AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA AND THE BRITISH SOLOMON ISLANDS PROTECTORATE AND THE GILBERT AND ELLICE ISLANDS PROTECTORATE FOR THE EXCHANGE OF MONEY ORDERS

(Suva-Melbourne, 9 September-5 November 1913)

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 1 APRIL 1914

It being considered desirable that an agreement should be entered into by the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate, and the Postmaster General's Department of the Commonwealth of Australia, the undersigned, duly authorised for the purpose, have agreed upon the following Articles. 
Article 1
There shall be a regular exchange of money orders between the British Solomon Islands Protectorate and the Commonwealth of Australia and between the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate and the Commonwealth of Australia. 
Article 2
1. The service shall be performed exclusively by the agency of offices of exchange. 
2. On the part of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate the office of exchange shall be Tulagi; on the part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate the office of exchange shall be Ocean Island; and on the part of the Commonwealth of Australia the office of exchange shall be Sydney. 
Article 3
1. The maximum amount of each money order shall be forty pounds (£40)[1] sterling. 
2. No money order shall contain a fractional part of a penny. 
Article 4
The amount of each money order, whether issued in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate; in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate; or in the Commonwealth of Australia, shall be expressed in sterling. 
Article 5
The amounts of money orders deposited by the remitters and paid to the payees shall be in gold coin, or any other legal money of the same current value. 
Article 6
Each money order shall be delivered to the remitter thereof to be forwarded by him, at his own expense, to the payee, except in the case of "through" orders (Article 7, paragraph 4) which shall be re-advised by the intermediary office of exchange. 
Article 7
1. The Postal Administrations of the respective countries shall have the power to fix, from time to time, the rates of commission to be charged on all money orders they may respectively issue. 
2. Each office shall notify to the other its tariff of charges or rates of commission which shall be established under this agreement, and those rates shall in all cases be payable in advance by the remitters and shall not be repayable. 
3. The commission so charged shall belong to the country of issue; but that country shall credit to the paying country one half of one percent on the total value of the orders issued in its jurisdiction and advised to the country of payment. 
4. In the case of money orders issued by the Commonwealth of Australia for payment in countries in respect of which the British Solomon Islands Protectorate or the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate may be able to act as intermediary; and likewise in the case of money orders issued by the British Solomon Islands Protectorate or by the Gilbert and Ellice Island Protectorate for payment in countries in respect of which the Commonwealth may be able to act as intermediary, the intermediary office shall be entitled to deduct from the amount of the order 3d. for each £5 or fraction thereof, such fee to be collected by the issuing Administration from the remitter. As in the case of ordinary money orders, this "through" commission will not be repayable to the remitter. 
Article 8
1. Each Administration shall have the power, under extraordinary circumstances which may warrant it, to temporarily suspend the exchange of money orders with the other. 
2. Notice of such suspension shall be given to the other Administration, if necessary by telegram, if such means of communication are available. 
Article 9
Money orders shall be drawn only on authorised money order offices of the respective countries and each Postal Administration shall furnish to the other a list of such offices and shall, from time to time, notify any addition to or change in such list. 
Article 10
Every money order and advice must contain the name of the office at which it is intended payment shall be made, and the islands or State in which such office is situated. 
Article 11
The applicant for a money order shall be required to furnish, if possible, the full surname and christian name (or at least the initial of one christian name) both of the remitter and of the payee, or the name of the firm or company who are the remitters or payees, and the address of the remitter. If, however, a christian name cannot be given, an order may nevertheless be issued at the remitter's risk. 
Article 12
1. Lists of money orders issued, Form A, shall be despatched from each office of exchange accompanied by the relative advices. The lists shall be numbered consecutively throughout the year, commencing with No. 1 at the beginning of the month of January in each year, and ending with the number of the last list despatched in the month of December of the same year. The money orders shown in the lists shall also be numbered consecutively (these numbers to be called "International Numbers") commencing with number one (1) at the beginning of each calendar year. 
2. The particulars of "through" orders (Article 7, paragraph 4) shall be entered either in red ink at the end of the ordinary advice lists or on separate sheets. 
3. In all cases of "through" orders the name and address of the payee, including name of the town and country of payment shall be given as fully as possible. 
Article 13
Lists shall be despatched only when there are advices to be forwarded, but a duplicate or letter press copy of every list shall be despatched by the mail following that by which the original list and advices were forwarded. 
Article 14
1. Each office of exchange shall promptly communicate to the other the correction of any simple error which it may discover in the verification of the lists. 
