THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 32, 5 March 1873, Page 2

THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES.

[FROM THE NEW ZEALAND PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Sydney, February 15. The Intercolonial Conference closed yesterday. The resolutions passed were :— 1. Melbourne to be the terminus of the Galle service, the branch services forming cost of general line, to which other colonies will be called on to contribute, on the basis of the amount of matter transmitted by each. Sydney delegates moved a resolution to call for tenders at Melbourne and Sydney, and to accept lowest tender, which was negatived, A formal protest was entered. 2. Torres Strait line to bo established at a cost not exceeding £2,500. The Imperial Government to be asked to pay £5OOO subsidy. 3. Imperial Government to be asked to pay £20,000 towards the Californian line as arranged by New South Wales and New Zealand ; also to arrange for the conveyance of mails between London and San Francisco. 4. The present ocean postal rates to continue. Intercolonial rates to be reduced next year to twopence. 5. Second cable from Singapore to Normantown recommended, and the Home Government asked to join the colonies in subsidising £2500 to reduce the general charge of telegrams. Intercolonial telegrams reduced to a shilling for ten words within each colony. The question of free Press daily telegrams negatived. 6. Lord Kimberley urged to re-consider restrictions on inter-colonial commercial reciprocity. 7. Inter-colonial customs union recommended on basis of tariff arranged for purposes on revenue only; not for protection. 8. Conference affirmed the desirability of abolishing collection of border duties, and substituting payment of a lump sum. 9. Question of coast lights referred to a committee. Lighthouse on Snares and Auckland Islands recommended. 10. Home Government to be asked to alter wine tariff, which now precludes coloilial wines on the footing of French. 11. Colonies to pass laws to facilitate arrest of absconding debtors and criminals. 12. Home Govertiment to be asked to legalise investment of English trust fund in colonial securities. 13. Refuge for distressed seamen, to be maintained at Somerset; Queensland defraying one-third cost. 14. All colonies to prohibit importation of live stock for two years from foreign countries where infectious diseases exist. 15. British Government urged to assume the protectorate of Fiji. 16. Future colonial statistics to be collected on uniform plan arranged by Governments of Victoria and Sydney. Mr. Vogel is likely to remain a few days in Sydney to arrange with the Government about the San Francisco service. The Sydney papers publish a letter from Messrs. Vogel and Reynolds to Mr. Parkes, {imposing that New South Wales join New Zeaand in the maintenance of the Webb line, and that both should unite in the manner provided in the provisional contract between Messrs. Vogel and Duffy last year ; Sydney being substituted for Melbourne.— New Zealand Herald.