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No. 76. The Secretary. Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Acting-Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Sir, — Dunedin, 30th September, 1914. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 26th instant supplying particulars of the claims made by the Commonwealth Post, Office for expenditure incurred in landing mails at Sydney between November and January last. From these particulars it would appear that the expenditure was incurred at a time when business generally was dislocated owing to the maritime and waterside workers' strike, and, in fact, it was only with the assistance of our officers and engineers and staffs that we were able to maintain communication between the Dominion and Commonwealth. The conditions existing were quite out of the ordinary, and the company was under heavy expense in maintaining any service at all. We feel sure that the disabilities under which we laboured can hardly be known to the Department making the claim, and we think if your Department will be good enough to put these before the Commonwealth Post Office they will be realized and the claim will not be pressed. I have, &c, The Acting-Secretary, (general Post Office, Wellington. C. Hughes, Secretary. [Communicated to the Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, 7th October.]

No. 77. The Deputy Postmaster-General, Melbourne, to the Acting-Secretary, General Post Office. Wellington. Postmaster-General's Department, General Post Office, Sir,— Melbourne, Bth October, 1914. 1 beg to inform you that on the Ist instant 233 bags of mail-matter (ex the s.s. " Marama") reached Melbourne by express from Sydney. No advice, however, to the effect that mails were on board the " Marama '' was received at this office until after the arrival of the vessel at Sydney, consequently a staff of sorters was not sent to Sydney to sort the mails en route to Mcl- • bourne. As a result the mails were not delivered as expeditiously as they might have been, and I shall therefore be glad if you will kindly state whether advice could be furnished to this office, by cable, when vessels having mails for Victoria on board depart from New Zealand. I have, &c, Chas. E. Bright, Deputy Postmaster-General. The Acting-Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. [P. & T. 37/152.]

No. 78. The Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir, — Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, 22nd October, 1914. With reference to your communication of the 7th instant, relative to a claim by this Administration to be reimbursed to the extent of £7 7s. sd. for work done in connection with the landing of New Zealand mails, I have the honour to inform you that, as the obligation of landing the mails was on the contractors, it does not appear that this Administration should be called upon to bear the cost of the services rendered by officers of this Department in that connection. 2. The Union Steam Ship Company being under- contract to the New Zealand Government, it is thought that the expenditure which was incurred can reasonably be claimed from your Administration, leaving it to you to settle with the company. 3. I shall be glad, therefore, if you will be so good as to credit this Administration with the amount involved—viz., ,£7 7s. od.—in the Money-order Account. I have, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Justinian Oxenham, Secretary. [Informed Melbourne, fith November, amount would be credited.l [P. & T. 36/11.]

No. 79. The Assis.tant Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Secretary, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, sth November, 1914. In reference to your letter of the 30th September last respecting the claim by the Commonwealth Post Office for £7 7s. 5d,, the expenditure incurred in landing mails at Sydney on behalf of your company during the period 18th November, 1913, to the 27th January last, I