Dec. 12.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1711

day of December, 1884, and with the despatch of
the “Kaikoura” from a New Zealand port on the
twentieth day of December, 1884.

14. Any of the vessels employed under this con-
    tract may on the route from Plymouth to a New
    Zealand port, or on the route from a New Zealand
    port to Plymouth, call at any intermediate port or
    ports for coaling or other purposes.

15. For the conveyance of mails under this con-
    tract the Postmaster-General will pay to the com-
    pany at the following rates: Letters, 12s. per lb.;
    packets, 1s. per lb.; newspapers, 6d. per lb. And
    all moneys payable hereunder shall be paid quar-
    terly, at Christchurch, in the said colony, or at such
    other place as may from time to time be agreed
    upon; the first quarter’s payment to commence
    on the first day of April, 1885, subject to the
    provisions of this contract: Provided that the pay-
    ments hereby agreed to be made shall be open to
    be reconsidered in the event of the Postmaster-
    General of Great Britain, or his department, re-
    taining for that department more than the equiva-
    lent of the British inland rate of postage on the
    outward correspondence, or deciding to allow the
    colony a larger share of the outward postages; or
    in case of the Colony of New Zealand proposing to
    reduce its rates of postage; but such reconsidera-
    tion shall only take effect after the Postmaster-
    General has given six calendar months’ previous
    notice in writing to the company of his intention so
    to do. And it is hereby agreed that all mail matter
    posted in New Zealand between the date of de-
    spatch of the San Francisco mail, or of any mail by
    any substitute service as aforesaid, and the departure
    of the vessels under this contract, shall, unless
    specially addressed to be forwarded by another
    route, be sent by such contract vessels. This shall
    also apply to correspondence posted in the United
    Kingdom and Ireland, so far as the Postmaster-
    General of New Zealand may be able to influence
    the Imperial Post Office authorities: Provided that
    nothing in this clause shall be deemed to give the
    company any claim against the Postmaster-General
    in the event of the postal authorities in Great
    Britain sending any such mail matter by a different
    route.

16. The mails shall be safely conveyed from Ply-
    mouth to a New Zealand port in 1,080 hours, and
    from a New Zealand port to Plymouth in 1,008
    hours, such respective periods to be calculated from
    the times appointed for the departure of the mail
    respectively from Plymouth or the final port of
    departure in New Zealand: Provided that if,
    during the continuance of this contract, the com-
    pany shall avail itself of any route across or through
    the Isthmus of Darien, at or near Panama, for the
    purpose of conveying the mails as aforesaid, then
    the respective times for such conveyance herein-
    before mentioned shall be subject to revision, and
    such shorter times substituted therefor as the Post-
    master-General and the company may agree, and
    in default of such agreement the Postmaster-
    General may absolutely fix such shorter times.

17. If, during the continuance of this contract,
    the mails shall be conveyed within the periods
    hereinbefore specified, then there shall be paid to
    the company, for each hour less than the number
    of hours within which the mails are so required to
    be conveyed, the sum of five pounds (£5) over and
    above any moneys payable hereunder; and if the
    time occupied in so conveying the mails is in ex-
    cess of the said number of hours, then the moneys
    hereby made payable shall be reduced by four
    pounds (£4) for every hour so in excess: Provided
    that the Postmaster-General shall have power to

remit all or any part of such reduction if he shall
be satisfied that the delay in conveying the mail
was attributable to causes over which the company
had no control.

18. If, from any cause whatever, at any time or
    times during the continuance of this contract, one
    of the said steam-vessels shall not be at Plymouth
    and at a New Zealand port respectively ready to
    put to sea in due time to perform the services
    hereby contracted to be performed, the company
    shall pay, as and by way of liquidated damages, to
    the Postmaster-General, for the use of the Govern-
    ment of the colony, in respect of every mail that
    shall be delayed by reason of such default, a sum
    of two hundred pounds (£200), and the further sum
    of fifty pounds (£50) for every successive twenty-
    four hours which shall elapse between the time at
    which the mail shall be appointed to leave the port
    and the time at which the vessel conveying the
    same shall actually leave the port; whether the
    vessel shall be one of those hereinbefore specially
    named, or any other vessel which the Postmaster-
    General may employ, or sanction being employed,
    for the purpose: Provided that the Postmaster-
    General shall have the same power of remission or
    reduction of any such sum hereby made payable as
    under like circumstances those mentioned in the
    last preceding clause hereof: Provided also that
    the maximum penalty for any one month shall not
    exceed one thousand pounds (£1,000).

19. So long as the efficient performance of the
    services hereby contracted for are not interfered
    with, the company may carry mails for any other
    country or colony at rates not less than those
    payable by the Postmaster-General hereunder, or
    such other rates as may from time to time be
    approved by the Postmaster-General; but the com-
    pany shall have no claim against the Postmaster-
    General or the Government of New Zealand to any
    postage, nor to any money on account thereof, for
    mails carried in any vessel employed under this
    contract, or on account of any services rendered,
    except as herein specially agreed to be paid.

20. The company shall, when required, provide
    suitable first-class accommodation for a Mail Officer
    or Agent on board each of the steam-vessels employed
    under this contract, and such Officer or Agent shall
    be entitled to such accommodation, and shall be
    victualled by the company, as a chief-cabin pas-
    senger, without charge either for passage or vic-
    tualling, and whilst the vessel stays at any port
    except the Port of Plymouth or a New Zealand port.

21. Every such Mail Officer or Agent shall be
    recognized by the company and its officers as the
    Agent of the Postmaster-General, and as having
    full authority in all cases to require a due and strict
    performance of this contract: Provided that no
    such Officer or Agent shall have power to interfere
    with any master or officer of any of the vessels
    employed under this contract in the performance
    of his duty, and every such Officer and Agent shall
    be subject to all general orders issued by the master
    for the good order, health, and comfort of the pas-
    sengers and crew, and the safety of the vessels.

22. During the continuance of this contract, and
    so long as the same shall be faithfully carried out,
    all steam-vessels employed therein shall be exempt
    from the payment of light dues at New Zealand
    ports, and also from the payment of harbour dues,
    as defined by “The Harbours Act, 1878,” at the
    first port of arrival in the colony.

23. This contract or any part thereof shall not be
    assigned, underlet, or disposed of by the company
    without the consent in writing of the Postmaster-
    General first obtained for that purpose.