F.—3.

Les correspondances non affranchies ou insuffisamment affranchies seront grevees dune surtaxe de 10 ernes pour chaque \ penny manquant. Agreez, &c, Le Chef de Division, 0. Scaglietto. Monsieur le Directeur-General dcs Postes de la Nouvelle-Zelande, Wellington.

[Teanslation.] Befebeing to your telegram of Bth instant as below : " Obliged for your letter 21st January Kindly introduce Ist April;" I have the honour to inform you chat I have just given instructions to Italian offices, so that from the above-indicated date correspondence from New Zealand to Italy prepaid at the rate of Id. per half-ounce shall be delivered without surcharge. Unpaid or insufficiently prepaid correspondence will be marked with a surcharge of 10 centimes for each deficiency of \&.

No. 125. The Dieectob - Gbneeal of Posts, Copenhagen, to the Hon. the Postmastee - Genebal, Wellington. Direction Generale dcs Postes, Monsieue le Maltee-Geneeal dcs Postes, — , Copenhagen, le 14 Mars, 1901. En reponse a votre lettre dv 23 Novembre, 1900, j'ai l'honneur de vous informer qu'en consideration de la correspondance peu nombreuse echangee entre nos deux pays je n'ai pu trouver de raisons suffisantes pour conclure, conformement a l'Article 21 de la Convention de I'Union postale universelle, un arrangement special avec la Nouvelle-Zelande concernant une reduction de la taxe dcs lettres, de part et d'autre, a 1 penny, et que je ne puis que considerer comme contraire aux dispositions dcs Articles 5 et 10 de la Convention de I'Union postale universelle d'admettre dcs lettres provenant de la Nouvelle-Zelande comme suffisamment affranchies, lorsqu'elles ne sont revetues de timbres-poste qu' a 1 penny. Agreez, &c, C. Svendem. A Monsieur le Maitre-General dcs Postes de la Nouvelle-Zelande a Wellington.

[Teanslation.] In-reply to your letter of the 23rd November, 1900, I have the honour to inform you that, in view of the small volume of correspondence exchanged between our two countries, I am unable to find sufficient reason for concluding, in accordance with Article 21 of the Convention of the Universal Postal Union, a special arrangement with New Zealand respecting a mutual reduction of letter postage to Id., and I can only consider as contrary to provisions of Articles 5 and 10 of the Convention of the Universal Postal Union the suggestion to admit letters from New Zealand as sufficiently prepaid when they only bear postage-stamps of Id.

No. 126. The Hon. the Postmastee-Genekal, Wellington, to the Counoilloe Dieeotoe-Geneeal of Posts and Telegeaphs, Lisbon. Sib,— General Post Office, Wellington, 19th March, 1901. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 10th January last, advising that you were unable to agree to the establishing of penny postage between your country and this colony, but would deliver without surcharge letters from New Zealand prepaid at the rate of 10 centimes per 15 grammes. I am much gratified by your prompt and courteous action, which will materially assist towards the consummation of the universal penny-postage scheme. I venture to hope that it will not be long before Portugal is in a position to reduce the postage on letters in the opposite direction to 10 centimes per 15 grammes. The friendship which has in the meantime prompted the concession of delivering New Zealand letters at the lower rate is appreciated. ****** J. G. Ward, Postmaster-General. Councillor Director-General of Posts and Telegraphs, Lisbon, Portugal. [Letters in similar terms were sent to the Hon. the Minister of Posts, Rome (19/3/01); the Postmasters-General, Alexandria (19/3/01) and Liberia (8/7/01); the Administrator-General of Posts, Mexico (19/3/01); the Directors-General of Posts, San Jose (19/3/01), Bangkok (31/3/01), Assumption (1/4/01), Lima (10/4/01), Santiago (10/4/01), and Managua (10/4/01); and the Direc-tor-General of Colonies, Lisbon (10/4/01).]

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