E.—No. 5.

4

PAPERS RELATIVE TO THE

the subject of certain information supplied by Mr. Eobert Tooth, intimating a wish on the part of your Government to unite with the Government of this Colony in carrying out a monthly Mail Service with Great Britain via Torres Straits. I desire, on the part of the Queensland Government, to inform you that a very strong feeling exists, which, has extended itself to Members of both Houses of the Legislature, to co-operate heartily with your Colony in carrying out the Postal Service, and of opening up negotiations without delay. And I request that you will be good enough to favour me with the views of your Government upon this all-important subject. I have, &c, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Arthur Hodgson, New Zealand. Colonial Secretary.

Enclosure 1 in No. 3. Copy of Minute of Proceedings of the Executive Council on 19th May, 1869. Re Mail Service via Torres Straits. The Hon. the Vice-President, at the instance of the Hon. the Postmaster-General, submits for the consideration of the Council a letter from Mr. George Baff, dated 14th instant, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce at Brisbane, forwarding copy of a Besolution adopted at a meeting held on the 10th instant, and requesting the Government to give effect to it by inviting an expression of opinion from the Government of New Zealand in reference to the adoption of the Torres Straits route as the best means of supplying the Australian Colonies and New Zealand with a suitable foreign monthly service, which, by alternating with the service via King George's Sound, would thus secure a fortnightly mail. The Council deliberate. They advise that Mr. Baff's letter, with the recommendations thereon of the Hon. the PostmasterGeneral, be forwarded to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, so that the Government of New Zealand may be communicated with. A. V. Deuey, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Brisbane. Clerk of the Council.

Enclosure 2 in No. 3. Mr. G. Baef to the Hon. the Postmaster-Geneeal, Queensland. Brisbane Chamber of Commerce, Sic,— Brisbane, 14th May, 1869. As the matter has already had your attention, I consider that in fulfilling the duty imposed upon me by the Besolution passed at the meeting held in this Chamber on the 10th instant, to hear and consider the statement of Mr. Tooth, regarding the wish of the Government of New Zealand to unite with the Government of this Colony in an endeavour to arrange for a Mail Service by way of Torres Straits, it will only be necessary for me to refer you to the Besolution annexed, and to request that you will take the action suggested. I have, &c, Geo. Baee, The Hon. the Bostmaster-General. Chairman. " That, acting on the information supplied by Mr. Tooth, the Chairman of this meeting be requested to communicate with the Government, with a view to opening negotiations with the Colony of New Zealand for the purpose of establishing steam mail communication via Torres Straits."

Enclosure 3 in No. 3. Mr. Geoege Baef, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce at Brisbane, in forwarding copy of a Besolution adopted at a meeting held on the 10th instant, has requested the Government to give effect to it, by inviting an expression of opinion from the Government of New Zealand in reference to the adoption of the Torres Straits route as the best means of supplying the Australian Colonies and New Zealand with a suitable foreign monthly service, which, by alternating with the service via King George's Sound, would thus secure a fortnightly service. Mr. Baff, in common with the members of the Chamber of Commerce, and the other influential gentlemen who appear to have attended at the meeting referred to, has been led to believe that the New Zealand Government would not be indisposed, at the present time, to entertain propositions for the purpose of giving effect to this project, which for many years has been favourably entertained by the inhabitants of the settlements on the eastern shores of Australia. The experimental service conducted by the Government of Queensland in 1866 sufficiently demonstrated the safety and practicability of this route, under circumstances of an exceptional character, and there cannot now be any reasonable doubt that, for northern Queensland at any rate, it would provide the quickest mail communication with the United Kingdom and foreign countries. The discontinuance of the mail route via Banama, and the unfortunate disregard shown by the Imperial Government to the recommendations of the Government of Now Zealand and the other Australian Colonies, as embodied in the proceedings of the Conference held in Melbourne in March 1867, seem to render it by no means improbable that the Government of New Zealand may now he willing to co-operate with the Government of Queensland in establishing a mail service via Singapore. The tenders which have already been received in reply to an advertisement bearing date 17th January, 1867, may prove some guide in forming an estimate of the probable expenditure. The distance from Auckland to Brisbane is much the same as between Sydney and Auckland; and it is believed that in addition to the advantage of obtaining a regular mail service at a moderate rate via Singapore.