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and not the Postal Department. Postal notes are intended for convenience in transmitting small sums. We do not intend it to abolish the money-order system at all. Beyond that at the present time we do not desire to go. We do not want these notes to go knocking about for six months , we prefer to have the time limited. So far we have been very successful. We do, I think, an enormous amount of business, and we are very well satisfied with the system as it is. Beyond that, to issue postal notes up to £5, or to issue them for the purposes of circulation, I am not prepared to go. I shall support the recommendation as it is. Hon. Dr. Cockbuen (South Australia) Ido not propose to make any alteration. My desire is to get a discussion on the subject, and I think the remarks that have been made are worthy of consideration. The practice of New Zealand is certainly worthy of consideration, if not of imitation. I shall not press the matter, but I quite agree with what has been said by the PostmastersGeneral of Victoria and New South Wales—that the Treasury is the proper department from which the bank issue should be started. We are anxious to take every step possible in that direction, but whether it is a possible step will have to be reserved for some other time. But, so far as South Australia is concerned, it will have the fullest consideration. Paragraph agreed to. Subject 21. United Kingdom, Exchange of postal notes with. Eead and agreed to. Australasian Postal Convention. Subject 22 Consideration of Convention generally Eead and agreed to. Tblbgeaph and Telephone. Subjects 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and 33 severally read and agreed to. Elbcteic Teamways, Light, and Powee. Subject 34 • Eegulations for electric light and power wires, Consideration of committee of experts' report. The paragraph relating thereto having been read, Hon. Dr Cockbuen (South Australia) said, —I think this Committee has done very valuable work in connection with electric power, which is coming more into importance day by day I move a vote of thanks, and that the committee be requested to complete their labours by reporting on electric tramways, and drafting regulations in regard to electric-power leads generally Hon. Mr Wilson (Queensland) seconded. The question being put, it was resolved in the affirmative. Paragraph, as amended, agreed to. Miscellaneous. Subject 35 Express messenger system and express companies. Eead and agreed to. Subject 36 Payment to masters of vessels for carriage of mails. Eead and agreed to. Subject 37 Eeply-paid envelopes. Eead and agreed to. Houe-zone Time System. (Vide also Appendix I, p xliii.) Subject 38 The Conference proceeded to the consideration of the hour-zone time system. Hon. Dr Cockbubn (South Australia) moved, and the question was proposed, That the resolution relating to the hour-zone system arrived at by the Brisbane Conference in 1893 be reaffirmed. Debate arose thereupon. Hon. Dr Cockbuen (South Australia) This is a matter of very considerable importance, having so many varying times, and we should take what steps we can towards arriving at uniformity, or, at least, such a measure of uniformity as may be agreed to by the colonies. I would move that the resolution arrived at at the Brisbane Conference be reaffirmed. And perhaps I may be allowed to lay upon the table of Conference a minute addressed by Sir Charles Todd on this question. The honourable gentleman then moved the following proposition That it is desirable, in the public interests, that the hour-zone system be adopted in a modified form, so that there shall be one time for Australia—viz., 135 th meridian, or nine hours east of Greenwich. Hon. Mr Waed (New Zealand) I will second the motion, so as to enable it to be discussed. Hon. Dr Cockbuen (South Australia) We are all of one opinion. We want to assimilate as soon as we can. Possibly we can place the colonies in three groups. That will be a great step in advance, and perhaps is as far as the Conference will be disposed to go. Hon. Mr. Wynne (Victoria) I think, if we adopt one, the difference will be too great as regards some of the colonies —Queensland, and probably Western Australia. It will be better, to my mind, to adopt three meridians, having 150, 135, and 120, making the difference in Victoria about twenty minutes earlier than the present time. That really was the line on which it was discussed at the Brisbane Conference, although the resolution does not read the same way The feeling of all the colonies, I think, is to bring out as near as possible the nearest line. Each colony has a different time, and it would be a great convenience to travelling and commercial people if we could reduce the great difference that exists at present. If something on the lines I have suggested were carried out, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania would have one time. Sir Chaeles Todd (South Australia) South Australia, under the new arrangement, will only alter her standard time fifteen minutes, and Melbourne forty minutes. Hon. Mr Wynne (Victoria) If we adopted the three, the extreme, of course, would be about half an hour But the 120 th meridian would have to be extended to the Western Australian border so as to have only one time for Western Australia. If we adopt the three zones, it would be eight hours for Western Australia, nine hours for South Australia, and ten hours for Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland, and New South Wales.

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