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F.-6a

No. 93. The Acting-Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne. Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, 7th June, 1906. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your cablegram of the 21st and letter of the 22nd ultimo, informing me that the London office had agreed to the adjustment of payment for mails conveyed from the United Kingdom per Orient vessels, as from the Ist April, 1905, and from Australia per P. and 0. vessels as from Ist February, 1905, on the basis of weight of mail-matter so conveyed during the first twenty-eight days of June, 1906, and asking that action be taken similar to that pursued in connection with May, 1896, statistics. In reply, I have to inform you that arrangements have been made to take the statistics during the present month. Owing, however, to the temporary stoppage of the San Francisco service, and to the fact that no mail will be despatched by that route in June, the statistics, if taken to form the basis of payments for correspondence conveyed by the Federal service will be unfavourable to New Zealand. It is proposed, therefore, that a similar return be taken here for the month of July, when the correspondence will have reverted to the usual channels. After the statistics have been taken a schedule showing "the particulars will be prepared and forwarded to your office of all mails despatched from New Zealand for conveyance by the P. and O. and Orient lines during the period in question. I have, <fee, Thomas Rose, Acting-Secretary. The Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne.

No. 94. The Acting-Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne. Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, 17th August, 1906. Referring to your letter of the 22nd May, and to my reply of the 7th June, in connection with the adjustment of payment for mails conveyed from the United Kingdom per Orient vessels, as from the Ist April, 1905, and from Australia per P. and 0. vessels, as from the Ist February, 1905, on the basis of weight of mail-matter so conveyed during the first twenty-eight days of June, 1906, I have now the honour to forward herewith returns [not printed] showing the results of the statistics recently taken of correspondence despatched from New Zealand for onward transmission by the steamers of the P. and O. and Orient lines during the periods (1) from the Ist to the 28th June, 1906, and (2) from the Ist to the 28th July, 1906. As pointed out in my letter of the 7th June, owing to the temporary stoppage of the San Francisco mail-service, and to the fact that no mail was despatched by that route in June, the statistics of that month, if taken to form the basis of payments for correspondence conveyed by the Federal service, will be unfavourable to New Zealand. You will, no doubt, therefore make use of the particulars herewith for the first twenty-eight days of July, during which period the correspondence had reverted to the usual channels. I have, &c, Thomas Rose, For Secretary. The Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne.

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