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ADJOURNMENT. Letter from Mr. A. Coote. The PRESIDENT: Ido not wish to curtail the discussion, but I would like to adjourn now until Friday morning at 10 o'clock. The permanent heads of departments must have their report finished, and they cannot finish it this afternoon. Before we adjourn I wish to lay on the table a letter from Mr. Audley Coote, and correspondence re the Pacific cable (Appendix D), and move that it be printed. Question put and passed. The Conference then adjourned until Friday morning at 10 o'clock.

FRIDAY, 24 MARCH, 1893. The Conference met at 10 a.m. Present: New South Wales: The Hon. John Kidd, M.L.A., Postmaster-General. S. 11. Lambton, Esq., Deputy Postmaster-General. P. B. Walker, Esq., Secretary Telegraph Service. Victoria: The Hon. Agar Wynne, M.L.C., Postmaster-General. James Smibert, Esq., Deputy Postmaster-General. South Australia: Charles Todd, Esq., C.M.G., M.A., F.R.S., Postmaster-General and Superintendent of Telegraphs. Western Australia : Richard A. Sholl, Esq., Postmaster-General. Tasmania: The Hon. Agar Wynne, M.L.C., Acting for Postmaster-General, Tasmania. Robert Henry, Esq., Superintendent of Telegraphs. Henry Boyes, Esq., Secretary to the Post Office. New Zealand: The Hon. J. G.Ward, M.H.R., Postmaster-General and Commissioner of Telegraphs. C. Lemon, Esq., Ph.D., Superintendent of Telegraphs. Queensland: The Hon. Theodore Unmack, M.L.A., Minister for Railways and Postmaster-General (President). John McDonnell, Esq., Under Secretary to the Post and Telegraph Department and Superintendent of Telegraphs. PAPERS. The following papers were laid on the table, and ordered to be printed : — (1.) The Return of the Queensland Telegraph Service for 1892. (2.) Statement of business transacted between New South Wales and international, also New South Wales and New Zealand for the months of January and February, 1893. (3.) Return of Tasmanian Telegraph Service, 1892. (4.) Return of New South Wales Telegraph Service for .1892. SECOND CABLE ROUTE. Resumption of Debate. The Hon. J. G. WARD, resuming his address on this subject, said : I shall be brief in what I desire to say in connection with this question this morning. When the debate was adjourned I was traversing some of the remarks made by my friend, Mr. Todd. It would appear to me as if that gentleman had taken figures which were furnished several years ago, and it will be generally admitted that if those figures are applied to the existing conditions it will be found that they are largely in excess both as to the cost of the projected cable and the mileage. I do not think, however, that the financial aspect, as indicated by Mr. Todd, is the only one that this Conference should consider. There are many other circumstances of a very important character which should guide us in arriving at a conclusion in regard to this cable. The interests of the people of Fiji, Samoa, the Sandwich Islands, and Vancouver are considerable, and I have no hesitancy in saying that they would largely contribute if they saw a decided effort being made to establish Pacific cable communication. I feel very strongly upon this matter; and if some company does not carry the cable across the Pacific, or does not show a desire to do so at an early date, the interests involved are so great, and the possibilities of developing trade with the Pacific Islands, with Canada, and with America are so immense, it should be a matter for the serious consideration of the Governments of the Australasian Colonies, of Canada, and of England, whether they should not construct this cable themselves. If there are financial considerations which prevent private enterprise from embarking upon this undertaking and going through with it, the interests of Great Britain and its dependencies are such that they cannot afford to neglect the establishment of this communication. When it is remembered that there is a tendency towards an alteration in the American tariffs which will let our wool in free, as well as many other products of these colonies, it is our duty to do all we can to ensure the development of that trade which is now apparent. lam not going to give any expression of opinion upon the proposed cable to New Caledonia, further