3

F.—7

Enclosure 2 in No. 5. Copy of a Letter from the Imperial War Minister, Vienna, to the Postmastkr-Genekai., Wellington. Vienna, 13th February, 1901. In reply to your esteemed letter of the 23rd November, 1900 [No. 66, F.-3, 1903], the Imperial War Ministry has the honour to inform you that, as a matter of principle, it is unable to accede to the proposals for the introduction of a reduced postage of 10 centimes per 15 grammes in letterexchanges between Bosnia and Herzegovina and New Zealand.

Enclosure 3 in No. 5. Copy of Letter from the Impehial Minister of Commerce, Vienna, to the Post.master-General, Wellington. Vienna, 13th June, 1901. Referring to your letter of the 9th April last [No. 130, F.-3, 1903], I regret to find myself under the necessity to repeat to you that it is impossible for me, because of the reasons which I took the liberty of explaining to you in my letter of the 25th January last, to arrange that letters originating in your .country addressed to Austria, and prepaid at Id. per half-ounce, be delivered to addressees without surcharge. Such a procedure would create, in my opinion, a regrettable exception to the principle of uniformity of the rates of the Universal Postal Union.

Enclosure 4 in No. 5. Copy of Letter from the Imperial War Minister, Vienna, to the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Vienna, 17th June, 1901. In reply to your esteemed letter of the 9th April last [No. 130, F.-3, 1903], the Imperial War Ministry has the honour to intimate that it does not see its way to recede from the position notified in its communication of the 13th February, 1901.

No. 6. The Acting Consul for Austkia-Hungaky, Auckland, to the Hon. the Acting-Postmaster-General, Wellington. Sir, — Consulate of Austria-Hungary, Auckland, 30th August, 1909. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 26th August, and thank you very much for the information contained therein, as well as for the copies of letters from the Minister of Commerce and the War Minister in Vienna. Since 1901 two of the countries of the Postal Union—viz., the United States of America ami Italy—are admitting letters from New Zealand at the postage-rate of Id. per ounce, whereby exceptions seem to have been-made to the principle of uniformity of the surcharges of the Universal Postal Union. I will endeavour to find out if the Minister of Commerce of my country is more favourably disposed towards the adoption of the proposal at the present time, and should I meet with success I will take the liberty to communicate with you again on the subject. I have, &c, Carl Klette, I. and R. Acting Consul for Austria-Hungary. The Hon. the Acting-Postinaster-General, Wellington. [P.O. 09/28(9).] . M, a, *

No. 7. The Hon. the Postmastek-'General, Wellington, to the Hon. the Postmaster-General, Washington. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 22nd October, 1909. Referring to previous correspondence | No. 17, F.-7, 1909] on the subject of penny postage, I have the honour to remind you that the arrangement between the United States of America and this Dominion is a unilateral one only, letters from New Zealand prepaid Id. being delivered in the United States Of America, while letters from your country to New Zealand are charged at the 5-cent rate. I need scarcely remind you of the extraordinary interest taken by New Zealand in this matter, and of the fact that New Zealand was the first country to propose universal penny postage. Recently arrangements have been completed between the United States of America and Great Britain and between the United States of America and Germany under which letters pass at Id. in either direction. I had hoped that penny postage from your country to New Zealand would have been established simultaneously with that to Great Britain, but at the time you did not see your way to extend the bilateral arrangement to New Zealand.