MELBOURNE POSTAL CONFERENCE.

19

E.—No. 2.

4. It appears to mo that it rests with your Government to fix definitely tile time of meeting, which cannot now be earlier than the end of February. I have, &c, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, New Zealand. Hexry Paekes.

No. 13. Copy of a Letter from the Hon. E. W. Staffobd to the Hon. J. McCtjlloch. New Zealand, Colonial Secretary's Office, Sie,— Wellington, 11th February, 1867. Referring to the correspondence which has taken place upon the subject of the Conference which is appointed to be holden in Melbourne for the discussion and determination of all matters connected with postal communication between the Australian Colonies and Great Britain, I have now the honor to inform you that the Hon. John Hall, Member of the Executive Council and PostmasterGeneral of New Zealand, and Mr. Crosbie Ward, Member of the House of Representatives, and formerly Postmaster-General of the Colony, have been appointed to act as delegates to represent the Colony of New Zealand at the Conference, and hold a commission under the hand of His Excellency Sir George Grey, K.C.8., and the Seal of the Colony, empowering them, or either of them, to act on behalf of this Government. Mr. Hall and Mr. Crosbie Ward will proceed to Melbourne by the mail steamer leaving Dunedin on the ISth, and arriving at Melbourne on the 25th instant. I have, &c, The Hon. Chief Secretary, Victoria. E. W. Staffobd. [Similar letter to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, New South Wales.]

No. 14. Copy of a Letter from Mr. Moobe to the Hon. E. W. Staffobd. Ste, — Victoria, Chief Secretary's Office, Melbourne, Ist February, 1867. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 81st ultimo (December) intimating the willingness of your Government to send Representatives to a Postal Conference whenever the time and place of meeting shall have been fixed. I have now to inform you, that, with the concurronceof the Delegates from New South Wales and South Australia, at present in Melbourne, it has been decided to hold the Conference in Melbourne on the 4th March next. I have, &c, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, J. Moobe, New Zealand. . (for Chief Secretary.)

No. 15. Copy of Report made by Representatives of New Zealand at the- Postal Conference to the Colonial Secretary of New Zealand. Sie, — Melbourne, 2Gtli March, 1867. "We have the honor to report to you the result of the proceedings of the Conference of Delegates from the Governments of the several Australasian Colonies, on the subject of Ocean Postal Communication, at which Conference we were authorized to represent the Government of New Zealand. The Conference met in Melbourne on the 4th instant, and was attended by Delegates from all the Australasian Colonies (excepting Western Australia,) who undertook that their Governments would be bound by such resolutions of the Conference as they themselves might .individually assent to. The Conference considered: —firstly, " The permanent arrangement which it may be desirable, with the concurrence of the Imperial Government, to adopt for maintaining and improving the Postal Communication between the United Kingdom and the Colonies in question;" and, secondly, "The contribution to the cost of the existing Sydney and Panama Service, which, pending the coming into operation of the permanent arrangement above referred to, should be made by the Colonies who are not parties to this contract." Upon the first branch of the subject, the Representatives from each Colony began by submitting to the Conference their several views of the most satisfactory scheme for a postal service. After a protracted discussion of the various proposals so made, the following arrangement was at length unanimously adopted; namely —That three lines of Postal Communication between Australasia and Great Britain should be established—l, by Melbourne, South Australia, and Galle or Mauritius; 2, by New Zealand and Panama; 3, by Brisbane, Torres Straits, and Singapore. The Australian terminus of all three lines would be at Sydney. It was agreed to provide in addition all the branch are services which required to complete the communication with the principal Colonial Ports. The total cost of the whole of these services was estimated, on reliable data, not to exceed £400,000 a year. For reasons explained in the resolutions of the Conference, it was assumed that the Imperial Government will agree to bear one-half the cost of the new services, as is the case with the one now in operation. The remainder, as the Colonial moiety, was apportioned as follows:— To Victoria ... ... ... ... ... One-fourth. „ New South "Wales ... .:. ... ... One-fourth. „ New Zealand ... ... ... ... ... One-fourth. „ Queensland ... ... ... ... ... One-seventh. „ South Australia ... ... ... ... One-twelfth. „ Tasmania ... ... ... ... . v One-fiftieth.