41

F.—6

(2.) The company shall use the Princess Royal Harbour at the Port of Albany whenever the use of such harbour is practicable. (3.) The company shall (if requested by the Postmaster-General so to do, and upon reasonable notice) substitute the Port of Fremantle, in Western Australia, for the Port of Albany as a port of call under this agreement, as soon as the mail-ships can use the Port of Fremantle with safety, and cargo-work and coaling can be carried on at such port in all states of the weather: Provided that whenever the mail-ships call at Fremantle such an additional number of hours shall be added to the period of transit hereinafter referred to as shall be agreed upon between the PostmasterGeneral and the company, or, failing agreement, b-3 setled by arbitration. 4. (1.) Each of the mail-ships shall on every outward voyage from Naples to Adelaide, as aforesaid, start from a port in the United Kingdom, and after the due delivery at Adelaide of the mails intended to be delivered at that port continue her voyage to Melbourne and thence to Sydney, and each of the mail-ships shall on every Homeward voyage commence her voyage to Naples at Sydney (calling at Melbourne on the route to Adelaide), and after the due delivery of the mails at Naples continue her voyage to a port in the United Kingdom, whether any mails mayor may not be required to be conveyed in any such mail-ship from or to the United Kingdom or to or from Melbourne or Sydney on any such voyage. (2.) The times at which the mail-ships shall start from or arrive at the port of departure or arrival in the United Kingdom, Melbourne, and Sydney, and the rate of speed of the mail-ships between the United Kingdom and Naples and between Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney shall be fixed by the company at their discretion, but not so as to affect the period of transit between Naples and Adelaide hereinafter referred to. (3.) The company shall be at liberty, at their option, to continue the outward voyage of any mail-ship beyond and after calling at Sydney to Newcastle (New South Wales), and to commence the Homeward voyage of the said mail-ship from Newcastle aforesaid, provided she calls at Sydney. (4.) In the event of any accident or delay which would, if any voyage of any mail-ship were continued beyond Adelaide or Melbourne respectively, prevent such mail-ship from starting on her return Homeward voyage from Adelaide at the time appointed for that purpose in pursuance of the provisions of this agreement, the company shall be at liberty to terminate the outward voyage of such mail-ship at Adelaide or Melbourne (as the case may be), and forthwith to commence the Homeward voyage of such mail-ship at the same place as the circumstances of the case may require. (5.) In any such case as is mentioned in the last subclause the company shall bear the cost of conveying to Sydney or to Melbourne and Sydney (as the case may be) all parcels on board the mail-ship intended for those places, and also the cost of the necessary conveyance from Sydney or Melbourne to Adelaide of any parcels from Sydney or Melbourne intended to be conveyed by the mail-ship on her Homeward voyage. 5. (1.) Each entire voyage of each of the mail-ships in either direction between Naples and Adelaide shall be completed within a period of 696 hours (hereinafter called "the period of transit "). (2.) The period of transit shall include the time allowed for all stoppages of the mail-ships at the intermediate ports, and the mail-ships shall stop on both the outward and Homeward voyages at Albany (or Fremantle) for six hours, and no less, and at Colombo for such period as may be necessary for the purpose of delivering, receiving, or exchanging mails, and in no case less than the period (not exceeding twenty-four hours) appointed by the Postmaster-General in that behalf. (3.) During the prevalence of the south-west monsoon the period of transit from Adelaide to Naples shall be extended by thirty-six hours. 6. (1.) Each period of transit shall be deemed to commence so soon after the time appointed by the Postmaster-General for the departure of the mail-ship from Naples and Adelaide respectively, or after the completion of the embarkation of the mails intended to be thereby conveyed (whichever shall last happen), as (having regard to practical considerations) the anchor of such mail-ship can be weighed, or the mail-ship can be loosed from her moorings, and each such period of transit shall be deemed to be completed when the mail-ship has arrived and been anchored or moored in some position at the port or place of destination from which the mails can conveniently be disembarked. (2.) In any case in which any outward or Homeward voyage between Naples and Adelaide may by reason of accident or other necessity be performed by more than one mail-ship the period of transit shall be reckoned from the commencement of the voyage of the mail-ship bj' which the first part of the conveyance shall be performed to the completion of the voyage of the mail-ship by which the last part of the conveyance shall be performed. (3.) The times of commencement and completion of each period of transit shall be ascertained and recorded, and all calculations in connection therewith shall be made by officers of the Post-master-General in pursuance of arrangements to be from time to time made by him for such purpose, and the decision of the Postmaster-General on all such questions shall be final and conclusive. 7. Should it be deemed by the Postmaster-General, his officers, or agents, requisite for the public service that any mail-ship should at any time or times delay her departure from any port from which the mails are to be conveyed under this agreement beyond the time appointed for her departure therefrom, the Postmaster-General or any of his officers or agents shall have power to order such delay (not, however, exceeding twenty-four hours), by letter addressed to the master of any such mail-ship or any person acting as such, and such letter shall be deemed a sufficient authority for such detention, and in any such case an equivalent addition shall be made to the period of transit during which such detention shall take place.

6—F. 6.