F.—6.

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No. 57. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 26th August,|l9o7. I have the honour inform you that Mr. J. McK. Henry, General Manager of the T. and G. Mutual Life Assurance Society (Limited), Melbourne, has written to this office suggesting that an improvement could be made in the mail-service between Melbourne and Bluff. Mr. Henry states that it sometimes happens that Wednesday's mail from Melbourne is leaving Hobart for Bluff when the overland train from Launceston is in sight of the harbour with Thursday's Melbourne mails. I should be obliged if you would inform me whether any improvement in the direction indicated by Mr. Henry is practicable. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin. [Suez Conn. 07/196.J

No. 58. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir, — Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin, 30th August, 1907. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 26th instant, covering the statement made by Mr. J. McK. Henry that it sometimes happens that Wednesday's mail from Melbourne is leaving Hobart for Bluff when the overland train from Launceston is in sight of the harbour with Thursday's Melbourne mails. In order to maintain the Friday sailing from Wellington to Sydney, it is important that our steamers should leave Hobart as early as possible on Fridays to insure clearing the Bluff on Mondays, and the General Manager for Tasmania has special instructions from us to give effect to this, if necessary shutting out cargo which has been booked but cannot be worked in time to permit of the departure of the steamer at an hour which would enable her to rely on catching the tide at the Bluff. On looking up the record of departures from Hobart to the Bluff for a period of three months, the times read as follows :— "Warrimoo" .. May 24, 11a.m. " Maheno" .. July 12, 4 p.m. " Moeraki" .. „ 31, Lp.m. " Monowai" .. „ 26, 11 a.m. "Maheno" .. June .7, noon. "Warrimoo" .. August 2, 11 a.m. "Monowai" .. „ 21,11 a.m. "Moeraki" .. 9, Ip.m. " Warrimoo" „ 28, 5 p.m. " Tarawera" .. „ 16, 3 p.m. " Moeraki " .. July 5, 1 p.m. We would point out that the mail-train from Launceston leaves at 3 p.m. daily, and is time-tabled to arrive in Hobart at 8.33 p.m., and as the above fist shows that the latest departure for the period referred to was made at 5 p.m. (which was exceptional), we are somewhat at a loss to understand Mr! Henry's statement, and presume he is not fully seised of the correct facts of the case. I have, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington D. A. Aiken, for General Manager. [Suez Conn. 07/204.]

No. 59. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. General Post Office, Wellington, 2nd September, 1907. Sir, — Wellington-Sydney Mail-service. The Auckland Chamber of Commerce has represented that it would be a considerable convenience if the steamer left Wellington after the arrival of Friday's mail-train from the north, thus giving all places between Auckland and Wellington an additional day in which to post their correspondence. It would not, of course, be safe to adopt the suggestion in the case of some of the steamers; but I should be glad to know whether it would be practicable to arrange an 8 p.m. sailing on the dates on which vessels of the " Maheno " and " Moeraki " class are scheduled to carry the mails. At the same time, perhaps you could conveniently give me an indication of the class of steamers likely to be employed on the Wellington-Sydney route during the summer months. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin. [Suez Conn. 07/202.]