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No. 19. The Right Hon: Sir J. G. Ward to Mr. Stretton. Sir,— London, 13th May, 1911. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, and to thank you for the enclosure from the Secretary to the General Post Office [not printed]. The question of postage on printed matter from England to New Zealand is one for the consideration of the British Government, but reduced rates on magazines, in order to bring them into line with those from New Zealand, have my entire sympathy and support. I will, as I have done in the past, urge this upon the Postal Union as opportunity offers from time to time. • **#*» I return the letter from the Secretary of the General Post Office herewith. I have, &c, S. Stretton, Esq., J. P., Hampton House, Droitwich. J. G. Ward. [P.O. 11/3476.] —_»____»«««_»»__«___

No. 20. The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington, to the Secretary, General Post Office, London. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 6th September, 1911. I have the honour to refer to the letter to you of the 10th November, 1897 [next below], from the Agent-General for New Zealand in London, and to your reply of the 2nd December following, on the subject of the inland postage in the United Kingdom on newspapers published out of the Kingdom. The matter has again been raised by the representative in London of several important New Zealand newspapers. Copies of the papers are posted from the representatives London office to subscribers and others in the United Kingdom, and the postage, varying according to weight, is from Id. to 4d. per copy. This Department's regulations admit of newspapers published out of New Zealand being posted within the Dominion for inland transmission at the rate of £d. per newspaper. I should be glad if you would kindly give the matter reconsideration, with a view to allowing New Zealand newspapers registered at this office to be transmitted within the United Kingdom at the same rate as newspapers printed and published in the Kingdom. I have, &c, D. Robertson, for the Postmaster-General. The Secretary, General Post Office, London. [P.O. 11/3477.] _____™_™___™_

No. 21. The Agent-General for New Zealand to the Secretary, General Post Office, London. Sir,— 13 Victoria Street, London S.W., 10th November, 1897. I have the honour to bring under your notice, for the consideration of the PostmasterGeneral, a matter affecting the circulation in this country of newspapers published in New Zealand. Under present regulations newspapers published in the colony and posted in the United Kingdom are subject to a postage of more than double that charged for newspapers published in this country. As you are probably aware, newspapers published in the United Kingdom posted in New Zealand have extended to them by the New Zealand Post Office the privilege of the halfpenny post, and my Government have therefore instructed me to submit for the consideration of the Postmaster-General that the New Zealand newspapers be placed in this country on the same footing as regards postage as the newspapers published in the United Kingdom. It has also been represented to my Government that electrotypes or stereotypes might with advantage be allowed to be sent to New Zealand by book or pattern post, as the parcel-post is only available once a fortnight, and even then does not go by any of the quick routes. My Government desire me to say that if the Postmaster-General would agree to the proposal the New Zealand Post Office will offer no objection. I have, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office, London. W. P. Reeves

[P.O. 98/427.] No. 22. The Secretary, General Post Office, London, to the Agent-General for New Zealand. Sir, — General Post Office, London E.C., 2nd December, 1897. I have submitted to the Postmaster-General your letter of the 10th ultimo in which you ask that newspapers published in New Zealand may, when posted in the United Kingdom, be allowed the privilege of the halfpenny post. In reply, lam to point out that all such newspapers when not exceeding 2 oz. in weight are already entitled to pass for a postage of |d. With regard to the question of allowing New Zealand newspapers of greater weight when posted in the United Kingdom to circulate at the rate of postage charged in the case of English newspapers, I am to state that a similar suggestion has already been brought before the Postmaster-General, who, after careful consideration, felt that he could not favour the proposal. His Grace is not aware of the circumstances in which the New Zealand Government has thought well to adopt in regard to English newspapers the measure which the Government desires to see adopted here in regard to New Zealand newspapers; but it seems possible that the action of the colonial Government had in view the interests of readers in New Zealand rather than those of publishers in England, and the

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