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No. 57. The High Commissioner to the Hon. the Prime Minister. (Telegram.) London, 2nd November, 1906. URGENT. In reply to your telegram of to-day's date, do I rightly understand there will be sailing from San Francisco for the mails leaving England to-morrow? Require immediate reply. [S.P. Agr. 06/113.]

No. 58. The Hon. the Prime Minister to the High Commissioner. (Telegram.) Wellington, 3rd November, 190fi. Yes. Despatch third November. Only mail dropped from London twenty-fourth November. [S.F. Agr. 06/114.]

No. 59. The Hon. the Prime Minister to the High Commissioner. Sir, — Prime Minister's Office, Wellington, <Sth November, 1906. I have the honour to inform you thai the mail for London leaving Wellington to-morrow via Brindisi takes the place of the mail via Ran Francisco, which in ordinary course would have been despatched by the " Sonoma " from Auckland same day but for the temporary withdrawal of the steamer at Sydney for urgent repairs. The next mail by the San Francisco route will leave Auckland on the 30th instant by the "Sonoma." When she and the "Ventura" have been repaired, the regularity of the service may be looked for ; at least, the contractors give an assurance to this effect. Tn another letter I have confirmed the telegrams passing between us on the subject of dropping one San Francisco mail from Auckland, and another from London. I have, &c, Jas. MoGowan, for Prime Minister. The Hon. W. P. Reeves, High Commissioner for New Zealand, London. [B.P. Agr. 06/123.]

No. 60. The Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Resident Agenc}' for New Zealand, San Francisco, Sir, 216 California Street, 14th November, 1906. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your cable of the 2nd November reading as follows [No. 52], from which T presume the vessels mentioned will be thoroughly overhauled in Sydney in an attempt to make them more quickly carry out the contract schedule. Nothing is said about the " Sierra," but I presume she will also have to stay over a trip for repairs. The mail in the meantime, I suppose, will go via Vancouver. T sincerely trust that the repairs made in Sydney will be found to make a material improvement in the time of the steamers, but must confess that 1 am not over sanguine that any great improvement will be secured unless new engines and boilers are installed. With respect to the renewal of the contract, I am informed (unofficially) that the Government has agreed to renew the contract for three years, provided new or better boats are put on the run. In the absence of any cable from you I am not in a position to deny or confirm this rumour. . I have, &c, H. Stephbnson Smith, Resident Agent. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. [S.F. Agr. 06/152.]

No. 61. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. Sin, General Post Office, Wellington, 17th November, 1906. In reference to your letter of the Bth instant [not printed], concerning the conveyance of the San Francisco mail from Vancouver to Auckland by the "Moana," I have the honour to inform you that letters were written to the Post Offices at Melbourne, Washington, Ottawa, and London, but, so far, no satisfactory settlement has been arrived at. II is pointed out by the Post Offices of Canada and the United Kingdom [Nos. 26 and 37] that the Postal Union Convention provides, in paragraph 3 of Article XXXI, for a readjustment of transit charges when an important modification affecting a period of at least six months takes place in the flow of correspondence : but there is no provision for deduction from the regular payments on account of the diversion of a single mail.

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