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No. 12. The Insurance Company, Limited, Adelaide, 1894. Sib, I beg to inform you, for your security, that your Policy No. , expires at three p.m. on the and unless the premium be paid on or before that date you cannot recover any loss that may be sustained. Amount £ : : Premium £ : : 63P* , If any Stove, Steam Engine, Furnace or other implement for producing heat (common Fireplaces excepted), has been erected on your premises; or if the nature of the risk has been in any other respect changed ; or if other buildings have been erected within 70 feet; it is necessary for your security that the circumstances be made known to the office. Office Hours : —9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. No. 21.— Christmas and New Year Cards. Correspondence having taken place between the Berne Bureau and other Administrations of the Postal Union with respect to the practice of permitting complimentary remarks on Christmas, Birthday, .New Year, and Easter Cards, we agree with the United Kingdom, and recommend that the practice which now obtains in the Colonies of allowing such remarks to be placed on the Cards be continued, as regards the United Kingdom and such other Foreign Administrations which may agree to exchange on such terms. No. 23.— Precious Stones and Jewellery passing at Sample Rates. We recommend that the words " Precious Stones " be inserted at page 4 of the Australasian Postal Convention, at Packet Regulation No. 1. This will provide for Precious Stones and valuable Jewellery being charged at letter rate of postage, and registered. No. 24.— Queensland surcharging New Zealand Matter. It is desirable that absolutely uniform rates of postage should exist between the Colonies, but as a \d. rate has been in operation in New Zealand for several years, we advise that the other Colonies should agree to accept such matter as fully prepaid. No. 25.— Austro-German proposal for Uniform Hate of Postage on Parcels up to 11 lbs. The matter has been further considered by this Committee, and although the Austro-German proposal of a uniform rate of postage on parcels .up to 11 lbs., irrespective of weight, has been accepted as a temporary measure, we think it very undesirable to have one rate irrespective of weight, as this practice discourages the transmission of light parcels and encourages that of heavy ones. We therefore recommend a graduated scale at per single pound, and that the Berne Bureau and London Office be so informed, and urged that at an early date a graduated scale be adopted between the Colonies and other countries. No. 26.— Liability of Steamship Owners for damages to Parcels to be increased. We recommend that in the new Contract for the Federal Mail Service provision be made for payment of compensation by Contractors for the loss or damage occurring to any parcel, but not in any one case to exceed £5 per parcel, instead of £1 as at present. No. 27.— Insurance of Parcels. This matter has already been under consideration at previous Conferences, but at Hobart and Brisbane it was decided not to adopt the system. The subject has recently been reopened by the London Post Office in a letter dated February, 1894. In this letter, in urging the reconsideration of proposal for Insurance, the London Office states that during a recent year upwards of 21,000 insured parcels were sent to and from the United Kingdom, and in respect of loss or damage the claims met by the Department amounted only to £11 16s. 9d. It was added that considerable public convenience was being afforded in the several parts of the Empire, while the business is more than self-supporting. As, however, the International Parcel Post has, as yet, only attained very moderate dimensions, and consequently yields small revenue, we still consider it undesirable to incur the responsibility involved in insuring parcels. - No. 28.— Charge for Intermediary Service in regard to Intercolonial and Foreign Parcels. We recommend that no alteration be made at present. No. 29.— Parcel Post, United States. Nothing can be done in this matter, as the United States has twice refused to enter into a Parcel Post Convention with the Colonies.