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In view of the urgency of prompt arrival at Fiji to ensure departure from there on Tuesday, we shall be much obliged if your Department can arrange to avoid requiring postponement of sailings from Auckland. I have, &c, R. McK. McLennan, The Secretary, General Post (Mice, Wellington. For General Manager. [P. & T. 36/B.]

No. 66. The Deputy Postmaster-General, Ottawa, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, Sir, — Post Office Department, Ottawa, Canada, 24th October, 1913. With reference to your communication of the 25th ultimo asking to be furnished with particulars concerning the direct service between Canada and Great Britain recently inaugurated, and asking to be advised whether New Zealand mails via Vancouver are forwarded by this service, I have the honour to inform you that, as stated in my letter of the 11th instant [not printed], this Department inaugurated on the Ist May last a direct service between Canada and Great Britain, tri-weekly in summer and semi-weekly in winter, and that since that date mails from New Zealand for the United Kingdom sent by way of Vancouver are conveyed by this new steamship service except in cases where they can be despatched more expeditiously by way of NewYork. I enclose for your information schedules [not printed] showing the sailings during the coming winter. I have, &c, R. M. Coulter, Deputy Postmaster-General. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, New Zealand. [P. & T. 3.6/ I.]

No. 67. The Deputy Poktmastbr-Genebal, Ottawa, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Ottawa, Ont., 25th October, 1913. lis it to bt understood that Union Steam Ship Company guarantees change from Friday to Saturday sailing from Auckland will not delay arrival at Vancouver? Steamers now scheduled to arrive Vancouver Tuesday, but usually arrive Wednesday, sometimes Thursday. Interval between arrival and departure steamer now reduced at times to thirteen days, which is all too short for Eastern Canada. Therefore would like assurance from Union Steam Ship Company that this interval will not be further reduced —that is, would like assurance that later sailing from Auckland does not mean later arrival Vancouver. Eastbound transcontinental trains leave Vancouver semi-daily.

No. 68. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. (Telegram.) Wellington, 28th October, 1913. Following cable message has been received from Deputy Postmaster-General, Ottawa. [See No. 67.] Be good enough to let me have assurance asked for by Canadian Post Office.

No. 69. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Dunedin, 29th October, 1913. Referring your wire 28th, under normal conditions steamers leaving Auckland Saturday forenoon will reach Vancouver Tuesday. We keep this m view. Am writing fully.

No. 70. 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, 31st'October, 1913. Referring to your telegram of the 28th instant and our reply thereto, regarding the communication you received from the Deputy Postmaster-General, Ottawa, as to the time of arrival of the Canadian-Australasian line mail-steamers at Vancouver, I have the honour to confirm that we quite understood when we arranged with you to make the sailing-hour from Auckland 10 a.m., Saturday, that we were expected to see that the steamers arrived at Vancouver on their due day—viz., Tuesday. In ordinary circumstances we do not apprehend difficulty in their doing so, and I would like to point out that on each occasion on which they have not done so the delay has been due to unusual conditions. For instance, the " Marama," due at Vancouver on Tuesday, 16th September, arrived at daylight on the Thursday. The delay in her case was due to detention at Suva owing to quarantine regulations in force there, and further