THE INTERCOLONIAL CONFERENCE.

Evening Star, Issue 3127, 26 February 1873, Page 3

THE INTERCOLONIAL CONFERENCE.

The Si/dur// Mommy Herald publishes the official report of the proceedings of the Conference, by which the following appear to be the principal conolusions arrived at: — I.—THE HALLE i'OSTAL SERVICE. With reference to this question, it was decided, after several days’ deliberation, that the proposal of the Lords of the Treasury for the establishment aud maintenance of a four-weekly service between Galle and Australasia be accepted, on the following conditions :

(1.) That Melbourne be the terminus of the

service. (2.)| That'the cost of all the requisite branch services be considered as part of the cost of the whole service. (3.) That the several Australasian Governments shall contribute to the cost of the whole service, in proportion to the correspondence conveyed by such mail service from each Colony. (4.) r J bat the Govcrnmeu'.s of the Colonies requiring branch services make the necc sary arrangements for their respective services with the Government or Governments of the Colony or Colonies negotiating the contract for the mail service from Galle. (5.) That the Government of Victoria make all payments for the. main and branch Galle services, rendering quarterly es imates of the amounts to be contributed by the several Colonies, with animal final adjustments of accounts. (0.) That Cockburn Sound, in Western Australia, be substituted for King George’s Sound as a port of call for the ocean mail steamers, provided arrangements can be made to obviate material delay, or increase of cost of the service. (7.) That the ocean mail steamers call at Glenelg, South Australia, to receive and deliver mails.

During the discussion a resolution was passed that if, during the sittings of the Conference, the representatives of New South Wales concurred in the action of the Conference with regard to the Calle service, the arrangements respecting it should Ire left to the Governments of New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, New South Wales, however, refusing to concur, and protesting against the terminus being at Melbourne, the arrangements for the negotiation of the service to remain with Victoria alone.

The decision that the terminus be at Melbourne was arrived at on the following division Ayes ; Messrs Francis, Langton, Vogel, Reynolds, Hints, Wilson, Barlco, Barrow, and tSir Henry Ayers. Noes : Messrs Palmer, Thompson, .Samuel, and the Chairman (.vlr Parkes). The general resolution approving of the Gallo service was then adopted by the votes of all the delegates, excepting those from New Si nth Wales, who explained that their votes wore given in opposition because it had been decided that the terminus should be at Melbourne At a subsequent meeting of the Conference, the question of the terminus being at Melbourne was re-discussed, on a motion by Mr Imi cs to the effect that the arrangement for the transmission of the New South Wales and Queensland mails, as embodied in the motion of Mr Langton, adopted January 27tu, was ‘‘not satisfactory.” A division was taken on Mr Hines’s motion with the following result Fur the motion : Messrs Imres, Palmer. Thompson, Famucl, ami the Chairman (Mr Parkes). Against the motion : Messrs Francis, Langton, Vogel, ileyuojdp, Wee, ’Ww, and Sir 9 •’ . j

Henry Ayers —Mr Wilson declining to vote. The result was, therefore, to affirm the former decision that the terminus he at Melbourne, Upon this, Messrs Pcrkes and Samuel, on behalf of New South Wales, lodged a protest, which, together with memoranda on the same subject by the representatives of Victoria and New Zealand, will be found in the minutes of proceedings 11. THE TORRES STRAITS SERVICE. A resolution was adopted in favor of the establishment of a mail service between Singapore, Brisbane, ami Sydney, provided the total cost should not exceed 1.25,000 per annum, the cost to be divided between all the Colonies in proportion to the number of fitters they despatch by this route. The Imperial Government to be asked to contribute Lo,()00 per annum towards the subsidy. It was farther decided that the negotiations for the establishment of the service should be left to the Government of Queensland. 111. —THE SAN FRANCISCO SERVICE. The Conference agreed to move the Imperial Government to pay all charges upon the transmission of mails to and from London .and San Francisco (retaining all postages collected in the United Kingdom ou account thereof), and to contribute L2O 000 annually towards a San Francisco service, to be agreed upon between the Governments of New Zealand and New South Wales. IV.—POSTAL RATES AND ARRANGEMENTS, With reference to postal charges and the further facilities requred in this department of the Public Service, the Conference adopted resolutions to the following effect: (I.) That the rates of postage to the United Kingdom, by any of the services agreed to by the Colonies—already established or to be established—shall be the same as at present by the Southampton route; the Brindisi charge also remaining as at present. (2.) That there he, on and after fist January, 1874. a uniform Intercolonial letter rate of 2d per half-ounce, both overland and by sea ; and that a uniform Intercolonial parcel and book-packet rate be also adopted, according to a scale agreed upon. (Vide Minutes.) (3.) That after 31st March next, captains of vessels be permitted to have a box or bag for the reception of letters up to the time of saifing, provided such letters are sufficiently stamped, and also bear the late-fee stamp ; such letters to be delivered without ex ra charge by the postal authorities of the Colonies to which they are addressed. V.—THE TELEGRAPH SERVICE,

