In

the New South Wales Government to the post office at Kororareka, in New Zealand, which was not created a separate colony until 1841. 1847 an overland mail between Sydney and Adelaide was established. Stamps in their present form were issued in 1849, and the postage rates were fixed at 1d. per oz. for town and 2d. for country letters, at which they remain in most of the states to-day.

Regular steam mail communication with Great Britain was first established in 1852. Until that time the Australian colonies had to depend upon the irregular arrival and despatch of sailing vessels for the carriage of mails; but in the year mentioned the steamships Australia, Chusan, and Great Britain were despatched from England, making the voyage in 60 days, and causing a strong desire in the minds of the colonists for a more frequent and steady system of steam communication with the Old World. The outbreak of the Crimean War in 1854 hindered for a while the accomplishment of this object; but in 1856 a line of steamers was again laid on, and the service was carried on by the Peninsular and Oriental Company and the Royal Mail Company for some years, but without giving so much satisfaction to the public as might have been expected.

As far back as 1854 a proposal was made for the establishment of a line of mail packets via Panama, and negotiations on the subject were carried on for several years between the British Government and the Governments of New South Wales and New Zealand. The result was that in 1866 the service was started, and continued in operation until the end of 1868, when it was terminated through the failure of the company by which it had been carried out. In the following year New South Wales, in conjunction with New Zealand, inaugurated a mail service via San Francisco, which, with a few interruptions and under various conditions, has been continued up to the present time.

The establishment of a mail route via America had the effect of stimulating the steamship-owners who were engaged in the service via Suez, and from that time there was a marked improvement in the steamers employed, as well as in the punctuality and speed with which the mails were delivered. The Peninsular and Oriental Company have carried mails for the colonies almost from the inception of the ocean steam service, with very few interruptions. Towards the end of 1878 the Orient Company commenced carrying mails between Australia and the United Kingdom, and have continued to do so ever since. In the year 1883 the fine steamers of the Messageries Maritimes of France entered the service, followed in 1887 by the North German Lloyd's so that there are now sometimes two or even three mails received and despatched every week, and a voyage to Europe, which was formerly a formidable undertaking, involving great loss of time and much discomfort, is regarded as a mere pleasure trip to fill up a holiday.

In the year 1893 another mail service was established, by a line of steamers running from Sydney to Vancouver Island, in British Columbia. This line seems likely to open up a valuable trade between the Australian

states and British North America. There is also a line of steamers running between Brisbane and London, but the states other than Queensland make little use of these vessels.

Under the provisions of the 51st clause of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, the control of the Post and Telegraph services became vested in the Commonwealth, and by proclamation these services were taken over on the 1st March, 1901. The systems of administration, and the rates levied in force in each state at the date of union were however continued until the Commonwealth Postal Act was brought into operation on the 1st November, 1902, thus securing uniformity in all the states.

GROWTH OF POSTAL BUSINESS.

The growth of postal business in each of the states during the forty-one years from 1861 to 1901 is shown below. It will be seen that the number of letters for all Australasia in 1861 was less than is now transacted by any individual state, Tasmania excepted. The true total for Australasia is, of course, not to be found by adding the figures of the several states together, as interstate letters are counted both in the state from which they are despatched and in that in which they are received for delivery. A second total is therefore given from which this excess has been excluded:

New South Wales.... 340 2,208 4,369,463 82,783,467 3,384,245 52,317,650 105,338 15,216,387

A corresponding table to that already given, showing the number of letters, newspapers, and packets per head of population, is appended :

Western Australia takes the lead in the transmission of letters and quals Tasmania in newspapers, and is only surpassed by New Zealand n the matter of packets; while Victoria in letters and postcards, and New South Wales in newspapers come second. A comparison of the average number of letters and postcards per head of population in Australasia with similar figures for the principal countries of the world is afforded by the table given below. It will be seen that on a population basis the correspondence of Australasia exceeds that of any of the countries named, with the exception of the United Kingdom :

RATES OF POSTAGE.

The inland letter postage is 1d. per oz. on town and 2d. on country letters in all the states of the Commonwealth of Australia, except Victoria and South Australia. In Victoria the rate is 1d. per oz., and in South Australia 2d. per oz. on all letters posted for delivery within the state. In Victoria the minimum charge was altered in 1890 from 2d. per oz. to 1d. per oz.; but the loss at that time was too great, and in 1892 the rate was again raised to 2d. per oz.; in 1901 it was once more In New South Wales the city and suburban reduced to 1d. per oz. rate of 1d. per oz., which is in force in the Metropolitan Suburban District, is also in operation within a 12-mile radius of Newcastle, and a 13-mile radius of nearly sixty of the other principal country towns. The inter-state and intercolonial rate is uniformly 2d. per oz. in Australasia. On the 1st January, 1901, New Zealand adopted a universal penny postage, and the loss attendant thereon for the year may be set down at about £34,000.

