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defendant company. It was not considered advisable to allow any one to mislead the public into the belief that the articles were being delivered by the, Post Office, which obviously had. no control over the methods adopted for safeguarding elistribution. BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION. The Department rcndesred assistance during the year to the Dominion Advisory Council set up in connection with the! British Empire Exhibition. The. assistance included the advertising of the Exhibition by means of special " heads " in post-marking machines at the four principal centres, and by posters exhibited at principal post-offices. In addition, goods were shipped, and various articles made or obtained, by the Department feir the Dominion Aelvisory Ceiuncil. OVERSEAS MAILS. Correspondence for Great Britain, Ireland, and the Continent of Europe continues to be forwardesd by contract steamers via Vancouver anel via San Francisco, except when a vessel sailing via Cape Horn eir via Panama offers a quicker despatch than the next contract steamer, or when corresponelence is specially aelelressed for despatch by a particular vessel eir route. Mails from Great Britain and [relahd are still received via Vancouver, San Francisco, Panama, and Suez. The; aveirage time taken during 1923 by mails from New Zealanel to London via Vancouver and via San Francisco was thirty-three days ; from London to Now Zealanel via Vancouver tho average time was thirty-six days, and via San Francisco thirty-five days. The R.M.S. " Niagara " and R.M.S. " Makura " continue to be employed in the Vancouver service, anel the R.M.S. " Tahiti " and R.M.S. " Maunganui "in the San Francisco service. A satisfactory service has been maintained over both routes during the year. A now time-table was brought into operation by tho Union Stoam Ship Company, commencing with the sailing of the R.M.S. "Tahiti " from Wellington on tho 4th March, 1924. This time-table provides for voyages from New Zealand to Vancouver and to San Francisco and vice versa of a duration of eighteen days, as against the times provided in the contract of nineteen elays on the Vancouver route and twonty-ono days on the San Francisco route. An unusually fast passage was made by the R.M.S. " Tahiti " on the voyage commenced at Wellington on the 28th August, 1923, the time taken between Wellington and San Francisco being sixteen days fifteen hours, or four days ten hours under the contract time. On the 17th May, 1923, the R.M.S. "Makura" arrived at Auckland from Vancouver, and, owing to an outbreak on board of alastrin, was ordered into quarantine at Motuihi Island. The mails were detained on board for spraying before being handed over to postal officers for fumigation and distribution. A portion of the letter-mail for Wellington and tho South Island was forwarded by the Main Trunk express on the 18th May, and the remainder of the mail on Sunday, the 20th May. The Vancouver and San Francisco mail contracts, which expired at the end of March, have been further extended until the end of June, 1924. Alternative tenders are being invited for the carriage of mails between New Zealand and the Pacific coast of America, anel between New Zealand and Great Britain via Panama. The conditions eif contract provide that the time taken between Auokland anel Vancouver and vice versa shall not exceed seventeen days, a reduction of two elays on the present contract time ; anel between Wellington and San Franciscei and vice versa the time shall not exceed seventeen days, a reduction of four elays on the present contract time. On the route from New Zealand to Great Britain via Panama the duration of the voyage is not to exceed thirty days. If contracts are let for services via Vancouver and via San Francisco and close connections are made with fast trains across Canada or the United States of America and also with fast liners crossing the Atlantic, mails should arrive in London in from twenty-eight to thirty days after their despatch from New Zealand. INTE RCOLONIAL M AIL-SERVICES. The mail-seirvice between New Zealand and Australia anil vice versa was well maintained during the! year. INLAND MAIL-SERVICES. A daily mail-service by motor-car is being maintained between Gisborne and Napier, thus providing a service more in keeping with the importance of tho elistrict. On the 24th April, 1923, the', mail-ceiach running between Ruatorea and To Araroa met with a mishap in the Waiapu River. A portion of the mails, not including registered articles, was lost. A remittance of £54 12s. 2d. was not recovered. A bag from Te Arareia to Ruatorea was found, but (iv<! private bags we!ri! not found. As the Main Trunk express train from Wellington was proceeding to Auckland on the 9th Juno, 1923, the! railway post-office van became derailed shortly after the! journey commenced. Fortunately, however, neither the- officers nor tho mails suffered injury. On tho morning of the! 6th July tho south-bound Main Trunk mail-train from Auckland ran into a landslide near Ongartte, with the result that seventeen passengers were killeel and twenty-eight injured. Notwithstanding the derailment of the postal car, which was next to the; engine, tho Postal officials escaped unhurt. The whole of tho mails were recovered intact. On tho 26th February, 1924, a motor-car owned by Messrs. Newman Bros., and convoying ten bags of mail anel fourteen passengers from Westport to Nelson, was destroyed by fire at Spooncr's Range-. Flames from a bush-fire suddenly enveloped the car, which had to be abandonee!. Although the driver made every effort to save the mails, several bags and their contents were totally destroyed. Amemgst the articles lost were twenty-four registered letters and one insured parcel.