No. 157

I have had the honor to receive Your Lordship's Despatch No 24
of the 22nd September, forwarding a Copy of the reply which you
had received from the General Post Office, assenting to my
recommendation that the Money Order System should be extended to
this Colony.

2. With reference to the enquiries contained in Mr Parkhurst's
Letter, I have the honor to state that—

1. In the first instance it will be sufficient for the
requirements of the Colony to make Orders payable at the Offices
in Victoria, New Westminster, and Cariboo.

2. I would recommend that the rate of Commission should be the
same as in the case of the Dominion of Canada, of which British
Columbia will probably soon form a part—viz:

For sums not exceeding Two pounds, one shilling. For sums above
Two, but not exceeding five pounds, two shillings; from Five to
seven pounds, three shillings, and from Seven to Ten pounds,
four shillings. But I would leave this to be settled in
accordance with the general experience of the General Post
Office.

3. To the proposed Rules generally this Government will readily
assent. But with regard to the eighteenth, I submit that
remittances by every Mail to meet Drafts would be unnecessary in
the case of this Colony; as the General Post Office has
periodically to make payment on our account to the Crown Agents,
in respect of the subsidy for carriage of the Mails to and from
San Francisco which is paid here in monthly instalments from the
Colonial Treasury. The amount of Money Orders is not likely to
be large, and the Imperial Office can then deduct it from the
payments due from that Department to the Colony.