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Mr. Todd, in taking the chair, thanked the members of the Committee for the position of honour to which they had elected him. He pointed out that the Committee had been formed in accordance with a resolution passed at the Postal Conference held in Hobart last year, for the purpose of drafting rules and regulations for erection of electric light and power wires, &c. It was his mournful duty to announce that one of the members appointed to the Committee had been removed by death; he referred to the late Mr. E. C. Cracknell, whose loss was deeply felt by all. Mr. Cracknell, who first came to the colonies in 1855, was appointed as his assistant in that year, and rendered valuable aid in erecting tho first lines of telegraph in South Australia, being those between Adelaide and Port Adelaide, Adelaide and Gawler ; also the first intercolonial line between Adelaide and Melbourne. In 1857 he (Mr. Todd) was asked by Captain Martindale, of New South Wales, if he could recommend a suitable person to take charge of the telegraph service about to be started in that colony, and as it was a day of small things in South Australia, he strongly recommended Mr. Cracknell to accept the appointment: and, as Superintendent of Telegraphs in New South Wales —a position that he held up to the time of his death —Mr. Cracknell completed a most distinguished career, and carried out much useful work in the cause of electrical science. The mantle of Mr. Cracknell had now fallen on his old friend, Mr. P. B. Walker, who was worthy of the position, and who, he hoped, would long continue to occupy it. He next referred to the work that was before the Committee, and suggested that the different Acts and Bills on electric light and power matters should be considered, and a complete set of Rules and Regulations drafted to insure the public safety aud protect the interests of the telegraph service in the future erection of all electric light and power wires. That the question of appointing a Board of Control should also be dealt with ; and if there was time, he would like the Committee to consider the advisableness of recommending that all telephone circuits should be changed to metallic circuits as soon as possible. The resolution passed at the Hobart Conference was as follows : —Moved by the Hon. W. Copley, Minister of Agriculture and Education (South Australia), and seconded by the Hon. John Kidd, Postmaster-General of New South Wales—"That the drafting of a code of Rules and Regulations for erection of electric light and power wires be referred to a committee of experts, consisting of Messrs. E. C. Cracknell, George Smibert, A. F. Matveieff, R. Henry, and C. Todd, representing the Telegraph Departments of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, and South Australia; and Messrs. Haes, Arnot, and Callender, representing the Electric Light Companies. Mr. Todd to be convener of the Committee, and the report to be forwarded to the various Postmasters-General." In moving the resolution, the Hon. W. Copley said: "It was well known that electric light and power was making great progress, and it was also known that there were dangers in connection with it if due precautions were not taken. It was necessary before it made any great advance in the colonies that some legislation should be adopted in regard to it. It was well known that terrible instances of the danger of these wires had taken place in New York and other places, and it was also well known that they seriously affected the working of the telegraph and telephone lines, the instruments in some cases having been destroyed by the electric light wires coming in contact with them. " The main questions to be considered by the proposed Committee were — 1. The means to be taken for preventing the electric light wires affecting, by induction or otherwise, the efficient working of the telegraph and telephone wires. 2. The best methods for the protection of these telegraph lines from mechanical injury by the falling of electric light or power cables. 3. The methods to be adopted for the protection of the telegraph and telephone wires in crossing electric light cables. 4. The length of spans and the height of these cables above streets and buildings. 5. To secure proper insulation of cables. 6. To secure proper supports and safe methods of suspension." Mr. Todd further said: Since the passing of the foregoing resolution at Hobart, Mr. E. C. Cracknell, Superintendent of Telegraphs, New South Wales, having been removed by death, and Mr. A. F. Matveieff, Superintendent of Telegraphs, Queensland, having retired from the service, the following names had been added, with the concurrence of all the colonies interested, viz.: —Mr. P. B. Walker's name substituted for that of Mr. E. C. Cracknell—Mr. Walker was also authorised to represent Queensland, in the place of Mr. Matveieff; Professor Kernot, at the instance of the Victorian Institute of Engineers; and Mr. J. H. C. Langdon, City Surveyor of Adelaide. Professor Kernot unfortunately was unable to attend, but wrote to the Chairman as follows : — " I shall be very glad to see some steps taken towards giving the Electric Supply Companies a legal tenure, provided that the restrictions imposed are reasonable. " Overhead wiring is essential in scattered places like Melbourne and other Victorian cities. To forbid it would be to stop the enterprise absolutely. The experience of the last five years in Melbourne has abundantly proved the safety of overhead wiring for 2,000 volt alternating currents. We have three large companies running at this tension, with altogether, I estimate, nearly 200 miles of high-tension mains in our streets." A number of valuable papers were laid before the Committee relating to electric lighting and the transmission of electrical energy, the rules and regulations of the Board of Trade of the United Kingdom, extracts from the regulations of other countries, and a paper by Sir. W. Thomson, now Lord Kelvin. A schedule of these papers is appended to this report. After very careful consideration of these papers, and the special conditions and requirements of the Australian colonies, the following resolutions proposed by Mr. Charles Todd were passed : — 1. " That it is desirable that the laws and regulations relating to the erection of electric light and power wires for the supply of electrical energy should, as far as possible, be uniform throughout the Australian colonies." 2. "That