F.—B.

No. 82. The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington, to the Hons. the Premiers of the Australian States. (Telegram.) . Wellington, Ist January, 1901. All good wishes for happy and prosperous new year. May the new century see the complete cementing of the Empire and its continued expansion in the interests of national progress, liberty, equality, and commerce. Not the least important event of the new century will be New Zealand's decision to introduce universal penny postage. The inclusion of federated Australia would complete the extension of this reform to all important parts of the Empire, and I look forward with unfeigned satisfaction to the probable adoption of the penny post by Australia. [Telegrams of same text sent to His Excellency the Governor-General of Australia, Sydney; His Excellency the Governor, Adelaide; His Excellency the Governor, Brisbane ; His Excellency the Governor, Hobart ; His Excellency the Governor, Melbourne ; His Excellency the Governor. Perth; the Hon. E. Barton, the Hon. J. Cook, the Hon. A.. Deakin, the Hon. J. Dickson, the Hon. John Kidd, the Eight Hon. C. C. Kingston, and the Eight Hon. G. H. Eeid, Sydney ; the Hon. Gavan Duffy and the Hon. Agar Wynne, Melbourne ; the Hon. J. A. Thynne and che Hon. Horatio Wilson, Brisbane; J. H. Henniker Heaton, Esq., M.P. (at Sydney) ; the Hon. S. H. Parker, Perth ; the Eight Hon. E. J. Seddon, Sydney ; the Hon. J. Carroll, Sydney; the Hons. the Postmasters-General, Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne, and Sydney; the PostmastersGeneral, Adelaide and Perth; W. Warren, Esq., Eastern Extension Australasia and China Telegraph Company, Melbourne; Sir Charles Todd, K.C.M.G., Adelaide; the Editors, Herald, Age, and Argus, Melbourne; Daily Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald, Bulletin, Evening News, and Australian Star, Sydney; Courier and Daily Telegraph, Brisbane; Observer, Adelaide; and Mercury, Hobart; and Eeuter's Agent, Melbourne.]

No. 83. The Hon. the Postmaster - General, Brisbane, to the Hon. the Postmaster - General, Wellington. . (Telegram.) Brisbane, 2nd January, 1901. Your wire twenty-eighth ultimo re accepting your penny letters : Much regret inability to comply with request, in view of precedents already established—namely, refusal of the British Administration to accept letters at four [? Id.] from Queensland as fully prepaid, and more recent instance in which colonies refused to accept letters from United Kingdom and other parts of the Empire prepaid in any restricted unions provided for in article twenty-one of Postal Convention. It is understood reduced rates are to be reciprocal. Matter was considered at recent Conference, which advised that letters prepaid at rate one penny per half-ounce should not be accepted from New Zealand until Commonwealth Government decided adopt reciprocal rate.

No. 84. The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington, to the Secretary, General Post Office, London. Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, 4th January, 1901. I have the honour to forward herewith, for your acceptance, three specimens of the new penny stamp just issued by this Department. 1 have, &c, W. Gray, For the Postmaster-General.

No. 85. The Seceetaey, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Postmaster-General, Cape Town. Sib, — General Post Office, Wellington, 4th January, 1901. I have the honour to forward herewith, for your acceptance, three specimens of the new penny stamp just issued by this Department. I have, &c, W. Gray, Secretary. [Letters of same text to the Postmaster-General, Adelaide ; the Under-Secretary and Superintendent of Telegraphs, Brisbane; the Secretary, General Post Office, Hobart ; the Deputy Post-master-General, Melbourne ; the Postmaster-General, Perth ; and the Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney.] __^^_^^_^__^^^_

No. 86. The Dieectoe-General of Posts and Telegraphs, Assumption, to the Hon. the PostmastebGenebal, Wellington. Direccion General de Correos y Telegrafos, Paraguay, Senoe Dieectoe, — Asuncion, Enero 7 de 1901. Tengo el honor de acusar recibo de la nota de S.S. fecha 23 de Noviembre ultimo, pidiendo la reduccion de la tarifa, relativos a las cartas postales enviadas de ese pais con destino a, Paraguay,

23