F,—3

3

Enclosure 4 in No. 3. Messrs. Gilchrist, Watt, and Co. to the Secretary, General Post Office, Sydney. Sic,— Sydney, 30th July, 1883. Confirming ours of the 27th, and in reply to yours of the 24th instant, we have the honour to inform you that we have received to-day the following cablegram from the Pacific Mail Steamship Company: "From New York: Fastest, Tuesday, Williams and Guion Line; next, Wednesday, Bremen Line, Cunard Line ; Thursday, Saturday, White Star Line, Inman Line. From Liverpool : Saturday, Williams and Guion Line, Inman Line. Southampton : Thursday, Bremen Line." Wo have, _c, The Secretary, General Post Office, Sydney. Gilchrist, Watt, and Co.

Enclosure 5 in No. 3. Mr. Lambton to Messrs. Gilchrist, Watt, and Co. Gentlemen, — General Post Office, Sydney, 16th August, 1883. Adverting to correspondence with you on the subject, I am directed to forward herewith a draft time-table for the regulation of the San Francisco mail service from the 15th November next, when the new contract with the Pacific Mail Steamship Company commences. The first mail under this time-table will leave Sydney a week later than would be the case were the table framed on the basis of the one now in operation, while the day of departure of the mail from London remains the same. It will be seen the intervals which in your letter of the 12th July last you asked to be allowed respectively at San Francisco and Sydney, viz., ten and twenty days, are provided for. The days of arrival at Auckland have not been inserted. The Postmaster-General will be glad if you will, as early as possible, favour him with any remarks you may wish to make upon this matter, as it is desirable that the necessary concurrence of the Postmaster-General of New Zealand in the time-table proposed should be obtained without delay. I have, &c, S. H. Lambton, Messrs. Gilchrist, Watt, and Co., Sydney. Secretary.

No. 4. . Mr. Gray to the Secretary, General Post Office, Sydney. (Telegram.) Wellington, 31st August, 1883. Frisco time-table. Was on the eve of telegraphing when your letter, per " Wakatipu," arrived. Your draft unsuitable New Zealand, owing excessive interval for replies, which would destroy usefulness of service. You have reduced time Sydney to London from forty-six to forty-two days, and London to Sydney from forty-four to forty-one days. Do not at present think we should provide for more than two days' reduction each way. Our proposed time-table as follows:—Leave Sydney, Thursday, November twenty-nine; Auckland, Tuesday, December four: arrive Frisco, Wednesday, December twenty-six; London, Saturday, January twelve: forty-four days. Leave London, Saturday, November three; arrive Frisco, Sunday, November eighteen; Auckland, Monday, December ten; Sydney, Saturday, December fifteen : forty-two days; and every succeeding four weeks. London, fourteen days for replies; Frisco, eighteen; Auckland, twenty-two; Sydney, twelve. Dates arranged with special object mails being conveyed across Atlantic by Guion steamers. Contractors' proposal for twenty days in Sydney out of the question; all extraordinary work should be done in Frisco. Twelve days in Sydney should be ample for usual overhaul. Please give our proposal consideration, and then wire, after conferring with Gilchrist. The Secretary, General Post Office, Sydney. W. Gray.

No. 5. Mr. Gray to the Secretary, General Post Office, Sydney. g IB _ General Post Office, Wellington, Ist September, 1883. With reference to the correspondence anent the framing of a suitable time-schedule for the new San Francisco service, I have the honour to thank you for the copies of the draft timetable as prepared by your department for approval, and forwarded with your letter of the 20th ultimo and to express very sincere regret that the proposed schedule is not suitable to the necessities or requirements of this colony. After mature consideration, the Postmaster-General is of opinion that no arrangement which necessitated an interval of thirty-one days between the arrival of the in-coming steamer at Auckland and her return to San Francisco (as is the case under the proposal of your office) would be acceptable to this department. Obviously, therefore, it will be impracticable to give effect to the desire of the agents for the contractors to have twenty days m port at Sydney for docking and repairs. Under the time-table sketched out by this department, twelve days are allowed at Sydney; and, unless what is required to be done can be effected within this time, there seems no alternative but for the contractors to provide for the very heavy work being undertaken at San Francisco Ihe Postmaster-General, however, is sanguine that the contractors will be able to do all that is absolutely required to be done at Sydney in the twelve days. As this colony mainly relies on the San Francisco service for its mail communication with the United Kingdom, and as the same importance is not