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Australia, we have no recommendation to make." At the 1894 (New Zealand) Conference the Permanent Heads reported that " as no new circumstances have arisen since the Brisbane Conference, we do not think that this matter should be reconsidered at present • " and, again, at the 1895 (Hobart) Conference it was reported that "the London Office was communicated with, but declined to exchange postal notes on account of the great risk." It appears from enquiry made by the Deputy Postmaster-General of New South Wales, when in London last year, that that office is quite firm in its opposition to the exchange of postal notes between the Australian Colonies and the United Kingdom. In the first place there is the old objection, namely, the difficulty of guarding against forgery and fraud, and of providing for the payment of these notes at the 12,000 offices in the United Kingdom, many of these being held, as in our case, by storekeepers who could not distinguish between a postal note issued at one country or another country, or whether it was a forgery. A further objection is that the balance —always an uncertain one — w r ould be against the United Kingdom, that is to say, that more postal notes would be issued in the Colonies upon Great Britain than in Great Britain upon the Colonies. It was suggested that the case might be met by adopting a similar course to that in the case of India, that is, let the Colonies purchase a quantity of British Postal Notes, paying of course cash for them, and also paying the commission. The London Office has no objection to our selling these notes in the Colonies, charging of course our commission in addition to the British commission. Should this be done they would agree to date the currency of the notes only from the date of our postmark, and not from the date of purchase from the London Office. It is stated that experience has shown that there is very little demand for these notes in India. We consider that all the requirements of the public in the way of remitting small sums of money have been met in most of the Colonies by the reduction in the charge on Money Orders for sums not exceeding £1, from Is. to 6c?. No. 69. —" Berne's Circular re tabulated Telegraph Routes, and method of indicating such Routes." We consider this does not affect the Colonies to any great extent, and it is therefore recommended that no action be taken. No. 70.—" Fire Alarms." We have no report to make. No. 71.—" Sunday Telegraph Rates to Tasmania." We recommend that Tasmania adopt the Sunday rates on telegrams charged in the other Colonies. Adjournment. At s*lo p.m. the Conference adjourned until 10 a.m. next day.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL CHAMBER, HOBART.

SATURDAY, 2nd APRIL, 1898. The President, Hon. Sir Philip Fysh, K.C.M.G., took the Chair at 10 a.m., when the under-mentioned gentlemen, representing the Colonies herein named, were present :— New South Wales : The Hon. Joseph Cook, M.P., Postmaster-General. S. H. Lambton, Esq., Deputy Postmaster-General. P. B. Walker, Esq., M. Inst. Chief Electrician and Engineer-in-Chief Telegraph-Department. Victoria : The Hon. John Gavan Duffy, M.L.A., Postmaster-General. F. L. Outtrim, Esq., Deputy Postmaster-General, Secretary to Postal Department, and Superintendent of Telegraphs. South Australia: H on - J- G. Jenkins, M.P., Commissioner of Public Works. Sir Charles Todd, K.C.M.G., Postmaster-General. Queensland: The Hon. J. R. Dickson, C.M.G., M-L.A., Home Secretary and Postmaster-General. John M'Donnell, Esq., Under Secretary to the Post and Telegraph Department and Superintendent of Telegraphs. John Hesketh, Esq., Electrical Engineer. Tasmania. The Hon. Sir Philip Fysh, K.C.M.G., M.H.A., Treasurer and Postmaster-General. H. V. Bayly, Esq., Secretary to the Post Office.