F.—B.

No. 29.2. The Sbckbtary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Superintendent, Pacific Cable Station, Doubtless Bay. (Telegram.) Wellington, 20th January, 1903. Head Office Union Company complain that date and time omitted from Suva and Vancouver as well as London messages. I presume Vancouver and Fiji time of presentation should be inserted.

No. 293. The Superintendent, Pacific Cable Station, Doubtless Bay, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Doubtless Bay, 21st January, 1903. Other stations decline to insert code time without explicit orders from London.

No. 294. The Hon. the Postmaster-General to the Agent-General. (Telegram.) Wellington, 26th January, 1903. Code time : Board's decision announced London Press cables twenty-first. Nothing from Keynolds.

No. 295. The Agent-General to the Hon. the Postmaster-General. (Telegram.) London, 29th January, 1903. Code time finally settled only this morning. Eeynolds telegraphed accordingly. I do not understand how it is that Press correspondent anticipated.

No. 296. The General Manager, Pacific Cable Board, London, to the Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. (Telegram.) London, 29th January, 1903. Glad to inform you that by co-operation Atlantic companies original date, hour, and minute to nearest fiye minutes will be in future inserted in free preamble of messages from Europe to Australia and New Zealand ; messages from Canada or United States will bear Vancouver date, time. Eeceivers of messages from Australia and New Zealand in Europe will get original date and nearest hour of filing. Impossible to give minutes this side, except at prohibitive cost.

No. 297. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Manager, Reuters Telegram Company, Wellington. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 30th January, 1903. Referring to previous correspondence on the subject of the omission of the date and time of presentation in telegrams received by the Pacific cable route, I have the honour now to inform you that, commencing forthwith, the original date, hour, and minute to the nearest five minutes will be inserted free in the preamble of messages from Europe transmitted by the Pacific cable, and messages from Canada and the United States will bear the date and time of transmission at Vancouver. The addressees of messages from New Zealand via the Pacific cable will receive the original date and nearest hour of presentation. I have, &c, W. Gray, Secretary. The Manager, Reuters Telegram Company (Limited), Wellington. [Letter of the same text and date also sent to the Managing Director, Union Steam Ship Company (Limited), Wellington.]

No. 298. The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington, to the General Manager, Pacific Cable Board, London. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 11th February, 1903. I have the honour to forward herewith copy of cablegrams exchanged in connection with the insertion of the time and date in cablegrams via Pacific. The advice that your Board had been able to bring the matter to such a conclusion was received here with the greatest satisfaction. I think there can be no doubt that the payment to the Atlantic cable companies for the service will be amply recouped by the additional traffic which will be drawn to the Pacific route on this account. 1 have, &c, J. G. Ward, Postmaster-General. The General Manager, Pacific Cable Board, London.

[For Enclosures 1-4 in No. 298, see Nos. 284, 286, 287, 295; No. 5 not printed.]

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