F.—3

11

I would beg to add that on the opening of this Company's cable between Rangoon and Penang, which is expected during the current month, the Indian Government have notified their intention of raising their present tariff from 4|d. to 7_i. per word. Owing to the interruption of the cable between Penang and Madras for about seven months of the past year, it is not possible to obtain correct statistics, and I am therefore unable to reply as correctly as I should wish to the question contained in your last paragraph, but, from a comparison of the tariff during the first three months of 1876, before the cable gave way, with the corresponding months of the preceding year, it would appear that in 1875 messages averaged about 30^ words in length, and in 1876 24j words. I trust you will accept this as a reply to yours of the Ist March, in which you give cover to the joint letter to which this replies. I have sent a separate reply to each of the Agents-General. I have, &c, Sir Julius Vogel, K.C.M.G. J. G. Glovee, Managing Director.

Enclosure 3 in No. 17. Sir J. Vogel to Colonel Glover. 7, Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W., Sir,— 2£th March, 1877. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 9th instant, furnishing information, in continuation of that formerly rendered to the South Australian Government, on the subject of telegraph rates, and I have to thank you for the same. I have, &c, Colonel Glover, 66, Old Bond Street, E.C. Julius Vogel, Agent-General.

IL—THE CONFERENCE. j No. 1. Conference in Sydney : Coreespondence, etc., eesulting thebefeom. Report of the Proceedings of the Conference on Duplication of the Cable between Australasia and Europe, held in Sidney, in January, 1877. The Conference on the subject of duplication of the telegraph cable between Australasia and Europe assembled in Sydney, and held their first meeting on the 25th January, 1877. The whole of the Australasian Colonies were represented, as follows, viz., — New South Wales : The Hon. John Robertson, Colonial Secretary. The Hon. Alexander Stuart, Colonial Treasurer. The Hon. J. F. Burns, Postmaster-General. New Zealand .- The Hon. G. McLean, Postmaster-General and Commissioner of Telegraphs, and Commissioner of Customs. Queensland: The Hon. Samuel Walker Griffith, Q.C., Attorney-General and Secretary for Public Instruction. The Hon. Charles Stuart Mem, Postmaster-General. South Australia: The Hon. Sir Henry Ayers, K.C.M.G., Chief Secretary. The Hon. Ebenezer Ward, Minister of Agriculture and Education. Tasmania : The Hon. James Whyte, Member of the Executive Council. Victoria: The Hon. R. S. Anderson, Commissioner of Customs. The Hon. R. Ramsay, Minister of Public Instruction and Post-master-General. Western Australia: The Hon. Malcolm Feaser, Surveyor-General, and Member of the Executive Council. At the first meeting of the Conference, the Hon. John Robertson was unanimously elected Chairman, and Mr. Alex. C. Budge, Clerk of the Executive Council, was appointed Secretary. The Conference unanimously agreed to the following resolution : — " That the representatives of each colony shall undertake to recommend to the Governments and Parliaments of the colonies which they represent the adoption of measures to carry out the resolutions of the Conference to which they may have given their assent."

The Conference,

Negotiations,

Name of Administration. Present Rate of 9s. 3d. per Word. Former Bate of £8 6s. 6d. per 2( Words divided int< proportionate Word Bate. Eastern or Indo-European Company [ndian Government ... lava Government Extension Company ... B. 3 0 0 5 d. Of 4f 2| 7 s. d. 2 3f 0 4i 0 2i 5 5 Total 9 8 s 1