A.—2

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No. 30. New Zealand, No. 124. Sir, — Downing Street, 10th June, 1910. I have the honour to state that the directors of the British South Africa Company have requested that your Ministers may be informed that on the expiration of fche South African Customs Union Convention, on the 30th June, the Administrations of Southern and North-western Rhodesia do not propose to make any tariff alterations, and will be glad to continue to grant reciprocal privileges to products and manufactures of New Zealand on the lines of the present agreements. I have, &c, CREWE. The Officer administering the Government of New Zealand.

No. 31. New Zealand, No. 126. Sir, — Downing Street, 17th June, 1910. I have the honour to transmit to you, for the information of your Ministers, the accompanying copies of an Order in Council of the 22nd April, 1910, made under section 4 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1906, providing that Danish ships in ports of the United Kingdom shall be exempt from the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, relating to life-saving appliances, on proof that they have complied with the Danish regulations on the subject. I have, &c, CRBWE. The Officer administering the Government of New Zealand. Enclosure. Statutory Rules and Orders, 1910, No. 475. Merchant Shipping.—Pkevention of Accidents ; Life-saving Appliances. Order in Council exempting Danish Ships complying with Danish Provisions, from the Provisions of Sections 427-431 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894 (57-8 V., c. 60) as to Life-samng Appliances. At the Court at St. James's, the 22ud day of April, 1910. Present: His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, Lord President, Lord Steward, Sir Fleetwood Edwards, Colonel Seely. Whereas His Majesty was pleased, by his Commission dated the sth day of March, one thousand nine hundred and ten, to nominate and appoint His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, in His Majesty's absence from his realm in foreign parts, to hold on His Majesty's behalf, his Privy Council, and to signify thereat his approval of any matter or thing whereuuto His Royal Highness should be authorized by writing under His Majesty's Sign Manual, and to do further on His Majesty's behalf any matter or thing for the purposes of the said Commission, whereunto His Royal Highness should be authorized in manner aforesaid : And whereas by section 4 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1906, it is provided that sections 427 to 431 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894 (hereinafter called "the principal Act"), relating to life-saving appliances shall, after the appointed day, apply to all foreign ships while they are within any port of the United Kingdom as they apply to British ships : Provided that His Majesty may by Order in Council direct that those provisions shall not apply to any ship of a foreign country in which the provisions in force relating to life-saving appliances appear to His Majesty to be as effective as the provision? of Part V of the principal Act, on proof that those provisions are complied with in the case of that ship : And whereas by section 5 of the said Act it is provided that the said appointed day shall be the first day of January, 1909, or such other day, not being more than twelve months later, as the Board of Trade may appoint: And whereas the Board of Trade appointed the first day of October, 1909, to be the day after which the provisions of the principal Act relating to life-saving appliances should apply to all foreign ships while they are within any port of the United Kingdom as they apply to British ships : And whereas it appears to His Majesty that the provisions in force in Denmark relating to lifesaving appliances are as effective as the provisions of Part V of the priucipal Act: Now, therefore, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, being authorized thereto by writing under His Majesty's Sign Manual, doth, by and with the advice of His Majesty's Privy Council, on behalf of His Majesty direct that the provisions of sections 427 to 431 of the principal Act shall not apply to any Danish ship while within any port of the United Kingdom, if it is proved that the aforesaid Danish provisions relating to life-saving appliances are complied with in the case of that ship. Almbeic Fitzßoy.