166

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

MONDAY, 11TH MARCH, 1867.

Present:
Victoria ... The Hon. James McCulloch, | Queensland ... The Hon. A. Macalister,
The Hon. G. F. Verdon. | The Hon. St. George R. Gore.
New South Wales The Hon. H. Parkes, | Tasmania ... The Hon. T. D. Chapman.
The Hon. J. Docker. | New Zealand ... The Hon. J. Hall,
South Australia... The Hon. J. P. Boucaut, | " ... Crosbie Ward, Esq.
The Hon. W. Duffield.

Mr. Macalister proposed—That three postal routes be established, viz., via Suez and King George's
Sound, via Panama, and via Singapore and Torres Straits, and that the cost of these services be borne
by the United Kingdom and the Colonies respectively, on the basis of the proposition contained in the
memorandum handed in by the representatives of New Zealand (vide pp. 177-8), and that the colonial
moiety be paid by the Colonies respectively in the following proportions, viz. :----

Victoria ... ... ... ... £ 48,000
New South Wales ... ... ... 47,000
South Australia ... ... ... 16,000
New Zealand ... ... ... 39,400
Queensland ... ... ... 20,500
Tasmania ... ... ... 5,000
Western Australia ... ... ... 700

Amounting to ... ... ... £177,000

being moiety of the estimated cost of the three lines with branch services.
Seconded by Mr. Gore.
Discussion ensued.
Copy of resolutions to be moved by Mr. Parkes handed in.—Ordered to be printed. (See below.)
Memorandum handed in by the representatives of South Australia.—Ordered to be printed.
(Vide p. 179.)
The meeting then adjourned, at 2 p.m., until 11 a.m. on Tuesday, the 12th.

JAMES MCCULLOCH.

TUESDAY, 12TH MARCH, 1867.
Present:
Victoria ... The Hon. James McCulloch, | Queensland ... The Hon. A. Macalister,
The Hon. G. F. Verdon. | The Hon. St. George R. Gore.
New South Wales The Hon. H. Parkes, | Tasmania ... The Hon. T. D. Chapman.
The Hon. J. Docker. | New Zealand ... The Hon. J. Hall,
South Australia... The Hon. J. P. Boucaut, | " ... Crosbie Ward, Esq.
The Hon. W. Duffield.

The minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed—
Mr. Macalister requested to be allowed to withdraw the resolution standing in his name in favor
of the following—moved by Mr. Parkes :—

"1. That any scheme of ocean postal communication agreed upon by this Conference should, in
providing for the general convenience, be so adapted to special interests as to secure the concurrence
and support of all the associated Colonies.
"2. That any such scheme will be valuable to each of the Colonies in proportion to the number of
points of commercial intercourse which it shall be made to include, in combination of expedition and
regularity of conveyance between Great Britain and Australia.
"3. That the facilities for the transmission of merchandise and for passenger traffic ought not to
be overlooked as collateral advantages.
"4. That the advantage of more rapid telegraphic communication by way of Torres Straits
commends that route to the favorable consideration of the Conference.
"5. That the contributions of the associated Colonies to the cost of any such general scheme
should be proportioned, not so much by calculations of the actual population or the post office
correspondence, as on the basis of a compromise of interests and preference in view of a common
federal object.
"6. That, considering our political connection as dependencies of the Crown, and the interest of
England as a commercial nation in the trade and progress of the Colonies, one-half of the cost of any
such aggregate scheme ought in justice to be borne by the Imperial Government.
"7. That in the proposed federal action, the Colonies of Victoria, New South Wales, and New
Zealand are considered as possessing equal interests, which may be approximately estimated as follows :—
Victoria.—On the basis of population and commerce, with her general interest in Australian
progress, and her special interest in the maintenance of the Suez route, from her undoubted
priority of advantages derived from it.
New South Wales.—On the basis of population and commerce and the same general
interest, with her supposed greater interest with the Panama route.
New Zealand.—On the same basis of individual and general interest, with her undoubted
priority of advantages in communication via Panama.
"8. That the interests of Queensland, governed by her geographical situation, require a special
service which does not present any considerable advantages to the other Colonies, but that it is not
desirable that Queensland should be disunited from the other Colonies in the settlement of this
question.