San Francisco, saying, with reference to the particulars they passed on to us of the mail-payments made by the United States Administration, that wo understand the weights forwarded from London were in excess of those paid for. We mention the quantities in excess, and inquire how the difference is accounted for. Thanking your for the trouble taken to furnish us with the figures. I have, &c, R. Mck. MoLennan, for General Manager. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington.

[Read here No. 1, San Francisco Service.]

No. 16. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 15th October, 1909. We have at times some difficulty in deciding whether mails from New Zealand should be despatched via Tahiti and San Francisco, via Vancouver, or via Suez ; and this difficulty is increased by the want of authentic information as to the present connections at San Francisco and New York. I understand the steameis plying between Papeete and San Francisco arrive with great regularity. Will you have the goodness to inquire and advise me—-(1) About what time of the day mails are delivered ; (2) by what train they are despatched to New York ; (3) the time occupied on the overland journey between San Francisco and New York ; (4) the names of vessels and lines of steamers which