IMPERIAL PENNY POSTAGE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 2897, 13 February 1893, Page 3

IMPERIAL PENNY POSTAGE.

London, February 11. The Postmaster-Genet al denies that the Government have arrived at any conclusion in favour of au"lmperial penny postage. He says that personally he is not hostile to it, and that the financial difficulty is not serious, nor the achninibtrative difficulty insuperable. He d< clares it essential for the coluiiits to agree to the change, but they probabl) would be averse to a further reduction at present. He points out that the question could not be raised until the meeting of the Postal Union of 1897,. as the proposal would be in direct opposition to a pledge given by tho.British representatives at the Postal Union Convention in 1891. Until there is a change of feeling in the colonies it would be impossible for Great Britain to propose a penny postage which is distinctly opposed to the colonies' pledges on their admission to the Postal Union. Mr Morley mentions that if Great Britaiu reduced the postage to Id the colonies would have the right to surcharge: a double deficiency..

THE COLONIAL INSTITUTE.

Professor Wallace's paper, read at the Colonial Institute on Australasian agriculture, predicts that Australian crossbreds will soon be as suitable for European consumption as .Near Zealand mutton. He says that the limit: of American increased beef production is not within range of vision. The paper goes on to say that colonial grass butter will soon surpass the best Danish article.

"MISSING WORD" LOTTERY.

The Proprietor of "Feu-son's Weekly " will receive back the sum of £26,000 invested in the "missing word " competition and impounded by the Court, he having given a promise to expend the amount honorably.