F.—B.

No. 299. The Hon. the Peimb Ministee to the Agent-Geneeal. Prime Minister's Office, Wellington, 11th February, 1903. S IE) Insertion of Code Time and Date in Cablegrams. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 24th December last [No. 271], advising that you had represented to the Pacific Cable Board that the New Zealand public were making strong "protest against the omission of the date and hour of presentation in your country of cablegrams via Pacific. The arrangement, as indicated in the telegrams exchanged, copy of which I attach, will, it is considered, be satisfactory, and should assist in the direction of increasing the traffic by the Pacific route. There can, I think, be no doubt that the expenditure of £2,700 a year to secure the insertion of code time in Pacific messages transmitted over the Atlantic cables will be more than recouped to the Board by the increased traffic which will be attracted on this account. The unfortunate interruptions—no less than seven since the 27th December last—have done much to retard the growth of the traffic, and it is to be hoped that there will be no further suspension of work between the present time and the laying of the cable from Bamfield to Alberni, which deviation, I trust, will effectually free the Vancouver Island line from interruptions. It is regrettable that the route, such a short time after its opening, should have been interrupted so frequently because of the badly chosen land-line. However, notwithstanding all these disadvantages, it is clear that the service is growing in public favour, mainly because the time of transmission is shorter than by the Eastern route. I also enclose copy of cablegrams exchanged with the General Manager of the Pacific Cable Board on the subject of the insertion of time and date in cable messages. I have, &c, J. G. Wabd, For the Prime Minister. The Hon. W. P. Beeves, Agent-General for New Zealand, London. [For Enclosures 1-4 in No. 299, see Nos. 274, 291, 294, and 296.]

No. 300. The Chaieman, Pacific Cable Board, London, to the Hon. the Postmastee-Genebal, Wellington. g IE) _ 24, Queen Anne's Gate, S.W., 18th February, 1903. You are no doubt aware that the Eastern Telegraph Company has lately brought out a code for private and family transactions entitled the "Via Eastern" Telegraphic Social Code, and that this code has been widely circulated in Australia and New Zealand, as well as in Great Britain. As the title of this code conveys the impression that the code can only be used by the Eastern route, I write to inform you that the book is on sale at all bookstalls (price 55.), and that it can be used on any telegraph route in the world. It is true that the Eastern Telegraph Company have some proprietary rights in the copyright of the book, and that they have placed the book in their offices, and in those of the associated companies, for the purposes of senders of messages ; but I understand that the Commercial Cable Company has done the same, both in respect to this and to other codes, and that it would be open to any telegraph-office any company or Government to have a copy to which reference could be made by senders or receivers of messages. I am not aware whether the code will be on reference at the telegraph-offices of your Department, but it would seem advisable for the public to know that if they and their correspondents possess copies of the code the messages framed on the code can be sent by the Pacific or by any route. I have, &c, 8. Walpole, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Chairman, Pacific Cable Board.

No. 301. The Seceetaey, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Supeeintendent, Pacific Cable Station, Doubtless Bay. (Telegram.) Wellington, 6th March, 1903. What is°object in your adopting "official" time, which is half an hour in advance of ours? Eastern Company at Wakapuaka recognises local time.

No. 302. The Superintendent, Pacific Cable Station, Doubtless Bay, to the Secebtaey, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Doubtless Bay, 6th March, 1903. General Manager instructed all Pacific stations to observe a common official time, which is twelve hours ahead of Greenwich. I think I advised you of this when Vancouver section opened.

62