11

A—3

Mr. Langton's motion was then put and carried, the division being the same as before. 4. Mr. Barlee then moved, " That this Conference is willing to substitute the Port of Cockburn Sound as a port of call for mail steamers at Western Australia, in lieu of King George's Sound, provided such arrangements are made by the Government of AVestern Australia as may obviate delay or any material increase in the cost of the service." And the same having been put from the chair, was unanimously agreed to. Mr. Barlee then requested the permission of the Conference to his making a confidential communication to the Government of Western Australia on the subject of the said resolution, affecting as it does that Colony, when it was proposed by Mr. Francis, seconded by Mr. Innes, and unanimously agreed to, that the permission be accorded. 5. Mr. Vogel proposed the following notice of motion, viz. : —" That the steamers shall call oft' Grlenelg to receive and deliver mails ; " which having been amended by the insertion of the words " in South Australia " after the word " Glenelg," was agreed to. 6. Mr. Langton then moved the following resolution :—': That unless otherwise determined by the Governments of a majority of the Colonies represented at this Conference, the rates of postage to the United Kingdom by any of the services agreed to by the Conference, and by any service which any one of the said Colonies may establish, shall be the same as at present by the Southampton route. The extra charge for mails via Brindisi to remain as at present." Which was unanimously agreed to. 7. Mr. Vogel gave notice of the following motion, viz. :—" (1.) That since a unanimous decision concerning the Galle Service cannot be arrived at, the undersigned representatives of the Colonies of , and which Colonies contain out of a total population for the whole of the Australasian Colonies of , urge upon the Imperial Government to leave the Colony of Victoria to arrange for the Galle Service to Melbourne on the following conditions:—That from the total cost of the service between Galle and Australia, including the cost of the necessary branch services to connect with the Colonies in Australia at which the mail steamer does not call, and with New Zealand and Tasmania, the Imperial subsidy be first deducted, and the balance be paid by the whole of the Australasian Colonies in the proportion of the letters they severally despatch by the route. (2.) A maximum sum to be named for each branch service, and the Colonies respectively interested to make each its own arrangements for its own branch service." The Conference then adjourned shortly after 1 o'clock, until a quarter to 2 o'clock. The Conference having resumed, Mr. Vogel proposed the first motion, of which notice had been given by him to-day, when, after discussion, Mr. Palmer moved, " That all the words after the word ' That,' in the first line, be omitted, down to and including the words 'on the following conditions;' " and the motion having been put by the Chairman, " That the words proposed to be omitted stand part of the question," it was resolved in the affirmative, as follows, viz.:— Ayes, 9. Noes, 4. Mr. Francis, Mr. Samuel, Mr. Langton, Mr. Palmer, Mr. Vogel, Mr. Thompson, and Mr. Eeynolds, Mr. Parkes. Mr. innes, Mr. Wilson, Sir H. Ayers, Mr. Barrow, Mr. Barlee. The Conference adjourned at twenty-five minutes past 3 o'clock, until the next day at half-past 10 o'clock. Henry Pakkes, Chairman.

At the Treasury, Sydney, Thursday, 30th January, 1873. Present: — New South Wales : The Hon. Henry Parkes. I South Australia : The Hon. Sir Henry Avers. The Hon. Saul Samuel. The Hon. J. H. Barrow. New Zealand: The Hon. Julius Vogel. Tasmania: The Hon. F. M. Innes. The Hon. W. 11. Eeynolds. The Hon. J. M. Wilson. Queensland: The Hon. A. H. Palmer. Victoria : The Hon. J. G. Francis. The Hon. J. M. Thompson. The Hon. E. Langton. Western Australia : The Hon. F. P. Barlee. The Conference having assembled at the usual hour, the minutes of the proceedings on the 29th instant wTere read and confirmed. Mr Parkes then stated that, in consequence of his presence at the Legislative Assembly on the preceding night, and his inability to confer with his colleague (Mr. Samuel) on the decision arrived at by the Conference on the subject of the terminus of the mail service via Galle, that the further ■consideration of the subject be postponed until such time as he could confer with his said colleague.