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No. 6. (New Zealand—No. 64.) My Lord,— Downing Street, 12th July, 1906. 1 have the honour to transmit to you, for the consideration of your Ministers, the papers noted in the subjoined schedule. I have, &c, ELGIN. The Officer Administering the Government of New Zealand.

Enclosures. Marine Department, Whitehall Gardens, Sir,— - London, S.W., 6th July, 1900. I am directed by the Board of Trade to transmit to you, to be laid before the Earl of Elgin, the enclosed copy of a letter received from Lloyd's on the subject of the recent fires in wool cargoes shipped in New Zealand, and to request that you will be >.o good as to move His Lordship to cause the same to be brought to the notice of the New Zealand Government. I have, <fee, The Under-Secretary of State, Colonial Office. Walter J. Howell.

Sir,— Lloyd's, 29th June, 1906. I have the honour, by direction of the Committee of Lloyd's, to beg that you will be so good as to point out to the Board of Trade that a considerable number of fires have recentlyoccurred on vessels with wool cargoes from ports in New Zealand. The vessels that have sailed from Wellington in their exact order are as follows: " Pitcairn Island," "Sardhana," "Perthshire" (s.), "Waimate" (s.), "Gothic" (s.), "Star of New Zealand" (s.), " liimutaka " (s.), "Delphic" (s.). Of these vessels the " Pitcairn Island" was totally lost by fire, and the "Perthshire" (s.), "Waimate" (s.), "Gothic" (s.), ami the " liimutaka " (s.) have all had serious fires, and all occasioned apparently by spontaneous combustion of the wool. The " Sardhana," " Star of New Zealand " (s.), and the " Delphic " (s.) have not yet arrived. It has been thought that this may be due to some new preparation which has been adopted for dressing the wool before shipment, and the Committee of Lloyd's would be grateful if you would be so good as to move the Board of Trade to allow some representation to be made to the Colonial Office, in order that some measures may be taken for the inspection of the wool when it is being dressed and pressed before shipment, with a view to the prevention of tires, which may cause noi only considerable damage to the cargo and to the vessel, but may also tend to loss of life. I am, fco., The Secretary, Board of Trade, S.W. H. M. Hozier, Secretary.

No. 7. (New Zealand—General.) My Lord, — Downing Street, 12th September, 1906. With reference to your telegram of the 21st February last, I have the honour to inform you, as your Ministers probably have already learned through the representative of New Zealand at the recent Postal Union Congress at Rome, that the Congress agreed by twenty-two votes to twenty that a separate vote in the affairs of the Postal Union should henceforth be assigned to the South African colonies. This action by Congress released the vote allotted by Article 27 of the Convention of Washington to the British colonies outside Australasia, which had recently been assigned to the South African colonies, and that vote has now been assigned in the final protocol of the Rome Convention to New Zealand and its dependencies. I have requested the Postmaster-General to convey to the British delegates to the Congress an expression of my thanks for their efforts in securing this additional vote for the Empire. I have, &c., ELGIN. Governor the Right Hon. Lord Plunket, K.C.M.G., X.C.V.0., &c.

Date. jFrom To Subject. 5th July, 1906 .. Board of Trade Colonial Office Fires in wool cargoes.