13

F.—6

No. 31

The Hon. the Postmaster-General, V\'ellington. to the Secretary, General Post Office, London. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 31st January, 1910. I have the honour to inform you that the Resident Agent for New Zealand at San Francisco reports that the mails for New Zealand reached San Francisco on the 21st December last, although the steamer for Tahiti was not timed to depart until the 28th idem. As apparently too great a margin of time is allowed, I should be obliged if you would look into the matter with a view to deciding whether a closer connection cannot be arranged. I may mention that a proposal is now being considered for the material improvement of the service between New Zealand and San Francisco, which, if carried out, will make it particularly desirable that there should be no loss of time in America. I have, &c, for the Postmaster-General. The Secretary, General Post Office, London. [P.O. 10/598.]

No. 32. [News Extract, 24th February, 1910.] San Francisco Service. The Union Steam Ship Company has decided to employ a larger steamer in what is known as the Eastern Pacific service ; and the " Mokoia," 3,500 tons, has been selected to trade between Wellington and Rarotonga and Tahiti in place of the " Hauroto," of 1,988 tons. Passengeis from Australia and New Zealand bound for Honolulu and San Francisco are transferred from the Union Company's steamer at Papeete, in Tahiti, to the American-owned boats " Alameda " and " Mariposa." . . . The " Mokoia," well known in the trade between New Zealand and Sydney, will make her first trip from Wellington for Tahiti on 16th March, and her second trip on 21st April. [The " Mokoia " left Wellington for Papeete on the 16th March.]

No. 33. 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, 3rd March, 1910. While the future of the Wellington - Eastern Pacific service is under consideration, I beg to direct your attention to a matter that has been the subject of previous correspondence—viz., payments for mails from Papeete ex " Mariposa." The position taken up by the United States Postal Department is a great surprise to us, because, when calculating the prospects of the new service, we reckoned on full Postal Union rates as set forth in the official report of the Rome Convention. So far as we knew, the shipping interests were not represented at the Convention, and having no other information, we could not do otherwise than read the report literally. Nothing that we read therein would lead us to understand that the rates reported were merely for the purpose of adjustment between postal administrations, or that there would be discrimination as to the nationality of the vessels performing the service. We therefore beg to request that you make further representation to the United States Postal Department. The result of the year's working of the service shows that so far it has not been self-supporting, so it becomes important for us to know just what rates are available for future operations. I have, &c, R. McK. McLennan, for General Manager. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington.

No. 34. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Washington. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, Bth March, 1910. Referring to your letter of the 4th December, 1908 [No. 42, F.-6, 1909], on the subject of the rates allowed by your Department for the conveyance from Papeete to New Zealand of the mails for New Zealand and Australia despatched from San Francisco by steamers of the Oceanic Steamship Company for connection with steamers of the Union Steam Sh ; p Company sailing from Papeete, I have the honour to forward for your information copy of a letter received from the General Manager of the Union Steam Ship Company on the subject. The point is raised that there is nothing in the Postal Union Convention which would lead the company to understand that the rates fixed by the Convention were merely for the purpose of adjustment between postal administrations or that there would be discrimination as to the nationality of the vessels performing the service. The company points out that the result of the first year's working shows that the service has not been self-supporting.