39

A.--2

New Zealand, No. 97. No. 42. My Lord,— Downing Street, 29th June, 1917. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency's telegram of the 2nd instant, and to request you to inform your Ministers that it has been laid before the King, who has been much touched by the renewed assurance of loyalty to his throne and person, and has commanded that I should convey to you, your Government, and the people of New Zealand an expression of His Majesty's great appreciation of the congratulations conveyed to him on the occasion of his birthday. I have, &c, WALTER H. LONG. Governor-General His Excellency the Right I lon. the Earl of Liverpool, G.C.M.G., M.V.0., &c.

No. 43. New Zealand, Dominions No. 421. My Lord, — Downing Street, 3rd July, 1917. With reference to my despatch, No. 87, of the 9th June, forwarding copies of a draft of a Bill to amend the Imperial Extradition Acts, I have the honour to request Your Excellency to inform your Ministers that attention has been called to the fact that the words " by the Police Magistrate," in clause 3 (2) of the Bill, were inserted in error. It is proposed either to omit them or to replace them by the words " by any Magistrate having jurisdiction in the place where the offence charged is alleged to have been committed." 2. I have to add that it is considered very desirable that the provisions of clauses 3 (2) and 4 should be extended to proceedings under the Fugitive Offenders Act. The object of clause 3 (2) is to legalize action which is in many cases taken in practice in the United Kingdom under the Extradition Acts. Similar action is also taken under the Fugitive Offenders Act, and if the clause was confined to the proposed Bill to amend the Extradition Acts it might be taken to call in question the legality of the present practice in the United Kingdom (and possibly elsewhere) with regard to the same subject under the Fugitive Offenders Act. With regard to clause 4 it is clear that a fugitive offender from an oversea Dominion or colony may be no less anxious than one v from a foreign country to be returned as soon as possible, and the probability of his wishing to apply for a writ of habeas corpus is less, a,s discharge on habeas corpus is much less likely under the Fugitive Offenders Act than under the Extradition Acts. It is contemplated, therefore, to introduce a separate Bill amending the Fugitive Offenders Act by provisions similar to clauses 3 (2) and 4 of the proposed Bill to amend the Extradition Acts, and I should be glad to learn whether your Ministers concur in this course. I have, &c., WALTER H. LONG. Governor-General His Excellency the Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool, G.C.M.G., M.V.0., &c.

New Zealand, No. 101. No. 44. My Lord, — Downing Street, 4th July, 1917. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency's telegram of the 23rd ultimo, and to inform you that a copy of it has been communicated to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, who is very grateful for the congratulations from yourself and the Government and people of New Zealand on the occasion of his birthday. I have, &c, WALTER H. LONG. Governor-General His Excellency the Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool, P.C., G.C.M.G., M.V.0., &c,