75

F.-6

No. 254. 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, 26th March, 1912. Inward Suez Mail-service: Despatch from Sydney to Wellington. Adverting to your letter of the 15th November, to which we have delayed replying in order that the matter might be thoroughly gone into from all points of view, I regret to say that it is not practicable to adopt the suggestion made by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. The proposal, as you know, is not a new one, and to alter the sailing-day from Sydney from Saturday to Monday would interfere with the existing arrangement under which we are now making a connection with the outward Suez mail in Sydney. To run such a service would mean that the steamer would only have portion of a day in Wellington in which to discharge the cargo from Sydney and load the outward cargo —an altogether too narrow margin to work upon. In the event of bad weather interfering with the vessel making an early arrival at Wellington on the Friday, the whole time-table would be dislocated without any opportunity of picking up the time on the round trip, and consequently making it impossible to connect with the express leaving Sydney with the outward Suez mails on the Tuesday evening for Melbourne. I have, &c., The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. C. Holdsworth, General Manager. [Suez Conn. 12/7.]

No. 255. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Secretary, Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Wellington. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 15th April, 1912. In reference to your letter of the 10th November last, asking that the day of departure from Sydney of the steamer carrying the inward Suez mail be altered from Saturday to Monday, I have the honour to inform you that the Union Steam Ship Company states that the proposal to alter the Sydney sailing-day from Saturday to Monday would interfere with the existing arrangement under which a connection is now being made with the outward Suez mail in Sydney. To run such a service would mean that the steamer would have only portion of a day in Wellington in which to discharge the cargo from Sydney and load the outward cargo —altogether too narrow a margin to work upon. In the event of bad weather interfering with the vessel making an early arrival at Wellington on the Friday, the whole time-table would be dislocated, without an opportunity of picking up the time on the round trip, and making it impossible to connect with the express leaving Sydney with the outward Suez mails on the Tuesday evening for Melbourne. In the circumstances, it is regretted the proposed alteration is not practicable. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The Secretary, Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Wellington. [Suez Conn. 12/B.]