A.—3.

5

At the Treasury, Sydney, Thursday, 23rd January, 1873. Present: — Victoria: The Hon. J. G-. Francis. Queensland: The Hon. A. H. Palmer. The Hon. Edward Langton. The Hon. J. M. Thompson. New South Wales : The Hon. Henry Parkes. New Zealand : The Hon. Julius Vogel. The Hon. Saul Samuel. The Hon. W. H. Eeynolds. South Australia : The Hon. Sir Henry Ayers. Tasmania: The Hon. F. M. Innes. The Hon. J. H. Barrow. The Hon. J. M. Wilson. Western Australia : The Hon. F. P. Barlee. The Conference having met at the appointed hour, the minutes of the proceedings of yesterday's date were read by the Secretary, and confirmed. Mr. Parkes then laid before the Conference—(l.) The Circular Despatch from Lord Kimberley, Secretary of State for the Colonies, dated 4th September, 1872, on the subject of a new postal service with the Australasian Colonies, on the termination of the present contract with the P. and O. Co., at the end of the year 1873; also —(2.) Correspondence respecting action of Government of. Victoria relative to the new postal service via Suez. Mr. Samuel laid before the Conference the following papers:—(l.) Return of the specified and actual days of arrival and departure of the contract steamers of the P. and 0. Co., during the year 1872, showing the number of days taken in the passage from and to London, via Suez and Brindisi and via Suez and Southampton. (2.) Return of the arrival at and departure from Sydney of the steamers which, during the year 187 i, conveyed mails by way of New Zealand and California, and by way of Fiji and California, with the number of days occupied in the transit of the mails to and from London. (3.) Return of the number of letters, &c, despatched and received by the Peninsular and Oriental Co.'s steamships, between Galle and Sydney, and the cost of conveyance. (4.) Return showing the number of letters, &c, despatched and received by the steamships conveying maila between Sydney and San Francisco, and the cost of conveyance. (5.) Return of the number of letters, &c, received from and despatched to the East Indies, China, &c, by the packets of the P. and O. Co. Mr. Wilson then moved, " That Lord Kimberley's Despatch, above referred to, be considered as read." Seconded by Mr. Barlee, and agreed to. Mr. Parkes briefly stated the substance of the correspondence between the Government of New South Wales and the several Australian Colonies and New Zealand, bearing upon the present Conference, and laid before the Conference copies of the same. Mr. Parkes, as Chairman, then drew the attention of the Conference to the subject of the postal service between England and the Colonies, —which was generally discussed; and during such discussion, on the motion of Mr. Barrow, the Despatch from the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, dated 19th October, 1867, was read by the Secretary. 1. Mr. Wilson then handed in the following notice of motion, which was ordered to be printed, viz.:—"That the Governments of Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand, accept the proposal of the Lords of the Treasury, for the establishment and maintenance of a four-weekly mail service between Point de Galle and a port or ports in Australia, on the understanding that the cost of the branch services required to deliver the South Australian, Tasmanian, Queensland, and New Zealand mails shall be considered as part of the cost of the whole service, and on the further understanding that the several Governments shall contribute to the cost of the whole service in proportion to the correspondence conveyed by Buch mail service to and from each Colony." Mr. Samuel, during the said discussion, expressed his belief that the three postal lines, —viz., (1) From Galle to Sydney, via King George's Sound, Glenelg, and Melbourne; (2) From San Francisco and Melbourne, via Honolulu, Fiji, and Sydney, to include New Zealand either by a branch, line or otherwise; and (3) Singapore, Batavia, and Sydney, via Brisbane and other ports in Queensland, —could be carried out at a cost very little exceeding that paid by the Colonies collectively for the present line via Galle ; and in support of his statement submitted the approximate cost of each service, which the Conference desired might be printed. The Council adjourned at twenty-five minutes past 1, until next day at the usual hour. Henet Paekes, Chairman.

At the Treasury, Sydney, Friday, 24th January, 1873. Present: — Victoria: jThe Hon. J. G. Francis. New Zealand: The Hon. Julius Vogel. The Hon. E. Langton. The Hon. W. H. Reynold's. New South Wales : The Hon. Saul Samuel. Tasmania : The Hon. F. M. Innes. South Australia : The Hon. Sir Henry Ayers. The Hon. J. M. Wilson. The Hon. J. H. Barrow. Western Australia .- The Hon. F. P. Barlee. Queensland: The Hon. A. H. Palmer. The Hon. J. M. Thompson. The Conference having assembled at the hour appointed,—lt was proposed by the Hon. J. Gr. Francis, and unanimously agreed to, " That in consequence of the Legislative Assembly of New South. Wales having been in session for two days and nights consecutively, and the Chairman, Mr. Parkes, having been engaged without intermission for that period, this Conference stands adjourned until Monday next, at half-past 10 o'clock." The Conference adjourned accordingly. Heitey Paekes, Chairman.