F.—B.

2

telegraph messages by means of the said telegraph-cables And whereas it was by the said recited agreement, among other things, provided that if in any year, while the rates in the said agreement referred to continued in force, the total receipts of the Company in respect of messages passing over the said cables should be less than the sum of twenty-six thousand two hundred and fifty-eight pounds, the New Zealand Government would pay to the Company a sum equal to three-fourths of the amount by which such receipts should be less than twenty-six thousand two hundred and fifty-eight pounds And whereas it has been agreed between the Governments of the Colonies of New South Wales and Victoria, the Province of South Australia, the Colonies of Western Australia and Tasmania, and ! the Government of New Zealand, in consideration of the Government of New Zealand having agreed to contribute ratably with the Governments of the Colonies of New South Wales and Victoria, the Province of South Australia, and the Colonies of Western Australia and Tasmania towards such sum (if any) as may be required in each year to bring the revenue derived by the Province of South Australia on international telegrams up to the sum of thirty-seven thousand five hundred and fifty-two pounds, in the event of the revenue of the said province derived from such international telegrams in any year not reaching that amount agreed to be contributed by the Governments of the said Colonies of New South Wales and Victoria, the Province of South Australia, and the Colonies of Western Australia and Tasmania under the terms of clause four of an agreement made the first day of November, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-two, between the Governors of the said colonies and the Governor of South Australia respectively, and in consideration of the Government of New Zealand having further agreed to join in the guarantee contained in an agreement dated the thirty-first day of March, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-one, made on behalf of the Governments of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania with the said Company, and of its bearing, in any event, one-fourth of the amount of any deficiency under the hereinbefore first-recited agreement, and of its bearing its share in providing for the remaining half of the sum necessary to make good such deficiency, that they, the Governments of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania will, with the Government of New Zealand, contribute towards making up a sum equal to one-half of any deficiency payable to the Company under the hereinbefore first-recited agreement, such sum to be contributed by the several contracting Governments pro raid on the basis of the population of their respective territories Now this Agebement witnessbth as follows (that is to say),— 1. The contracting parties (including New Zealand) mutually agree, for and on behalf of their respective Governments, that, in the event of the total receipts of the Company in respect of messages passing over the cables connecting New Zealand with New South Wales, and owned by the Company, while the rates referred to in the agreement made on behalf of the New Zealand Government on the thirteenth day of December, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-two, and the Company are in force, shall, in any one or more years within the meaning of the said agreement, be less than the sum of twenty-six thousand two hundred and fifty-eight pounds, then the Governments of the several contracting parties shall contribute towards making good the difference between the sum actually received in any such year and the sum of twenty-six thousand two hundred and fifty-eight pounds, but so that the sum to be so contributed by all the Governments shall not (including the amount to be contributed hereunder by the Government of New Zealand ratably with the Governments of the other contracting colonies to make up such half) in the whole exceed a sum equal to one-half of such deficiency. 2. The contracting parties further mutually agree, for and on behalf of their respective Governments, that, in the event of war and the telegraph-cables of the Company connecting New Zealand with New South Wales being injured or destroyed by the Queen's enemies, and the Government of New Zealand being called upon by the Company to bear the cost of restoring the same, that the Government of each of the contracting parties will contribute ratably towards providing the sum required to pay the Company this undertaking, and the obligation hereunder shall cease on the determination of the hereinbefore-recited agreement between the Company and the Government of New Zealand. 3. The amounts to be respectively contributed under the two last-preceding clauses by the Governments of the Colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, the Province of South Australia, and the Colonies of Western Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand towards making good such deficiency, or towards the cost of restoring the cables in the event of war and the same being injured or destroyed, shall be contributed pro raid by the Governments of the several colonies on the basis of population, exclusive of aborigines, the Government with a territory having the larger population to pay proportionately more than the Government of a territory having a smaller 4. For the purposes of this agreement, the respective populations of each of the contracting colonies, as ascertained at the census taken in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninetyone, shall be deemed to be the populations of each of such contracting colonies until the next census shall have been taken, when the respective populations as then ascertained shall be deemed to be such populations, and so on as each succeeding census shall be taken, so long as this agreement shall remain in force. 5. In the event of any deficiency arising, or in the event of war and the cables being destroyed or injured, and cost being incurred in restoring the same, the Government of New Zealand shall supply to each of the Governments of the other colonies full particulars of such deficiency or cost (as the case may be), with an account showing the estimated amount to be contributed by the Government of each of the contracting colonies, including New Zealand, and showing how the same is arrived at. 6. If the Governments of the respective contracting colonies do not challenge the correctness of the accounts, or the amounts estimated to be contributed by them respectively, within sixty days from the receipt of particulars of the same, they shall be deemed to have-accepted-the