2. When the lists shall show irregularities which the receiving office cannot rectify, that office shall apply to the despatching office for an explanation, and such explanation shall be furnished without delay. 
3. Pending the receipt of the explanation, payment of orders found to be erroneous in the list may be suspended at the discretion of the paying office. 
Article 15
1. The orders drawn by each country on the other shall be subject, as regards payment, to the regulations which govern the payment of inland orders in the country on which they are drawn. 
2. The paid orders shall remain in the possession of the country of payment. 
Article 16
Duplicate orders shall be issued and transfer of place of payment made only by the Postal Administration of the country on which the original orders were drawn, and in conformity with the Regulations established or to be established in that country. 
Article 17
1. The remitter of a money order may, before payment of such order, demand repayment of the amount thereof or the rectification of the name or address of the payee. 
2. Repayments of the amounts of orders to remitters shall not be made until an authorisation for such repayment shall have been obtained by the country of issue from the country where such orders are payable, and the amounts of the repaid orders shall be duly credited to the former country in the quarterly account (Article 21). 
Article 18
Money orders which shall not have been paid within twelve calendar months after the month of issue shall become void and the sums received therefor shall be credited to and be at the disposal of the country of origin. 
Article 19
1. The remitter of a money order may obtain an Advice of Payment of the order by paying in advance to the exclusive profit of the Administration of the country of issue, a charge to be fixed by such Administration. 
2. If application for an Advice of Payment be made at the time of the issue of the order, the words "Advise Payment" shall be written on the order and the advice in the space for the date stamp of the office of payment, and the full address of the remitter shall be written after the name on the advice and in the list. The letters "A.P." shall also be written against the entry in the list. 
3. After paying the amount of the order, the paying office shall forward an Advice of Payment by first post as an ordinary letter, direct to the remitter. 
4. In the case of "through orders" (Article 7, paragraph 4) all completed forms of Advice of Payment shall be sent to the exchange office of the intermediary country, which shall arrange for their despatch to the remitters. 
5. If application for an Advice of Payment be made subsequent to the issue of an order, a form of Advice of Payment, giving full particulars of the order, and of the advising, and fully addressed to the remitter, shall be sent to the exchange office of the country of payment (or in the case of "through orders" to the exchange office of the intermediary country) which shall arrange for its completion and despatch to the remitter. 
Article 20
At the end of every month each office of exchange shall prepare and forward to the other office: 
(a) A statement showing the particulars of all orders which it has been authorised to repay to the remitters (Form B). 
(b) A statement showing the particulars of all orders issued by the other office which have remained unpaid at the end of the period specified in Article 18 (Form C). 
Article 21
At the close of each quarter or as soon thereafter as practicable, separate accounts, in duplicate, shall be prepared in, and forwarded by the Postmaster General's Department of the Commonwealth of Australia, on account of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, to the Chief Postmaster, Tulagi, and, on account of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate, to the Resident Commissioner, Ocean Island. Such accounts shall comprise forms D, E, F and G, in respect of the business between the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, or the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate and the Commonwealth of Australia; Form D showing particulars of orders authorised during the quarter on monthly Forms B to be repaid to remitters; Form E showing particulars of void orders brought to account during the quarter (vide monthly Forms C); Form F showing amount of each list (Forms A); and Form G showing general account of money order transactions based on particulars contained in Forms D, E and F. 
Article 22
1. If the balance shown in the general account (Form G) be in favour of the Commonwealth of Australia, the amount due shall, unless otherwise mutually arranged, be paid by the Postal Administration of the country against which the balance is standing, by cheque in sterling to the Deputy Postmaster General, Sydney, and the Secretary, Postmaster General's Department, Melbourne, advised of the payment. 
2. On the other hand, should the balance be in favour of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, or of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate the amount due shall be paid by the Postmaster General's Department of the Commonwealth of Australia to the credit of the Administration in favour of which the amount is shown to be standing, at the Bank of New Zealand, Sydney. 
3. The expenses attending all remittances made under the provisions of this Agreement shall invariably be borne by the Administration by which payment is to be made. 
Article 23
The Postal Administration of each country shall be authorised to adopt any additional rules, if not repugnant to the foregoing, for greater security against fraud, or for the better working of the system generally. All such additional rules, however, shall be communicated to the Postal Administration of the other country concerned. 
Article 24
This Agreement shall take effect on 1 April 1914, and shall continue in force until twelve months after either of the contracting countries shall have notified to the other its intention to terminate it. 

