Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-11-26
THE CONTRACT PACKET SERVICE.
PROM rnE LONDON TINES or AUGUST II.

FROM THE LONDON rIAEs or AUGUST H.
SoUTHAMpTos AUGUST GA report of the committee
appointed by the House of Commons to investigate the
contract packet service recently issued and which gives
full information respecting the cost and working OF the
whole of the foreign and colonial mail service conducted
by the several contracting companies, deserves to be
cassed among the most practical and important produo-
tons of the session. containing as it Does mass OF in
formation concerning this great portion Of national
policy hitherto obtainabe by the public.
1t is evident that the committee have spared neither
time labor in their inquiries and that they have
ceeded in collecting and reducing to very Ineligible
shape immense Of figures and data connected with
the question: while they have brought into proper uxta
position the two sides of account the debtor and
utor OF which have hitherto been kept at different Gov
eminent departments the Admiralty making the contracts
ana disoursng the charges thereon and the Post Office
hetng the receipts in the shape postages All attempts
10 accomplish this very desirable object had until the APP
poinment OF this committee proved aborye and would
seem that the Government itself much in the
dark as the pubic with regard the Of service
rendered TO the State in the shape of the Trea
sury minute nsructng the committee be taken true
index OF the state OF the case in this particular
In the report or the committee hopes are also held out
that the receipts and expenditure of the service will be
brought to bear directly each other than the pre-
sent complicated system of Post Office accounts will per-
nit and it not improbable that when this is done the
difference between the total Of charges and revenue will
be considerably diminished As is the earnings Of the
going contract packet lin the shape Of
actually receved reach to 443, 1921 annually against
total subsidy of so, 1901.
AS the committee have reported separately on each con-
tract and the and earnings of the several lines
given enabled see what proportion exists
between the wages and the gains of the contracting
panie and curousy enough appears the best paid
earn the least and the paid the most for example,
Receive per ann. Earn per ann.
Inc west India Company f27O OO0.. ESQ, $40
The Cunard Company lbs, 040. 1875, 1893
The Peninsular and Oriental Com
pany 600..... 152 564
The West India Company paid their main lines
los lOd, per mile the Cunard Company, lis. AID per
mile; the Pennsular and Oriental Company, 6s I'd. per
mile.
With reference to the earnings of the companies az
above exhibited it should be borne in mind that only
Australian mail have have into the account
the credit of the Pennsular and Oriental Company and
II this mail progresses in bulk has recently done
tone hundred and seventytwo large boxes having been
shipped at Singapore by the last outward seamer there
doubt the earnings Of the Peninsuar and Oriental
Company steamers in the way of postage will show
balance to their credit and enable the Government to
make an actual pecuniary profit the total subsidy
paid to this which proportionatey the least remune
rated company.
One fact especially deserves notice in connection with
this return which is that the contract with the West In
da Mail Company contains clause under which there is
claim the Government for higher rates of payment
for conveying the mails the event Of the freight Goals
the rates of insurance exceeding certain limit This
extraordinary clause likely to speedily into
operation from the rise in reigh and yet it APP
pears that when the Pennsular and Oriental Company
solicited temporary suspension Of its service the
ground of the high price of GOALS but by Of the
ter impossibiy Of procuring ships to carry them out
the foreign stations they were met with refusal the
part OF the Goyernment except terms which al
together nadmssible that the principle admitted in
the contract with the highest paid and least remune
rating company was not granted even in modified form
the company earning most and the least remunerated
The application of thcP eninsuar and Oriental Compa-
ny for temporary relief from pressure Of circumstances
wholly unexpected and which they had control,
seems to have almost originated the idea of the present
inquiry, and the instructions given committee GER
ainy the impression that the Government would
have been well pleased to have cancelled some of the
tracts The report ought however to lead both the Gov
eminent and the public to view the system with
favor since it would be easy by judciously assmilang
the payments to the actual services rendered by the
spective contractors render the system self supporting
The Post Office ought not to be expected produce re-
venue, and complaints should not be made if the high
speed and regular and frequent transmission of the mails
which is of necessity attended with considerable expense
pretty well compensated by the in the shape
of hostages.
Neither the Government nor the committee appear to
have given consideration to the collateral advantages
OF the contract system possibly representative of the
Board Of Trade had been associated with the committee
views on this point might have been brought for
ward
Beyond the returns of postage as partial set-o
against the cost of maintaining these great lines of
muncaon to oil parts of the world the question one
Of great political, national and commercial Importance.
The supremacy Of this country be maintained
unimpared unless rapid and regular lines steamships to
and from the colonies and to foreign countries be
To abolish these great and indispensable systems inter-
would be to the mere occasional
and would necessarily throw mercantile and
political affairs into great disorder That judeous ate
raons may be made is undoubed but where the system
shown to be in many susceptible Of being render
ed not only sesupportng but possibly profitable then
there can be objection to the great benefits derived
from the system The evils Of inefcienty performing
mail service have been in the Of Australia great
drawback to the interests connected with that country,
and the uncertain and thing up this moment
adopted by the Government for accomplishing import
ant a service will yet produce their fruit
The report of the committee embraces many other
points of general interest not touched upon here among
Others the correspondence between the Admiralty and the
Royal Mail Steam Company respecting the continual ir
Irregularities Of the West India mail service ending in
inmaon that the forbearanee so long exercised towards
this company should STOP and that the is be
enforced likewise correspondence between the General
Screw Steam Shipping Company and the Admiralty in
which the application of that company for additional
for conveying the Cape and India pals was
refused and also copies Of correspondence between the
Lords of the Admiralty and the Australian Royal Mail
Steam Packet Company terminating in withdrawal from
that association Of the Government contract for carrying
the mails TO Australia.
DICHARD COTToM,s kINDRED-Al persons
claiming TO be the children descendants Of the bro
theirs sisters Of Richard Cotton, deceased formerly Of Ire
and, but who resided in Peersburgh, in Virginia for many
Cd tharaf herob In and