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No. 14 The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington, to the Secretary, General Post Office, London. Sin, — General Post Office, Wellington, sth September, 1910. I have the honour to inform you that a contract is to be entered into between the Post-rnnsf-p.r-General of this Dominion and the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited) for a mail-service from New Zealand to San Francisco. The port of departure will be Auckland, and the port of arrival on the return voyage Wellington; and the service in both directions will l>e by way of Karotonga and Papeete. The service v< ill consist of thirteen round vo\ agei p< , : annum, and will commence with a departure from Auckland on the 22nd October next. The first departure from San Francisco will be on the 10' th November. The time between New Zealand and San Francisco will be twenty-one days. The service supersedes the present Wellington-Papeete service. The High Commissioner for New Zealand was requested by cable on the 30th ultimo to give you this information. A contract is being prepared, and copies of it will be sent you later. As soon as the service is inaugurated telegrams in the following form will be sent hence to the High Commissioner for New Zealand, London, for transmission to your office: '"Auckland San Francisco 22nd.' , This is to be understood) to mean that the mail-steamer had left Auckland for San Francisco in performance of tlie service on the date mentioned. I shall be obliged if you will telegraph the time of arrival of these mails in London, using the same form and observing the same procedure as in the case of mails despatched by the present service via Papeete and San Francisco. I have, &c, D. Robertson, The Secretary, General Pest Office. London. For the Postmaster-General. [Wn.-S.F. 10/70.1 _^__^_______^_ [Read here Nos. 25. 27, and 28, F.-Ca, 1910.] No. 15. The RBBinENT Ageot koh Xew Zealand, San Francisco, to the Secretary, General Post Office. Wellington. Sir,— Resident Agency tor New Zealand, San Francisco, 7th September, 1910. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your cable of the 16th August, reading as follows —"Wellington-Tahiti renewed on [one] voyage beginning Kith September present subsidy" —from which I understand that the present service has been renewed on the basis now obtaining, leaving every six weeks In the " Mariposa," connecting with the Union Steam Ship Company at Tahiti. Since then 1 have received your cable of the 30th August [No. IT. !•'. i>.\. 1910], from which it would look as if the service mentioned in the first oable had since been cat celled and the later service substituted therefor. It is with much gratification that I learn that there is again to be a direct mail-service every four weeks between this country and the Dominion ; and the commercial bodies of this city are much pleased at the resumption of the through direct service. I am of the opinion that the new service will be a success from the commencement, as it has been much needed both as a mail-route and as an assistance to the trade relations between the two countries, disrupted through the withdrawal of the Oceanic Steamship Company's line. I wish it every success. I have, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. H. Stephenson Smith. [Wn.-S.F. 10/119.] ______^____^_ [Read here Nos. 26 and 29, F.-6a, 1910.] No. 16. The Secretary, General Post Office. Wellington, to the Minister fok Public Works, Posts, and Telegraphs, Paris. Sn; ,. General Post Office, Wellington, Bth September, 1910. 1 have the honour to inform you that a contract is to ba entered into between the Post-master-General of this Dominion and the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited) for a mail-service from New Zealand to San Francisco. The port of departure will be Auckland, and the port of arrival on the return voyage Wellington; and the service in both directions will be by way of Rarotonga and Papeete. The service will consist of thirteen round voyages per annum, and will commence with a departure from Auckland on the 22nd October next. The time between New Zealand and San Francisco will be twenty-one days. The service supersedes the present Wellington-Papeete service. The High Commissioner foi New Zealand in London was requested by cable on the 30th ultimo to notify you of the establishing of the service. A contract is being prepared, and copies of it will be sent you later. I have, Ac. D. Robertson, Secretary . The Minister for Public Works. Posts, and Telegraphs, I'ari*. [Wn.-S.F. 10/79.]