E.—No. 1
6
EURTHER PAPERS RELATIVE TO
No. 30 of Panama Papers, 1866, page 19.
Enclosure in No. 7. Sic,— British Packet Office, Panama, 27th July, 1866. Mr. Eliott Eliott, the Secretary of the General Post Office of New Zealand, having arrived at Panama by the packet from that Colony, on the 20th instant, I took the opportunity to offer to him certain suggestions in reference to the New Zealand mails, of which I have the honor to submit a copy for your perusal, and which I trust may meet your approval. These mails, on the first occasion, arrived without Letter Bills showing the postage due to the Imperial Post Office, and it became necessary, therefore, to prepare them in this office. I beg leave to enclose herewith the duplicates of these Letter Bills, showing the amounts of postage to be charged against the Colonies. An uniform rate of one shilling per half-ounce, and one penny, had been collected in the Colonies on letters and newspapers. I may further suggest that it would much facilitate the receipt and despatch of these mails at this office, if the Colony of New Zealand were to despatch all the colonial correspondence as at present it receives it. This would render unnecessary the numerous Letter Bills and separate accounts between the Imperial and Colonial Post Offices. I suggested this arrangement to Mr. Eliott, but he seemed to see some difficulty in its being carried out, and requested me to have the mails of each Colony separately weighed, which, of course, could only be done with the inward mails. As, however, the New Zealand Post Office now receives all mails for distribution to other Colonies, it will perhaps appear to you that it would be desirable to make the arrangement work both ways. I have, &c, John Tilley, Esq. Ciiaeles T. Bidwell.
Sub-Enclosure to Enclosure in No. 7. Memorandum of Suggestions relative to New Zealand mails. British Consulate and Packet Office, Panama, 24th July, 1866. To be sent in closed mails, addressed to London —Correspondence for England, except Southampton,, also for all countries through England. To be sent in a separate bag, addressed to Southampton—Correspondence for that place. To be sent in closed mails, addressed to New York—Correspondence for the United States of America, except California. To be sent in a separate bag, addressed to San Francisco—Correspondence for California and Sandwich Islands. Separate bags to be made up for each State in Central America, viz.:—Costa Eica, Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala. To be sent in mails, addressed to Panama —Correspondence for South Pacific Coast, Foreign West Indies, United States of Colombia (New Granada), Venezuela, East Coast of Mexico, Grey Town, British Columbia and Vancouver's Island, collecting postage to destination in advance, and accounting for postage beyond Panama on Panama Letter Bill. Separate parcels of the correspondence for each destination to be made to facilitate sorting for delivery to corresponding packets for cases of immediate departure from Panama. Table of Sates Shows when prepayment of rates is compulsory from Panama, and in all such cases the postage to be accounted for on Panama Letter Bill, unless sent in London mail and accounted for to London, in accordance with instructions that may have been received from the General Post Office, London. Letter Hill. One to include all mails from each Colony. All mails to be sent in bags, not boxes, and smaller bags than those now in use, to save expense in Isthmus transit. A map of each Colony would be useful in Panama, showing the Provinces of each Colony.
No. 8. Copy of a Letter from Mr. F. Hill to the Hon. John Hall. Sic, — General Post Office, London, Ist October, 1866. I am directed by the Postmaster-General to acknowledge the receipt of your further letter, of the 24th July last, in which you state that the Government of New Zealand have decided on levying upon the correspondence sent to this country in the mails via Panama the same rates of postage that are applicable to the correspondence forwarded by the route of Southampton and Suez, and request that like rates may be collected on correspondence forwarded from the United Kingdom to New Zealand via Panama. Steps were immediately taken for a compliance with your request, and lam to transmit for your information a copy of the notice issued. This alteration in the rates of postage has rendered necessary corresponding alterations in the forms of Letter Bill used with the mails via Panama, as the Colony will no longer be credited with any of the postage collected for newspapers, and will receive fivepence per half-ounce letter, instead of elevenpence, and threepence per four ounces, instead of fivepence on account of books and patterns. Provision has also been made, under Articles 4 and 5, Table 2, of the amended Letter Bill, for crediting your office with the sea postage due to the Colony on book packets, &c, from the Continent of Europe, as well as the sea postage and Colonial inland rate upon letters from France and countries. via France, which is not accounted for by the French Post Office to this office, letter by letter, but by net weight in ounces at the rate of one shilling and fourpence per ounce.