F.—B

34

No. 22.—Particulars as to the New South Wales Telegraph Service, 1890. (Laid before the Conference by the Hon. D. O'Connor.) Number of stations at 31st December, 1890, 628 ; line, 11,231 miles 16 chains; wire, 23,698 miles 8 chains ; cost of construction, £743,697 14s-. lOd.; number of messages transmitted, 3,592,519 ; revenue, £178,735 Bs. 7d. Sydney, 27th February, 1891. E. 0. Ceacknell.

No. 23. — Particulars as to the South Australian Telegraph Service, 1890. (Laid before the Conference by the Hon. Sir John Bray.) Number of telegraph stations, 211 ; miles of line, 5,623; miles of wire, 12,178 ; cost of construction (including buildings), £966,440 ; number of messages (including international), 1,007,215 ; revenue, £67,132 10s. Chaeles Todd, Postmaster-General and Superintendent of Telegraphs, South Australia.

No. 24.—Particulars as to the New Zealand Telegraph Service, 1890. (Telegram from C. Lemon, Esq., Superintendent of Telegraphs, to Superintendent of Telegraph, Sydney, 25th March, 1891.) The following statistics of our inland telegraph business to 31st December, 1890, are sent you for insertion in Conference returns : 5,060 miles of lines, and 12,771 miles of wire were open on 31st December; 1,961,161 messages of all codes were forwarded; net cash revenue from inland telegrams, £89,508 7s. 7d.; value of Government telegrams, £26,070 12s. 7d.; total expenditure on service, £94,822 7s. 4d.; total cost of lines in colony, £578,153 15s. lOd. ; number of offices open at end of year, 520. The value of Government telegrams is given in foregoing because portion of general expenditure is due to these.

No. 25. — Particulars as to the Victorian Telegraph Service, 1890. Nunber of stations, 734 ; miles of lines (poles), 3,967 ; miles of wire, 8,241; estimated cost of construction, £345,297 ; number of messages transmitted, 3,114,783 ; revenue, £138,969. J. E. James.

No. 26. — Particulars as to the Tasmanian Telegraph Service, 1890. (Laid before the Conference by the Hon. B. Stafford Bird.) Number of telegraph stations, 137; miles of line, 1,283 ; miles of wire, 1,909; total cost of construction, £53,555 ; number of messages, 329,892 ; revenue, £15,883 11s. Eobbet Heney, Superintendent of Telegraphs, Tasmania.

No. 27. — Eastern Extension Telegraph Company, accepting New Clause 10 in Draft Agreement for Reduction of Bates. The Eastern Extension Australasia and China Telegraph Company (Limited), Sic,-— Sydney, 13th March, 1891. I have the honour to state, for the information of the President and the delegates of the contracting colonies, that the chairman, Sir John Pender, has authorised me to accept the new clause 10 to be inserted in the agreement for reduction of rates. I have, &c, W. Wakebn, Manager in Australasia. A. C. Budge. Esq., Secretary, Postal Conference, Sydney.

No. 28. — Letter re Press Massages respecting Proceedings of Federal Convention over the New Zealand aud Tasmanian Cables. S IX> _ 4th March, 1891. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 2nd, and, in reply, to state, for the information of the Hon. the Postmaster-General, that a reduction in Press rates over the New Zealand cables has already been allowed, and that half-rates over the Tasmanian cables will only be charged for reports of the proceedings of the Federal Convention for publication in the Tasmanian newspapers. I have, &c, S. H. Lambton, Secretary, W. Wabeen, General Post Office, Sydney. Manager in Australasia.

No. 29. — -Latter respecting a Seduction in Press Telegraph Bates between New South Wales and Victoria. Deae Sib, Herald Office, Melbourne, 24th February, 1891. I beg to submit for jour approval the desirability of considering at the forthcoming Postal Conference the reduction of the Press telegraphic rates from New South Wales to Victoria. These, as compared with the New Zealand rates, are very high indeed. The Hon. J. Duffy, M.L.A., Yours, &c, Postmaster-General. S. V. "Winter.