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5. Prepayment of postage on official correspondence. We recommend that Article XI of the Convention be amended so as to enable official correspondence for Union countries to be transmitted without postage stamps, provided such correspondence bears an indication thereon that the postage has been paid, and name of country, such as an impression, " Postage paid, New South Wales," G. Circulation of indecent or obscene matter by post. We recommend that provision be made in Article XVI of the Vienna Principal Convention for preventing the circulation of indecent or obscene matter through the post. 7. Proposed amendment of Clause 2, Article 26 of the Convention, and Detailed Regulation 39 so as to allow more time fur the careful consideration of important iiroposals to amend the Convention Regulations. The time allowed under the Convention no doubt meets all the requirements of European countries to consider and reply to any propositions, but is insufficient in the case of Australasian Colonies, which have to consult each other before coming to any conclusion, and before replying to Berne. We, therefore, suggest that longer time should be allowed than that provided for in Article 20, and we further suggest that only proposals of an urgent character should be submitted for consideration between two consecutive meetings of Congress. 8, Question of reduction of United Stales territorial transit rates on Australasian viail-mntler. The United States Post Office at present charges for the transmission of closed mails between San Francisco and New York— G francs per kilogramme for letters (2s. 2d. per ib.). 2 francs per kilogramme on other articles (Bjjd. per Hi.). The ordinary Union territorial transit rates are— 2 francs per kilo, on letters (Bsd. per ib ). 25 centimes per kilo, on other articles (l ( »d. per Ib.). Reductions were urged at the Brisbane (1893) and Wellington (1894) Conferences, and communications were addressed to the Postmaster-General at Washington, who stated in reply that the present special charges do not cover actual cost of transit, and in a later letter, that no reduction could be made pending further legislation. In view, however, of the fact that these rates are almost prohibitory (being the highest levied by any Union country), and tend to discourage the transmission of mails by the San Francisco route, we recommend that the representative at Washington should bring this matter before the Postal Union Congress, and urge that the rates be reduced. Notwithstanding that substantial reductions have been made in French and Italian territorial rates, those of United States of America remain unaltered. 9. " Regulation IX — Acknoidcdgrnenl of Delivery. 1. " Articles for which the sender requires an acknowledgment of delivery must be marked very clearly witli the inscription ' Avis de reception,' or be stamped with the letters A.li. 2. Acknowledgments of delivery must be prepared by the offices of destination on a form in accordance with, or analogous to, the pattern A annexed, and sent by those offices to the offices of origin, whose duty it is to deliver the acknowledgments to the senders of the articles to which they relate. Acknowledgments of delivery must be drawn up in French, or must bear a sublineary translation in that language." Under Detailed Regulation 9 to the Lisbon Convention (1885) forms of acknowledgment of receipt of registered articles were prepared by the offices of origin, but for some reason not known here the practice has been altered in the Vienna Convention so that the offices of delivery of registered articles are required to prepare such forms. {See Regulation 9.) In 1893 Bulgaria made a proposal to amend Regulation 9 so as to revert to the former practice, but on being submitted to the vote of Union offices the proposal was rejected. We suggest that the former practice of making out acknowledgments of delivery at offices of posting and attaching them to registered letters be reverted to. 10. Question of adding to Union Regulation 15, so that the name and address of sender be furnished in connection with inquiries for missing registered articles. We are of opinion that no instruction on this subject is necessary to the delegate. 11. Travellers , Cards — Article 18. After the words "address cards" in paragraph 1, Article 18, Detailed Regulations, wo recommend that the words " travellers' cards " be inserted, so as to agree with sub-par-agrapii H, of paragraph 4, which introduces travellers' cards. 12. Question of complimentary and seasonable inscriptions being allowed on Christmas, Easter, Birthday, and, such like cards. In 1893, at the instance of the British Post Office, the question whether "words added by hand on so-called ' Christmas ' or ' New Year's' cards, such as ' For John, with Aunt Mary's love,' ' To dear Mary from Cousin Jane,' &c," may be considered us dedications in the sense of letter "1" of paragraph 4 of Article 18 of the Detailed Regulations to the Principal Convention was submitted to an interpretative vote of Postal Union Offices. The question was resolved in the negative—nineteen offices out of thirty offices which voted declaring against the proposal. Cards of the class referred to are exchanged between the Australasian Colonies and the United Kingdom, and it has been arranged that they shall also be exchanged between the colonies and such other Union Administrations as may so agree with the London Office. We advise that the question be again considered at the forthcoming Congress with a view to these inscriptions being allowed, 13.