PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
C.O.
Reference :-
8855 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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The post offices of Sydney and Wellington will convey the homeward mails to San Francisco, and will account to the United States Post Office--
1. For the territorial transit rates due for the conveyance of the mails from San
Francisco to New York.
2. For the proportion of sea postage due for the conveyance of the mails from New York to Liverpool, viz., 4 fr. 54 c. per kilo. of letters, and 30 c. per kilo. of printed papers sent from New South Wales, and 4 fr. 88 c. per kilo. of letters, and 33 c. per kilo. of printed papers sent from New Zealand,
The mails which are forwarded between the Australian Colonies or New Zealand and Union countries other than the United Kingdom may be classified as shown in the following table :-
*
From.
By what Route conveyed.
To
Ceylon
Direct
2
Other Union countries in the East
Point de Galle and Melbourne
3
Egypt
Point de Galle and Melbourne
-
1
5
Italy, or other Union countries in Europe United States, or other transatlantic
Brindisi, Point de Galle, and Melbourne United Kingdom
Victoria.
Union countries.
6
Straits Settlements
·
Direct
+
Singapore and Brisbane
Singapore and Brisbane
Brindisi, Singapore, and Brisbane
Queensland.
7 Other Union countries in the East
8❘ Egypt
4
10
11
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Italy, or other Union countries in Europe
United States, or other transatlantic
Union countries.
United States
Canada -
Union countries in the Pacific
Bermuda and Newfoundland
Union countries in the West Indies
Union countries in Europe
United Kingdom
Direct
San Francisco
United States
Now
New York and San Francisco
South Wales or New Zealand.
New York and San Francisco United Kingdom
* 1. The Ceylon Office will account to the Melbourne Office for the whole sea postage of 15 fr. per kilo. of letters, and 1 fr. per kilo. of printed papers sent to Melbourne, and the Melbourne Office will make no payment on the letters or papers sent to Ceylon.
2 and 3. The despatching office will account to the Melbourne Office for the proportion of sea postage due for the conveyance from Point de Galle to Melbourne, and will account to the Imperial Post Office for the pro- portion due for the conveyance from the country of origin to Point de Galle.
In the opposite direction, the Melbourne office will account to the Imperial Post Office for its proportion of the sea postage.
4. The despatching office will account to the Melbourne Office for the proportion of sea postage due for the conveyance from Point de Galle to Melbourne.
In the opposite direction, the Melbourne Office will account to the Imperial Post Office for its proportion of the son postage as well as for the Egyptian transit rate, and will account to Italy for the Union territorial transit rates of 2 fr. per kilo. of letters and 25 c. per kilo. of printed papers. But on all mails conveyed from Brindisi by the special services provided for the English overland mails, the higher special transit rates must be accounted for to Italy, and also to France if the mails are conveyed through France by the special services as in the instance of mails for Belgium, Spain, Portugal, &c. To every Union country, other than Italy and France, through which a mail from Victoria may pass in transit, the post office of Melbourne must account for the Union transit rates of 2 fr. per kilo. of letters, and 25 c. per kilo. of printed papers.
5. The despatching office will provide for the conveyance of the mails to the United Kingdom, and will account to the Melbourne Office for its proportion of sea postage due for the conveyance of the mails from Point de Galle to Melbourne.
In the opposite direction, the Melbourne Office will account as on mails for the United Kingdom, but the amount of sea postage to be credited to the Imperial Post Office will be at a higher rate, because the proportion of sea servico performed by Imperial mail packets will be increased to the extent of the distance between Liverpool and the Transatlantic country. The Melbourne Office will also account to the Imperial Post Office on these mails for the Union territorial transit rates for conveyance through Great Britain.
6. Same as No. 1, substituting "Brisbane" for "Melbourne," and "Singapore " for "Ceylon."
7 and 8. Same as Nos. 2 and 3, substituting "Brisbane " for "Melbourne," and "Singapore" for "Point de Galle."
9. Same as No. 4, substituting "Brisbane" for "Melbourne" and "Singapore" for "Point de Galle."
10. Same as No. 5, substituting "Brisbane " for "Melbourne" and "Singapore" for "Point de Galle."
11. Same as No. 1, substituting "United States" for " Ceylon" and "Sydney or New Zealand" for
"Melbourne."
12. The Canadian Office will account to the Sydney or New Zealand Office for the whole of the sea postage of 15 fr. per kilo. of letters and 1 fr, per kilo. of printed papers.
