F.—B.

14

No. 5. The Hon. the Prime Minister to the High Commissioner. (Telegram.) Wellington, 24th April. 1912 Your letter eighth ultimo week-end cable-letters (Ine, No . two and three, Yet; [P.C. Press 12/20.]

No. 6. The High Commissioner to the Hon. the Prime Minister. Sir. Westminster Chambers, 13 Victoria Street, London S.W., Ist May, 1912. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt, on the 24th ultimo, of your cablegram in reply to my letter of the Bth March last. I have accordingly communicated in a letter, of which a copy is enclosed, your replies to the questions contained in the Pacific Cable Board letter of the 6th March, of which I sent you a copy. I have. &c. The Hon. the Prime Minister. Wellington, New Zealand Wm. Hall-Jones. [P.C. Rates 12/272.]

Enclosure in No. 6. The High Commissioner to the Chairman. Pacific Cable Board. London. Sir, 13 Victoria Street, London S.W., 24th April. 1912. Referring to your letter of the 6th ultimo, with regard to the question of extending to the Pacific-cable system the scheme for week-end cable-letters, I have the honour to inform you that, having forwarded a copy of that letter to the New Zealand Government, as promised, I have now received their reply by cable to tiie three definite questions you ask on page lof your letter. The questions and the answers are as follows : (I.) Would you] Government lie willing to convey cable-letters free l>v post between the cable-station and the place of destination ? Answer : No. (2.) Would it be willing to forgo all terminal charges on cable-letters ; and. if not. what is the lowest charge per group that it could accept ? Answer : Yes. (3.) In the event of the Government being willing to forgo terminal charges, would it be willing to accept the ordinary inland rate on cable-letters deliverable by telegraph ? Answer : Yes. I have, &c. Wm. Hall-Jones The Chairman. Pacific Cable Board. Queen Anne's Chambers, London S.W

No. 7. The lion, the Prime Minister to the High Commissioner. Sir, Prime Minister's Office, Wellington, 11th June, 1912. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of the Hon. Sir Wm. Hall-Jones's letter of the 21st March last, forwarding a copy of a memorandum by the London Manager and Secretary of the Pacific Cable Board on the subject of a proposal to establish a week-end cable-letter service. The difficulty in regard to messages for New Zealand reaching Vancouver at a busy period on Saturday could be overcome by the holding of these messages there until the busy period is over, as the messages are not due to be delivered in Xeu Zealand before Tuesday. Homewards, it might be arranged that messages be accepted in New Zealand on Saturday after 1 p.m. instead of after 6 p.m. This might obviate any block such as is anticipated at Vancouver. Certainly, ordinary traffic should not be in any case delayed on account of week-end letters. It is considered that the proposal to post the letters from the cable-station is not one that would recommend itself to the cabling public. The suggestion made by this Dominion that the messages should be telegraphed to their office of destination at the ordinary inland rate of id. per word is much the better plan. If this is adopted New Zealand will be forgoing one-half of its tariff on international cable messages. This would make the cable-letter rate between the United Kingdom and New Zealand 3s. 2Jd. for five words, as against the present rate of 3s. per word for ordinary messages, and Is. per word for deferred messages. I have, &c, H. G. Ell, The High Commissioner for New Zealand, London. For the Prime Minister. [P.C. Rates 12/270.]