V.—6.

1876. NEW ZEALAND.

TORRES STRAITS MAIL SERVICE, (FURTHER PAPERS RELATIVE TO). (In continuation of Papers presented on 27th September, 1875.)

. " ■; Presented to both Souses of the General Assembly by Command of Sis Excellency. .:■ ■

No. 1. Mr. Fox to the Hon. the Acting Postmaster-General, New Zealand. 7, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Sir,— 13th August, 1875. I have been directed by Sir Julius Vogel to forward to you the accompanying copy of a paragraph which was published in the Times of Friday, the 6th inst. Sir Julius Vogel thinks it desirable that a letter in reply or explanation should be published. He suggests that you should cause such a letter, addressed to the Editor of the Times, to be prepared; and further, that as it cannot reach England until after his departure for the colony, it should be sent with instructions to the Agent-General, with whom a copy of this letter will be left. I have, &c, The Hon. the Acting Postmaster-General, New Zealand. E. Fox.

Enclosure in No. 1. {From the Times, 6th August, 1875.) The Eastern Trade with New Zealand.—The Straits Times Overland Journal announces :— "The Hong Kong Postmaster-General has given notice that the New Zealand Post Office officials have refused to receive or forward letters from China to New Zealand, forwarded by the Torres Straits line, and all letters from New Zealand must, therefore, either be addressed to an agent in Sydney, or sent via Galle. This is such an extraordinary piece of illiberality and narrow-minded jealousy, as to be almost incredible."

No. 2. The Hon. W. H. Reynolds to the Agent-General. (Telegraphed from Wellington to Auckland, and there posted for London.) Wellington, 28th October, 1875. I forward you by telegraph, letter addressed to the Editor of the Times, re the Torres Straits Service, concerning which I believe Sir Julius Vogel has communicated with you. I leave it to your discretion to publish the letter, or to make whatever statement or explanation you think best.—William H. Reynolds.—"New Zealand and the Torres Straits Line.—To the Editor of the Times. —Sir, —My attention has been directed to a paragraph appearing in your issue of the 6th August last, copied from the Straits Times Overland Journal, and headed ' The; Eastern Trade with New Zealand/ in which the writer states, that the Hong Kong PostmasterGeneral had notified that the New Zealand Post Office had refused to receive or forward letters from China to New Zealand by the Torres Straits line, and all letters for New Zealand must therefore be addressed to an agent in Sydney or sent via Galle. This statement is not quite correct, and I cannot but think that the notification issued from the Hong Kong Post Office has been incorrectly quoted. The New Zealand Post Office has never refused to receive or forward letters from China forwarded by the Torres Straits line of steamers': this department, however, was unable to acquiesce in a suggestion made in 1874 by the Hong Kong Post Office to the I—F. 6.