In the opposite direction, the Sydney or New Zealand Office will make no payment to the Canadian Office, but will account to the United States Office for the ordinary Union territorial transit rates.
13. The despatching office will provide for the conveyance of the mails to San Francisco, and will account to the Sydney or New Zealand Office for its proportion of the sea postage due for the conveyance of the maila from San Francisco to Sydney or New Zealand.
In the opposite direction, the Sydney or New Zealand Office will account to the United States Office for its proportion of sea postage due for the conveyance of mails to countries north of Panama, and will account to
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As the contract for the packet service from Point de Galle to Melbourne is made by the Government of Victoria alone, it will be necessary that the Governments of South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania should arrange with Victoria respecting the exchange of their mails with the United Kingdom or other Union countries.
The ordinary Union rate of postage on letters is fixed by Article 5 of the Convention
of Paris at 25 centimes (twopence halfpenny) per half ounce.
Letters sent from one Australian Colony to another will be liable to this rate, unless any lower rate is now charged.
In the same article it is provided that, in cases where letters are subjected to the sea transit rate of 15 fr. per kilo., a surcharge not exceeding 25 centimes may be levied in addition. This brings the maximum total rate chargeable in the Australian Colonics or New Zealand, on a paid letter addressed to the United Kingdom or any other postal Union country, to 50 centimes, or fivepence.
Another section of the same article authorises the collection of an additional charge on letters conveyed by extraordinary services in the Union such as those between Brindisi and Calais. But if the Australian Colonies and New Zealand adopt the maximum sur- charge of 25 centimes and make their total rate 50 centimes, or 5d., on letters sent to Union countries generally, nothing can be collected on this head because the condition on which the present reduced transit rates were granted by France and Italy, was that no higher rate than 5d. per half ounce should be collected on the letters sent in the British overland mails to or from Union countries.
The postage to be levied in the Australian Colonies or New Zealand on post cards sent to Union countries generally will be 1. each, but on those which are sent to or through the United Kingdom, via Brindisi, the charge will be 2d. each.
On newspapers a rate of Id. each when addressed to Union countries generally will be chargeable. On those sent to or through the United Kingdom, vid Brindisi, 1d. cach might be levied, but the Colonial Government will no doubt prefer to charge id. only.
On printed papers and patterns the charge will be Id. per two ounces when addressed to Union countries generally, and 14d. per two ounces when sent to or through the United Kingdom via Brindisi.
General Post Office, London, April 1880.
No. 11.
TEXT of LETTER from the TREASURY to the POST OFFICE, dated 7th May 1880. The Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury have had before them Lord John Manners' letter of the 30th ultimo, on the question as to whether the Australian Colonies should become members of the Postal Ünion, and I am to request that their
the United States and the Imperial Post Office respectively for their proportions of the sea postage due for the conveyance of mails to countries south of Panama.
14. The despatching office will provide for the conveyance of the mails to New York, will account to the United States Office for the territorial transit rate due for the conveyance from New York to San Francisco, and will account to the Sydney or New Zealand Office for its proportion of the sea postage.
In the opposite direction, the Sydney or New Zealand Office will account to the United States Office for the Union territorial transit rates and for its proportion of the ses postage due for the conveyance of the mails from New York to Bermuda or Newfoundland.
15. The despatching office will provide for the conveyance to New York or to San Francisco, and will account to the Sydney or New Zealand Office for its proportion of the sea postage.
In the opposite direction, the Sydney or New Zealand Office will account to the United States Office for its proportion of ses postage.
If the mails are sent by land from San Francisco to New York, the Sydney or New Zealand Office will also account to the United States Office for the Union territorial transit rates.
And if the mails are sent by sea from San Francisco to Panama, the Sydney or New Zealand Office will account to the Imperial Post Office for its proportion of ses postage due for the conveyance from Colon to destination, as well as for the Colombian transit rates of 2 fr. 52 c. per kilo. of letters and 92 c. per kilo. of printed papers payable for the conveyance of the mails across the Isthmus of Darien,
16. The despatching office will account to the Sydney or New Zealand Office for its proportion of sen postage.
In the opposite direction, the Sydney or New Zealand Office will account to the United States Office for the territorial transit rates of 6 fr. per kilo. of letters and 2 fr. per kilo. of printed papers for the service from San Francisco to New York, as well as for its proportion of sea postage for the service from New York to Liverpool.
The Sydney or New Zealand Office will account to the Imperial Office for the Union territorial transit rates for the passage of the mails through Great Britain, and will account to every country on the Continent through which the maila may pass for like transit rates.
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