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No. 17. The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington, to the Secretary, General Post Office, London. Sir,— ■ General Post Office, Wellington, 9th September, 1910. I have the honour to confirm the request already made by the High Commissioner that your office will divide mails for New Zealand for despatch via San Francisco in the same way as you divide the mails for despatch via Suez. I have the reply of the High Commissionsr, dated the 7th instant, announcing that you would have the desired division made. [See No. 26, F.-6a, 1910.] I have, &c, D. Robertson, The Secretary, Gensral Post Office, London. For the Postmaster-General. [Wn.-S.F. 10/69 D.]

No. 18. The Secretary, Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, Dunedin, to the Right Hon. the Prime Minister. Sir, — Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, Dunedin, 12th September, 1910. I have the honour to inform you that at the last meeting of my committee the following resolution was unanimously adopted, and that I was instructed to forward it for your information, viz. :— " That the executive of the Chamber expresses its approval of the Government's action in arranging for a direct service between Xew Zealand and San Francisco, and especially that Wellington has been made the port of call inwards, it being the central port of the Dominion." I have, &c, The Right Hon. the Prime Minister, Wellington. Peter Barr, Secretary. [Wn.-S.F. 10/128].

No. 19. The Secretary, General Post Office. Wellington, to the Resident Aokxt for New Zealand, San Francisco. Sib,— General Port Office, Wellington, 12th September, 1910. ****** In reference to my letter of the 6th instant [No. 27, F.-6a, 1910], confirming the cable advice of the re-establishing of the San Francisco mail-service, I have to inform you that it is not proposed to send Mail Agents by the mail-steamers at present. I have, dec., D. Robertson, Secretary. H. Stephenson Smith, Esq., Resident Agent for New Zealand, 244 California Street, San Francisco, Cal. [W.S. Inc. 10/36]. [Read here No. 30, F. 6a, 1910.] No. 20. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Seckktaisv. Department of Agriculture, Commerce, and Tourists, Wellington. (Memorandum.) General Post Office, Wellington, 22nd September, 1910. I beg to inform you that a contract is to be entered into with 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 Rafbtonga 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 first departure from San Francisco will be on the 16th November. The time between New Zealand and San Francisco will be twenty-one days. The steamers proposed to be used for the present are the " Aorangi " and the " Maitai." The subsidy is .£1,666 13s. 4d. for each round voyage. The service is for one year only in the meantime. Cabinet has directed that half of the subsidy is to be paid by the Division of Commerce and Tourists of your Department, as in the case of the Wellington-Tahiti service, which is superseded by the new service. I attach a copy of the Cabinet direction [not printed]. I shall be glad if you will take on your supplementary estimates the sum of £3,666 : this amount is half of £10,833, less half of £3,500. This is to correspond with the amount to be taken by this Department. D- Robertson, Secretary. The Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Commerce, and Tourists, Wellington. [Wn.-S.F. 10/107.]