A.—2
1884. NEW ZEALAND.
DESPATCHES FROM THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO THE GOVERNOR OF NEW ZEALAND.
Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.
No. 1. The Seceetaey of State for the Colonies to His Excellency the Goveenoe. (Circular.) Sir,— Downing Street, 19th June, 1883. I have the honour to transmit to you the accompanying copy of a circular which has been addressed by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to Her Majesty's representatives abroad respecting the exchange of official publications between this country and foreign countries. 2. The Lords Commissioners of the Treasury have expressed their readiness to consent to a similar arrangement for the exchange of official publications between this country and the principal British Colonies. 3. Official publications are already transmitted from the colonies to the British Museum, in pursuance of Colonial Eegulation No. 261, but not in every case with the completeness or regularity which could be desired. 4. Her Majesty's Government are therefore desirous to be informed whether your Government will undertake to transmit copies of all its official publications direct to the Librarian of the British Museum, upon the understanding that all English official publications described in the accompanying circular, with the reservations therein mentioned, shall be transmitted to the colony. 5. This proposal is not to be understood as interfering with the continued transmission of colonial official publications for the use of this department, nor with that of the colonial laws for the other libraries mentioned in the 261 st Colonial Eegulation. I have, &c. The Officer Administering the Government of DEEBY. New Zealand.
Reply, A.-1, No. 1.
Enclosure. Foreign Office, 12th April, 1883. You were informed by my circular despatch of the 31st December, 1880, that a committee had been appointed by the Treasury to inquire into and report upon the question of the interchange of parliamentary papers and other official documents with Foreign States. The object had in view in the appointment of that committee was to devise some uniform and general plan upon which applications of this nature should in future be dealt with; and, the committee having now made its report, the Lords of Her Majesty's Treasury have been pleased to lay down the following rules upon the subject. Whenever any application is made by the Government of an independent State for a " complete " exchange of its public documents with this country, the Lords of the Treasury will be prepared to entertain such a proposal, on the following understanding:— 1. That a "complete " set of the English official publications to be exchanged would be understood to consist of the following documents : (a) Papers of all kinds printed or presented to either House of Parliament; (Z>) Historical, scientific, or antiquarian works published by the Government, such as the Eecord publications, with liberty, however, of reserving very costly works, of which only a small number of copies may be printed, as subjects of separate negotiation; (c) Maps or charts published by Government; and (d) Departmental publications which are placed on sale, but not to include works published by booksellers with the aid of grants or subscriptions from Government. I—A. 2.