Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

THE.ijjradlbNTAL P.OSTAI/ fcON-
fn/iv/i f ,i i FERENCE, / , i : / j ; i ;
The Po8tarConfer.encQ.resumed at Launceaton
j>jr Monday.,,, ,7, i 1 ;r is
Blrii'paimoved-rT'.VThat In. thq opinion of
the conference, a system of. urgent' telegrams at!
double rates should - be -adoDted intercolnniallvt
.and ; inland."; - He said the people wcrq .q'uicoj
willing! top'ayextrafees, and ' expressed a ' hope ;
-that' the colonies would 'adopt tbe'p'joposal.! !
'Mr ' Copley seconded 'the '''motibnj;.. saying
that personally 'he thoUght the system a very '
fair! one!' and it was/ approved/ nf.-. two previous
conferences. " ' " "" ' ""' "...
, Mr Kidd said -the scheme .might .work; very
welLiri- centres wherethe population was" small,
but where the reverse-was the case it would
produce a 1 inbriopoly iti ' favour of those best
able to pay. He thought-all telegrams should
be. regarded !%ls.. urgent 'and' be" despatched
without loss of time,; and that no distinction
shouldbe made between .those able to pay extra
rates and those who were nbt.:
JMr Duffy said that" the" motion, .was a yery
fair proposal,1 but there, was. no use in the other
colonies adopting the ' experiment unless New
Sonth Wales feU in. with the qcheme. ' . : - ;
MrSfyoll aupportedthb motion. ' .i
Mr Bird.saiid that the (system- had-been in
force in Tasmania for some time, and had been
found to work well. ,, He suggested' that- the
motion be made.to ; apply, to; intercolonial mes
sages only, leaving each colony the right to deal
with inland rates. 7 ;
SpcUnmabk then moved-'that the words' " and
inland " be excluded from the motion, which was
»gfefcdfta',-«i«/: '> V'' '
'The'motionas amended was passed/'"' ' '' ' ' '
Mr Duffy moved— "Tjijit in the opinion- ,of
the- conference -t He " carriage of mails "over the
South Australian railway" lines should be, ex
pedited:'" f'''" -'- '
Mr Kidd seconded the motion, which was
agreed to. , ,.4 ...1
. "Mr Du|fy 'drairigd to say a.few-.wprde about the
postal convention between England and France;;
having reference to the . transit of mails to the
colpnips.-in, fheevent of war breaking' out' bef
tween-the,. said/Countries. .-Tha-French mail
steamers;calling at the several' colonies enF route
ton-New/ Oal edonia-i carried munitions /'of ' war,;
prisoners, &c. , snd.it (was just possjble that soipV
complication1 might 'ensuelj/' He; thought jt would,
be well to consider therefore
laid a letterfrom .the .acting, French consul at
Victoria before theicohference. . :
Mr Kidd said hqjwpuld-.bei.glad to attend to
the matter on his, return.,.., > Y, ;
.Mr' noharm.could
cometp the colonies'giying (heir adhesion to a
proposal that would benefit them in case of war
so far.as their majla. were concerned. f ,
Mr Sholl expressed tiio opinion that' the "ques
tion was onefor,. several/Governments to deal
with rather than' for-the'Poslal Conference.
Mr Duffy moved tjiab the, letter be, read, and
received; ' whiph was agreed to. O'fOC'i.' '-:
The report supplied by. the heads of depart-
naonja jtirthy various., colonies,, was:, then: dealt;
with as follows "With reference to thoyost-'
cards, we are of opinion that the -rates _ at pre-'
sent ghargodiin' all. the1 'Australian1 'colonies; 'ex
cept West Australia, of- lid for a single card and
3 If or, a reply card'-'shburd-be maintained. ' To
ohargelejlovferfraterwouldjplace prat-cards-fori
fpreign. countries on the same level as the pre-
sont inland ratB8;iiiiia 'wbhld se'ribiisly affect the
revenue, as :pprsoi)8' would -be induced ' t'o sub
stitute, postrcards for i letters, -and the' revenue
has alrqady ilqiigely - BiifferedLy' tho robuctionVf
the l«i(ter.ratq to " :.
Thetrppbrt wasAdojited. ' ;
'ft1 Wa'l'fldviflA Ifklf-an-Ilnamannnii. -Wn/Lll
Id for ovory .4p?, or.fraction thereof." It is clear
that the practice at present followed in most of
the_ coloniesp of. sending" newspapers to the
United Kingdom" 'at 'l'df or each jiapey up. to
lOoz, rair in some 'instances irrespective; ;of
weight, Smust be'discobtinued! being, ns' shown
by the correspondence, - repugnant to the . pro-,
visionsiofitheunidn':'','' ' v:;
The rephrt was'o'dopted;'' ' . . ' :
" We are of qijjnion" that'a system of oostn"0
stamps CQpijttohijbLallithe Australian ' colonies
step, im-.the direction of fhderatid'n
and Wn'dv. ha 'a i, great public conveniencoC'
Should tjhis'syatem'ibe'adopted; ho 'would; how/
ev,er;iEtrorJgly ad vise that such stnmps should,' lie!
available only toy p.ostage( .and notlor/dufy.pif
any:.;othet 'purposesV .The.'/rpveh'poj derivable
amorifc:t'efolp.pla5ij')oij ,a basis 'of : population "
This . itepV M .to, .considerable discussion,- and
was disagreed to. " ' , . n .'|;
SH ,ppopeedod to .deal ('with'; the
draft of the Australasian Postal Convention sub-
mitted to th,e.:corfereride by! the heads'cif, tlje do-
partmontsl-nll .of- which isas ngreed to without
discussion. I'.ev f .-.ni.-j.-'io' ) ,1! > > '« : '',';i: !
Mr Duffy saidjthat'as the business;! way practi
cally finished th'ere' w.as'nothiijg...rpmaiping lor
the cpnferenceijuttp.'adjo.urnj 'fihd .hqld -.a short
meeting yt u.ncsistpn!fpf',th!e,purpdss qfssigping
tho reports,' Tyhjph .'cppld 'not posaibly.'be i road
that night. "He ; 'mpved. accordingly,' ) and : the
motion was ag'rsedi.tpo i/ .i-uaii !..iA
!9'?S..?t,APX9l'tl:tb®'PrMidont, the secretary,
an&.W9(hqMs, pf. departments: were duty ' .carried
and responded to. 1 1 -nt-nUt b
JUrumack said: be-- hoped' that it would1 he
understood that the'nbxt/meetinp'dfthe cohfef-
eniai woirid be hbld ''ih 'Queehslarid. 'wKidh mfik
with tacit consentv—
oifi K;.4 ,1;!"
[?]
$