CO885-5 — Page 235

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

MC.O.

8855 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

Post cards.

30th Novem-

ber 1874.

59 g

(3.) Those passing eastward, viâ Brindisi, for which an additional 21⁄2ɗ. (or 5d. in all)

is charged.

42. Another great advantage of the Union system is the transmission of post cards at the respective rates of Id., lid., and 2. to places of the three categories named above; and the system of reply-paid post cards at double those rates has provided for a public need often mentioned in former years, that of being able to obtain an answer from a person abroad whom it is not desired to put to the expense of postage.

General Post Office,

22nd October 1886.

APPENDIX.

CORRESPONDENCE relative to the ENTRY of BRITISH COLONIES into the POSTAL UNION.

No. 1.

EXTRACT OF LETTER from the TREASURY to the COLONIAL OFFICE, dated 30th November 1874.

My Lords are now informed that the Treaty [of Berne] was signed on the 9th ultimo, by the delegates of 21 out of the 22 States represented at the Congress, the Government of France withholding the expression of their assent until the scheme had received the sanction of the National Assembly, and I am to enclose, for the information of the Secretary of State, six copies of the treaty, and of the regulations for the execution of the treaty, to each of which an English translation has been appended.

I am to request that you will move the Earl of Carnarvon to send copies of the treaties to the Governments of the larger Colcaies, such as Canada, the Australian Colonies, and New Zealand, should his Lordship think it desirable.

I am further to request that you will invite his Lordship's special attention to clause 3 of Article XVII., and I am to state that in the event of the Colonial Governments desiring to enter the Union,[my Lords will regard a re-consideration of the proportions of the charge for packet services borne by the Imperial and Colonial Exchequers respectively, as a necessary preliminary to their sanction to such a step, inasmuch as it would entail a considerable diminution in the receipts of the Post Office.

No. 2.

TEXT of CIRCULAR from COLONIAL OFFICE to GOVERNORS of certain Colonies, dated 11th December 1874.

I transmit to you, for the consideration of your Ministers, an extract from a letter from the Treasury, enclosing copies of a treaty, for the formation of a General Postal Union, which was signed at Berne on the 9th October last, and of the detailed regulations for the execution of the treaty which were concluded at Berne on the same date.

The Lords Commissioners of the Treasury invite special attention to clause 3 of Article XVII. of the enclosed Treaty, and point out that in the event of the Colonial Governments desiring to enter the Union, they will regard a re-consideration of the proportions of the charge for packet service borne by the Imperial and Colonial Exchequers respectively as a necessary preliminary to their sanction to such a step, inasmuch as it would entail a considerable diminution in the receipts of the Post

Office.

No. 3.

EXTRACT of LETTER from the Government of Western AustrALIA to the COLONIAL OFFICE, dated 13th April 1875.

The proposed arrangement would materially reduce our postal receipts, but would not relieve the Colony from its share in the maintenance of the existing Peninsular and Oriental contract, to which we are bound for some five years to come.

59 /

No. 4.

EXTRACT from MEMORANDUM prepared for the GOVERNMENT of VICTORIA, and dated 14th June 1875.

The Honourable the Postmaster General of Victoria does not recommend that this Colony should enter into the proposed Postal Union during the continuance of the present mail contract with the Peninsular and Oriental Company. It appears that at present there is a loss sustained by this Colony on that contract, and that it would be materially increased if the proposed arrangement were entered into.

No. 5.

EXTRACT of LETTER from the POST OFFICE of SOUTH AUSTRALIA to the GOVERNOR of that COLONY, dated 2nd December 1875.

I would respectfully suggest that the consideration of our adhesion to the Union be remitted to a couference at which each Colony could be represented. Such a conference is urgently wanted in order to assimilate the Postal and Telegraph Acts and Regulations of the several Colonies, and would, I am assured, lead to the adoption of many improve- ments in the administration of these important branches of the public service.

While attaching great importance to a Postal Union such as that now established as a first step to one of a more comprehensive character, I hardly see how the Australian Colonies could join the Berne Convention unless the terms of the treaty in regard to the maximum rates of postage, as well as the transit rates, could be modified.

No. 6.

EXTRACT OF LETTER from the TREASURY to the COLONIAL OFFICE, dated 15th March

1876.

I am commanded by the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury to transmit to you herewith copy of a letter from the Postmaster-General, calling attention to an opinion expressed at the Postal Conference recently held at Berne, to the effect that no higher rate of postage than 6d. the half-ounce should be charged on correspondence with any countries which may enter the Postal Union.

The principle of the Postal Union is that each country admitted into it becomes responsible for the transmission of its own correspondence outwards, and consequently has to bear its proper share of any loss that may be caused by a reduction in the rate of postage, in accordance with the rules of the Union,

Looking, however, to the position of the Colonies in relation to this country, and to the engagements already subsisting and confirmed by contracts which cannot at once be terminated, iny Lords would not insist on the rigid application of this principle to Colonies desiring to enter the Union, but inasmuch as entrance would confer much greater benefit on a Colony than it would on this country, their Lordships think it would be only fair to ask that any Colony coming in should be required to bear half the additional loss on the conveyance of its mails which its admission to the Union may entail.

Thus, if the principle of a maximum tariff of 6d. be adopted by the Union, Ceylon would have to contribute 1,650. to the cost of the mail service between it and this country, and the West Indian Colonies 6,6007., over and above any contribution that they may already make.

My Lords request that if Lord Carnarvon concurs with them in this opinion his Lordship will cause inquiries to be made in order to ascertain how far these terms would be accepted by the several Colonial Goverments.

No. 7.

EXTRACT of LETTER from CAPE OF GOOD HOPE GOVERNMENT to the COLONIAL OFFICE, dated 24th July 1877.

I have the honour to inform your Lordship that my Ministers state that, upon mature consideration, the Government of this Colony is not prepared to accept the proposal to join the Union-the nature of existing ocean postal service being such as to prevent its doing so without much additional expenditure.

I 2

I