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No. 17. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company (at Wellington), to the Hon. the Postmaster General, Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Sib,— Wellington, Ist October, 1908. I regret that in writing you yesterday withgregard to distances of different routes to San Francisco a slip was made and the to San Francisco via Pago and Honolulu was shown as greater by some three hundred miles than it actually is. The following are the correct distances :— Miles. Auckland to Pago Pago .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,596 Pago Pago to Honolulu .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,250 Honolulu to San Francisco .. .. .. .. .. .. 2,100 5,946 Wellington to Rarotonga .. .. .. .. .. .. 1,800 Rarotonga to Papeete .. .. .. .. .. .. 630 Papeete to San Francisco .. .." .. .. .. .. 3,600 6,030 With the Wellington-Auckland distance, 427 miles, added, it would still be greater than Wellington to San Francisco via Rarotonga and Papeete. ********** I have, &c, C. Holdsworth, The Right Hon. Sir J. G. Ward, Wellington. General Manager. [P.O. 08/3861.]

No. 18. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Dunedin, 3rd October, 1908. Spreckels cables will not charge for mails Papeete-San Francisco. This is not in answer to our communication which inquired if he would undertake no charge would be made on us or New Zealand Government. Am repeating question. [P.O. 08/3861.]

No. 19. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. (Telegram.) Wellington, 3rd October, 1908. Procedure would be that we would have to pay France Postal Union rates Papeete-San Francisco, money eventually reaching Spreckels. If your cable not yet gone, would suggest you ask Spreckels whether he would undertake to refund all money paid to him by French Government on behalf of transit our mails Papeete San Francisco. | P.O. 08/381 i1.1

No. 20. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Dunedin, sth October, 1908. Spreckels advise that America Tahiti Governments will not charge for carriage mails Tahiti-San Francisco on closed mails. We do not quite understand meaning of word " closed," but think it either refers to letters in bags as distinguished from loose letters or else that transhipment of mails at Tahiti will be left to us and Spreckels. [P.O. 08/3861.]

No. 21. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. (Telegram.) • Wellington, 6th October, 1908. Wellington-Tahiti service : I am directed to inform you Government is prepared to offer six thousand pounds (£6,000) for twelve (12) months. [P.O. 08/3861.]