DONE in duplicate and signed at Fiji on the ninth day of September, 1913, and at Melbourne, Australia, on the fifth day of November, 1913.

[Signed:]
AGAR WYNNE
POSTMASTER GENERAL OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRLIA
	
[Signed:]
BICKHAM ESCOTT
HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR WESTERN PACIFIC	
Note: In the following samples of the forms to be used, the form for the British Solomon Islands Protectorate is given only. Forms for the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate will be similar with the substitution of the words "Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate" for "British Solomon Islands Protectorate" wherever the name of the Protectorate occurs. 

FORM A
No. of List ....................... 
LIST OF MONEY ORDERS ISSUED IN AUSTRALIA AND PAYABLE IN THE BRITISH SOLOMON ISLANDS PROTECTORATE

Despatched this .................................. day of .................................
Inter-national number 	Num-ber of order 	Date of order 	Office of issue 	Office of pay-ment 	Christian and surname of remitter 	Christian and surname of payee 	Amount of order 	Remarks	
							£	s	d		

											
											
No. of List ....................... 
LIST OF MONEY ORDERS ISSUED IN THE BRITISH SOLOMON ISLANDS PROTECTORATE AND PAYABLE IN AUSTRALIA
Despatched this .................................. day of .................................
Inter-national number 	Num-ber of order 	Date of order 	Office of issue 	Office of pay-ment 	Christian and surname of remitter 	Christian and surname of payee 	Amount of order 	Remarks	
							£	s	d		

											

FORM B

Postal Department of ....................................................................
Month of ................................... 19 .... 
STATEMENT OF MONEY ORDERS ISSUED IN .................................... PAYABLE IN ...................................... THE REPAYMENT OF WHICH BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ISSUING COUNTRY HAS BEEN AUTHORISED
Number of list 	Date of list 	International no. of money order 	Amount	Remarks	
			£	s	d		

							
							
		Total amount 					

FORM C

Postal Department of ....................................................................
Month of ................................... 19 .... 
STATEMENT OF MONEY ORDERS ISSUED IN .................................... FOR PAYMENT IN ..................................... OF WHICH PAYMENT HAS NOT BEEN DEMANDED BY THE PAYEE DURING THE PERIOD SUCH MONEY ORDERS WERE VALID
Number of list 	Date of list 	International no. of money order 	Amount	Remarks	
			£	s	d		

							

		Total amount 					

FORM D

TABLE SHOWING PARTICULARS OF SUCH ORDERS AS HAVE BEEN REPAID TO THE REMITTERS IN THE COUNTRY OF ISSUE BROUGHT TO ACCOUNT DURING THE QUARTER ENDED ....................................... 19....
ISSUED IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA 	
Number of list 	Date of list 	International no. of money order 	Amount of order 		
			£	s	d		

							

To credit of the Commonwealth of Australia 							
[Left side of form]
ISSUED IN THE BRITISH SOLOMON ISLANDS PROTECTORATE 	
Number of list 	Date of list 	International no. of money order 	Amount of order 		
			£	s	d		

							

To credit of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate 							
[Right side of form]

FORM E
This form is exactly similar to Form D, with the exception of the heading which will read: 
"TABLE SHOWING PARTICULARS OF SUCH ORDERS AS HAVE BECOME VOID
Brought to account during the quarter ended ....................... 19 ...."

FORM F

ABSTRACT OF THE LISTS OF MONEY ORDERS ISSUED BY THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA AND THE BRITISH SOLOMON ISLANDS PROTECTORATE RESPECTIVELY, DURING THE QUARTER ENDED ................................ 19 ....
ORDERS ISSUED BY THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA 	ORDERS ISSUED BY THE BRITISH SOLOMON ISLANDS PROTECTORATE 	
Date of list 	Number of list 	Amount of each list 	Date of list 	Number of list 	Amount of each list 	
		£	s	d			£	s	d	

										

Total to credit of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate 				Total to credit of the Commonwealth of Australia 						
General Post Office 
.................................... 
.................................... 
..................................... 
Accountant 
FORM G

ACCOUNT OF MONEY ORDER TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN THE BRITISH SOLOMON ISLANDS PROTECTORATE AND THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA, DURING THE QUARTER ENDED ..................... 19......
To credit of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate 							To credit of the Commonwealth of Australia 							
Balance from preceding account 
Amount of orders issued in the Commonwealth of Australia on the British Solomon Islands Protectorate 
Commission on amount of such issue at ½% 
Amount of void and repaid orders of British Solomon Islands Protectorate issue 
Remittances, viz.: 				£	s	d	Balance from preceding account 
Amount of orders issued in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate on the Commonwealth of Australia 
Commission on amount of such issue at ½% 
Amount of void and repaid orders of Australian issue 
Remittances, viz.: 				£	s	d	
Particulars	Amount				Particulars	Amount								
	£	s	d					£	s	d				

Balance in favour of the Commonwealth of Australia 							Balance in favour of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate 							
TOTAL							TOTAL							
Postmaster General's Department 
Central Office, Melbourne 
............................... 19.... 
.............................................. 
Chief Accountant 
The above statement is accepted with a balance of £......... due to ..................................... 
............................................... ............................................... 
..................................... 19.... ............................................... 

[1] Signed text shows "twenty pounds (£20)" and "forty pounds (£40)" inserted and initialled for Australia 2 October 1922.