15

D—No. 2.

MR. STAFFORD TO COLONIAL SECRETARY TASMANIA, NEW SOUTH WALES, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, AND VICTORIA. Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland, 26th January, 1860. Sir, — As this Government is anxious to obtain information with a view to the establishment of Lines ( of Electric Telegraph in New Zealand, I should feel obliged by your informing me, Ist. Upon what system lines of Telegraph are established in Tasmania. 2nd. At what cost per mile Land and SubMarine Lines respectively have been completed. 3rd. At what cost they are maintained. 4th. How the working expenses are provided for. sth. By what authority the rates for Messages are determined. 6th. What laws are in force with respect to Telegraphs, and generally such other information as will place this Government in possession of all important questions relating to this subject. Apologizing for the trouble I am about to occasion. I have, &c, (Signed) E. W. Stafford. The Honorable The Colonial Secretary, Tasmania.

(Circulir.)

COLONIAL TREASURER, TASMANIA, TO COLONIAL SECRETARY, NEW ZEALAND. Colonial Treasury, Hobart Town, 22nd February, 1860. Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge your Letter of the 26th ultimo, in which you make several enquiries on the subject of Electric Telegraphs in this Colony, and I beg, in compliance with your wish, to forward a report which I have had prepared for your information. Should it fail to give all the intelligence you require, I shall be happy, as lar as it lies in my power, to supply the omission. I have, &c., (Signed) Fredk. Mclnnes. The Honorable The Colonial Secretary, New Zealand.

Establishment of Lines of Electric Telegraph in New Zealand. Electric Telegraph Department, Tasmania, 21st February, 1860. In accordance with the instructions of the Hon. the Colonial Treasurer I have the honor to submit the following statement, and other papers, with the view of affording the information requested by the Hon. the Colonial Secretary of New Zealand in his Letter oi the 26th January, with regard to the establishment of the Electric Telegraph in this Colony. I regret that, in so doing, I shall be prevented by other pressing business from entering as fully into the matter as I could wish, but still hope that the information given may prove of some service to the Government of New Zealand when the subject of the establishment of the projected Lines in that Colony is under consideration. The first subject on which information is requested in the Letter referred to is " upon what system, Lines of Electric Telegraph are established in Tasmania"? In reply to this question, I beg to state that the system is identically the same as that now universal in the neighbouring Colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, as also on most of the European Lines, i.e., the recording Telegraph of Morse. At present the amount of traffic on these Lines has not rendered it necessary to adopt any other than the single recording Instruments of this sytem which were supplied to this Government on the establishment of these Lines, nearly three years ago, at a cost of £45 per set—but, Ibelieve these Instruments can now be obtained from Melbourne at from £30 10s. per set. The Instruments first supplied to this Government are still in use here, and none could work better, but great improvements have recently been made in their working by means of which a Message can be transmitted and received from and to opposite Stations at the same moment, it would be highly advisable to adopt this description of Instrument at the Termini, and at important Town Stations, where the business would likely be large. Of the various Batteries used for Telegraph purposes I decidedly prefer that of "Chester," which we have lately adopted on these Lines with much success. We used the Groves Battery for some two years, and found it very steady and effective—but the very clean and constant nature of the " Chester" gives it great advantages over all others. We work the Chester at present for " Main" with a Groves or Daniells for " Local" Battery. We have also tried the Daniells, but found it required much labour and constant attention. There are many other Batteries but most of them are mere modifications of those I have mentioned, that of Bunsen for instance is very similar to the Groves, differing only in the substitution of the Charcoal for the Platinum element, the Chester again is very similar to that of Since. Most of these Batteries are to be obtained in Melbourne, or some of them could be constructed on the spot, but, from the excellence of all Telegraph stores hitherto obtained from Mel-

1 System of Telegraph established mm Tasmania.

Description of Instrument*.

Batteries.