E.—No. 8.

No. 5. Memobandum for His Excellency the Govebttoe. iln the report of the Receiver and Accountant General of the Imperial Post Office, received with the Secretary of State's Despatch dated 19th of May, 1870, the estimate of the amount to be contributed by New Zealand for Post Office packet service via Suez, to the 31st December next, is £26,304 3s. 6d. Prom this has to be deducted a sum of £749 6s. remaining to the credit of the Colony on the 31st December, 1869, as acknowledged by the Secretary to the General Post Office in his letter to the Postmaster-General of New Zealand, dated 4th June, 1870, leaving a balance to be provided for of £25,554 17s. 6d. The Secretary of State requests that half this amount may be remitted as soon after the 30th June as possible. It is anticipated that this estimate for 1870 will be reduced to about £10,000, by the establishment of the mail service to Great Britain via San Francisco and New York ; and in anticipation of this result, Ministers transmit herewith a draft for £5,000 on account of the service via Suez, in compliance with the Secretary of State's request. Wellington, 20th September, 1870. W. Gisboene.

No. 5 of Suez Papers 1870. E.—No. 3.

No. 6. Memobandtjm for His Excellency the Goveenob. His Excellency is respectfully requested to forward the accompanying draft for £5,000 to Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, being a further payment on account of contributions due from New Zealand to the main line of steam service between Great Britain and Australia via Suez. In the account received from the Receiver and Accountant General for 1870, the balance due by New Zealand on account of the main line of mail service via Suez, to the 31st December, 1869, is stated to be £26,304 3s. 6d., as follows :— Dr.— Balance of account to 3Lst December, 1869 ... ... £17,933 19 4 Chargeable for 1870 ... ... ... ... 23,671 2 4 Chargeable for 1868-69 ... ... ... ... 514 19 7 £42,120 1 3 Cr.— Remittances ... ... ... ... ... £15,783 5 4 Amount allowed for penalties ... ... ... 32 12 5 Balance due 31st December, 1870 ... ... ... 26,304 3 6 £42,120 1 3 In this account, made out before the establishment of the San Erancisco Service was known in the London Office, it has been assumed that the whole of the correspondence between New Zealand and Europe would be forwarded via Suez, and the number of letters received and despatched in and by the Colony—on which the account is based—is estimated at 559,046, whereas the actual number was only 226,345, so that the amount for which the Colony is liable for 1870 is about £9,500. There is also a sum of £2,900, which has been credited to the Colony since tho account was made out, being half the cost of the Intercolonial Service between Melbourne and New Zealand; and on the 20th September, 1870, a further sum of £5,000 on account was remitted by the Colony. With these alterations and additions, the account would stand at present as follows : — Dr.— Balance of account to 31st December, 1869 ... ... £17,933 19 4 Chargeable for 1870 ... ... ... ... 9,500 0 0 Chargeable for 1868-69 ... ... ... 514 19 7 £27,948 18 11 Cr. —Remittance as acknowledged ... ... ... £15,783 5 4 Remittance as acknowledged September 22, 1870 ... 5,000 0 0 Half cost of Intercolonial Service in 1869 ... ... 2,900 0 0 Amount allowed for penalties ... ... ... 32 12 5 Balance due by New Zealand ... ... ... 4,233 1 2 £27,948 18 11 Heset Sewell General Post Office, Wellington, 15th June, 1871. ' (for the Postmaster-General).

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No. 7. The Right Hon. Earl Kimbebley to Governor Sir G. F. Bowen, G.C.M.G. Sic,— Downing Street, 21st April, 1871. At the desire of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, I transmit three copies of a report from the Receiver and Accountant General of the Post Office, accompanied by a statement of the

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