VIENNA POSTAL CONFER ENCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXV, Issue 181, 4 June 1891, Page 4

VIENNA POSTAL CONFER ENCE.

(Evening Post.) j Exaotly how far New Zealand is committed by the agreement of the colonial delegates at the Vienna Conference that the colonies shall. enter the General Postal Union next Ootober is not very olear. At the reoent conference of Australasian Post-masters-General in Sydney it was agreed that eaoh oolony should be represented at Vienna. It was understood that the delegates would have no voting power, bub th^t they would hsar the discussions, anu if the question of tho admission of the colonies oame under oonsideratioa they would express the view embodied in a resolution passed at Sydney, viz,, tbat the oolonies would agree to enter the Union provided the present arrangement as to maritime oharges for international transit of mails was left uadisturbed. It would seem from this week's oable messages that the condition has been praotioally agreed to. The understanding at the Sydney gathering, however, was that on entrance to the Union the oolonies ought to have two votes between them, whereas the Conference has only allowed one, New Zealand is not represented, as Sir Dillon Bell waa unable to leave Loudon, and the Government are not aware that anyono had authority to enter into any undertaking on their aooount. StiU there is little doubt that onr colony will entor the Union, the great concession on its own side, viz., the reduotion of ocean postage rate to the Union level of 2Jd having already been made.

The ohief advantages accruing from membership of the Union are as follows :— All correspondence from the oolony oan be scut at the 2}d rate to every oountry whioh has catered the Union, instead of to Great Britain O'.'Jy, as now arranged. Praotioally all parts or the civilised world exoept the Australasian oolonies and the Cape are already attached to the Union, and the last named is considered likely to join nov. The right of transit is guaranteed througl - out ' the entire territory of the , UnioiJ. Facilities are afforded for the extension df the money order system to Union countries. By frequent interchange of opinions between Union offloeß, tbe postal services are likely to be materially improved in matters Of detail as well aB general prinoiples. Charges for re direotion are, abolished, so that all letters from Union ooun tries for New Zealand (exoept those wholly unpaid) would be delivered free, no matter how often the addressees changed tbeir address. This does not necessarily apply to re-direotionß df letters posted in the oolony for delivery within the colony, though the PostmasterGeneral has power to remit ♦••he extra oharge upon those also. There are also various smaller advantages mainly aSeoting matters of administration. '