The Conference considered various questions connected with the telegraph service, and came fo the following conclusions ; (1.) That in view of the serious inconvenience that would result from the stoppage of telegraphic communication with Europe, it is desirable to construct a cable between Singapore and the terminus at the Queensland lines at Norm in Month. (2.) That a memorial be transmitted to tho Bi.ht Hon. the Secretary of State for the. Colonics, informing him that the several Australasian Governments are very desirous of co-operating with the Imperial Government in the acquisition or construction of through lines of telegraphic communication between Great Britain, India, and Australasia (3.) That on and after November Ist next, the charge for telegraphic messages within each of the Australasian Colonics be mv! shilling for fen words (exclusive of address and signature), and one penny for every additional word, but that these charges are not to include messages on the lines from Port Augusta to Port Darwin, from Bowen to Norman Mouth, nor the cable charge between Tasmania and Victoria. (4.) That messages for New Zealand and Western Australia be received at all Australian stations, the proper charge being made for their transmission to the port or place from which they are to be posted, and rice versa with regard to telegrams posted in New Zealand and Western Australia to the telegraph operator at any port in Australia ; and that arrangements should be made for the collection of telegraph charges on all such messages. It was prosed—“ That in order to obtain a reduction in the charge for telegrams between Great Britain, India, and Australasia, the Imperial Government be requested to, join with the Colonies in a temporary subsidy not exceeding L 25,,000 per annum, for the purpose of securing that object, and that the Governments of .South Australia, and. Victoria be requested to take the necessary steps to give effect to the above recommendation on which question the numbers for aud against were equal. A resolution was also proposed in reference to the above motion— “ That, in addition, a free Press message of fifty words per diem from London to Australia be furnished,” which lapsed, the voting being equal. Vl.—lntriuoloni vl Commercial Cun-I-'KHENCE KEC lUKO< TTV. The Conference, after duly considering Lord Kimberley’s despatch of April 15b 1872, and the other correspondence on this subject, resolved to again urge upon the attention of his Lordship the claims of the Australasian Colonies, and adopted a memorial in favor of the removal of the restrictions which prevent two or more Colonies entering into arrangements for tlie admission, within their respective territories, of articles the growth, produce, qr manufacture of any part of Australasia, upon terms of which they may mutually agree. VII INTERCOLONIAL CUSTOMS UNION, The question of adopting a uniform Tariff throughout the Australasian Colonies was diseu-sed by the Conference, and a resolution was passed affirm ng the desirableness of such a course, on the understanding that the “ Union” should be established on the principle that Customs duties ought to be levied for purposes of revenue only, and not for the purposes of protection. On tiiis question there was much diversity of opinion, aud the motion was carried by a majority of one.

ym,—THE iyn RKAV RI.VIR. DUTIES

The Conference passed a resolution affirming the desirableness of abolishing the present system of collecting Customs duties on the Murray, and substituting the payment of lump sums, to he arranged on an < quitable basis by the Colonies more immediately concerned. IX.— fOAsT iilMl'l’M. The subject of Coast Lights having been brought under the attention of the Conference, a committee was appointed to consider whether it would he desirable to establish a General Board for the Australasian Colonies, similar to the Trinity Board of London, The committee reported that the time had not yet arrived when an independent Board, possessing executive functions, could he advantageously appointed in these Colonies ; but it was recommended that the principal marine officers of the several Colonies should meet in conference to consider the whole question of the Coast I ights, and to report as to their efficiency and economical management ; also, whether new lights were required, and in what proportion the several Colonics shouldcontiibutetotlic gencraliight-ing-upof thecoast. The renort of the Committee was adopted by the Conference, and several independent motions on the subject of lighthouses, and the liability of the different Governments for their payment, were then withdrawn, in order that they might he referred to the proposcil Nautical Committee. The Confertncc, further, passed a resolution to the effect that the risk to life and property occasioned by the existence of dangerous groups of islands, known as “The Snares," and the Auckland Islands, southward of Now Zealand, rendered the erection and maintenance of a lighthouse in that vicinity eminently deniable, and that it be a recommendation to the Imperial Government, audio the several Colonial Govern qmuts; to' watribute to the excuse of such

a light in proportion to the tonnage of the shipping, inwards or outwards, in Great Britain, and in each Colony deriving a benefit from the same. X.—AUSTRALIAN WINKS. 11l consequence of the treaty with France, which limits the alcoholic strength of wines admitted into the United Kingdom at Is per gallon duty to 2(5 degrees of proof spirit, virtually precluding the asportation of the most suitable class of Australian wines, the Conference appointed a committee to prepare a memorial to the Home Government on the subject. The committee brought up a report, praying that the strength of wines to be admitted at the shilling duty might he increased to 35 degrees ; and the memorial, having been discussed Mid considered, was adopted by the Conference.

The Sydney Mornhuj Hamid expresses the sentiments of New South Wales in regard to the Conference’s deliberations Altogether it appears to us that, in the matter of the postal service, Sydney has been pretty considerably snubbed ; threatened on the one side by Victoria, bribed on the other by New Zealand, and unable to accept either the threat or the bribe, it has been left out in the cold. The whole question seems to have resolved itself into a matter of bargain and sale, and the only consolation left to the New South Wales delegates was the privilege of entering a protest. * * * The fact, however, seems to be that, even if it were proved to demonstration, that the Melbourne terminus would be far more costly, the western Colonies are not in a position to offer any opposition. Mr Francis—to use Mr Lincoln’s phrase—has put his foot down, and Sir Henry Ayers, Mr Barrow, and Mr Barlec, altogether are not strong enough to pull it up.”