By arrangement with the Com

monwealth, New Zealand etters come to Australia for 1d., but letters When this matter was settled it was to New Zealand are charged 2d.

further arranged that New Zealand should reduce its terminal rate on cable messages exchanged with Australia from 1d. to d. per word; but, on the other hand, the Commonwealth made a liberal concession by reducing its terminal rate from 1d. per word per state to a uniform 1d. for the whole of Australia.

The diverse rates imposed on the carriage of newspapers in the various states of the Commonwealth, prior to the union, continued after the control became vested in the Federal Government, and up to the 1st November, 1902, when a uniform rate was imposed under the Post and Telegraph Rates Act, 1902. On all newspapers posted for delivery within the Commonwealth by registered newspaper proprietors, or by newsvendors, or returned by an agent or newsvendor to the publishing office, without condition as to the number contained in each addressed wrapper, a charge of 1d. per 20 oz. on the aggregate weight is imposed, and on all other newspapers posted within the Commonwealth for delivery therein, d. per 10 oz. or fraction thereof for each newspaper is levied. In New Zealand a charge of d. each is levied upon all newspapers, town and inland. The intercolonial postage is 1d. each to all the states except Queensland, to which province the charge is Id. each if not exceeding 4 oz., and i̟d. additional for every succeeding 2 oz.

REGISTERED LETTERS.

The number of registered letters and packets passing through the post-offices of the Australasian states has largely increased of late years. In New South Wales the number of such letters in 1901 was This number has been exceeded in previous years, for 1,213,277. so-called instance in 1892, when the number was 1,075,241, but this total was largely made up of correspondence relating to

"consultations," or lottery sweeps connected with horse-racing, which were established in Sydney, and to support which large sums of money were sent to that city from all parts of Australasia, as well as from other countries. Probably not less than 600,000 of the total for New South Wales in 1892 were associated with these lotteries. The Government of that state dealt with the evil in an amending Postal Bill in 1893, and this illicit branch of the postal traffic was removed to Queensland, where the number of registered letters at once greatly increased, and numbered 541,148 in 1895. But in 1896 the Parliament of Queensland passed an Act making these lotteries illegal, and the evil was transferred to Hobart, the registrations in the northern state in 1901 numbered 581,752. In South Australia 254,138 registered letters were dealt with during the year. In Western Australia 431,417 registered letters and packets were passed through the head office; while in New Zealand the registered articles dealt with numbered 599,308. For Victoria and Tasmania no particulars of registrations are available.

PARCELS POSTS.

Excepting Western Australia, where there was no inland service, there were inland, intercolonial, and international parcels posts in operation in 1901; but statistics of the services on a uniform basis are not obtainable. During the year 736,496 parcels, weighing 2,716,917 lb., and having a value of £622,496, passed through the post-office of New South Wales, the postage collected amounting to £48,099; in Victoria 310,734 parcels, yielding a revenue of £15,770, were dealt with; in Queensland the number of parcels which passed through the post-office was 296,264, weighing 1,028,511 lb., and the revenue derived from the service amounted to £16,822; in South Australia 45,063 parcels weighing 117,765 lb. were forwarded and the revenue received was £2,938; in Western Australia 33,647 parcels, the declared value of which was £62,147, and which yielded a revenue of £999, were dealt with; in Tasmania 18,535 inland and 2,825 ship parcels were posted during the year, while 21,865 packets and parcels, valued at £30,104, were received from the United Kingdom and the other states; and in New Zealand the parcels dealt with numbered 273,442, weighing 928,237 lb., of which 39,951, weighing 142,141 lb., and valued at £109,683, were received from places outside the state; and 11,588, weighing 29,762 lb., and valued at £16,154, were despatched from the colony.

MONEY ORDERS AND POSTAL NOTES.

In all the states there are money order and postal note systems in operation; and in all the states, except Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia, post-office savings banks. In Queensland there is a Government Savings Bank, but it is not placed under the administration of the Postmaster-General. The Victorian Post Office Savings