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Kingdom exceeding 500 tons gross tonnage, except steamships engaged in the coasting trade of the United Kingdom, from proceeding on any voyage, unless the owner or charterer of such steamship has been granted a license as hereinafter provided : Now, therefore, His Majesty is pleased, by and with the advice of his Privy Council, and in exercise of his prerogatives as aforesaid and of all. other powers him thereunto enabling, to order, and it is hereby ordered, that from and after the Ist day of March, 1916, no British steamship registered in the United Kingdom exceeding 500 tons gross tonnage, except steamships engaged in the coasting trade of the United Kingdom, shall proceed on any voyage unless a license to do so has been granted to or in favour of the owner or charterer of such steamship by the Licensing Committee appointed by the President of the Board of Trade under the provisions of the aforesaid Order in Council of the 10th November, 1915, which license may be general in reference to classes of ships or their voyages or special. And the President of the Board of Trade is to act and give instructions and directions accordingly. Almerio Fitzßoy.

No. 24. New Zealand, No. 138. My Lord, — Downing Street, 25th February, 1916. I have the honour to transmit to Your Excellency, for the information of your Ministers, the accompanying copy of a letter which has been received from the General Post Office relative to the issue of special postage-stamps in connection with the war. I have no doubt your Ministers will be good enough to give instructions that the provision of the Postal Union Convention (to which attention is called in the enclosed letter) should be complied with in connection with any such issues which have been or may become necessary. I have, &c, A. BONAR LAW. Governor His Excellency the Right Hon. the Earl of Liverpool, G.C.M.G., M.V.0., &c.

A.-l, 1917. No. 18.

Enclosures. Sir, — General Post Office, London, 9th February, 1916. I am directed by the Postmaster-General to send to you herewith, for the information of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, a copy of a letter which he has received from the Belgian Post Office, concerning the issue of special postage-stamps in connection with the war by this office and the post-offices of the British dominions and colonies. So far as this office is itself concerned, no special stamps have been issued in connection with the war, but, at the request of the Crown Agents for the Colonies, a series of British stamps was recently overprinted with the word " Nauru " for use in that occupied territory. Specimens of these stamps were dulj' distributed throughout the Postal Union, in accordance with the provisions of the Postal Union regulation referred to by the Belgion Post Office—namely, Art. XXXIX (see extract enclosed). The Indian Post Office issued a series of its stamps overprinted "1.E.F." for the use of the Indian Expeditionary Force, and. New Zealand overprinted a series of its stamps for use in Samoa. Specimens of both these series have been distributed throughout the Union. Other special war-stamps are understood to have been issued, overprinted with British inscription. — e.g., the German stamps of New Guinea, Samoa, and Togoland—but specimens of them have not been distributed, and it is no doubt to those stamps that the Belgian Post Office refers. If the Secretary of State considers it desirable, a reminder on the subject of the provisions of the Postal Union regulation quoted by the Belgian Post Office can perhaps be sent to the Governments of the Australian Commonwealth and of the Dominion of New Zealand, as well as to the self-governing dominions generally, and the Governors of the Crown colonies. If it should prove that sufficient specimens of the stamps in question are not now available to admit of distribution throughout the Postal. Union, it will perhaps be possible to obtain at least three specimens of each for preservation in the official collections of this office, and three specimens for the Belgian. Post Office. I am to add that, in the case of any stamps issued in the Crown colonies otherwise than through the Crown Agents for the Colonies, the specimens for distribution among the Post Offices of the Postal Union should be sent to this office for onward transmission to the International Bureau at Berne. The number of specimens of each stamp required for the purpose is at present 376. I am, &c, The Under-Secretary of State, Colonial Office, E. W. Farnalt,.