The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-12-14

The contract for mail service to japan
and China has been awarded To the Pacific
Mail Steamship Company, at the rate of
$4,000 for 2 round trips between San
Francisco and Hong Kong touching Hon
olulu, Sandwich, Islands, and Kanagawa,
Japan, service to commence by the lst Of
January, 1867.
| Inc report asks for authority to compen-
safe sailing vessels conveying the mails to
foreign ports. m G.EN
''Prior to- June /, 1857, three lines of
American steamships were EMPLOYED I'm
transporting the mails to and from Europe.
receiving subsidies under special acts of CON
gress, amounting to 81 ,508, 900 per annum.
The New, York and Liverpool OoHlns) line
received an annual subsidy of 1855, 900 for
26 round trips, the New York, iSounthamp-
ton and Bremen line 5000. 900, and the New
York, Cowes ard Havre line $500 for
twelve round trips each per annum.
@sfhe contracts with the Bremen and
Havre lines expired on the 1st of June,
1907, and were not renewed but tempo
rary contracts were made with the proprie-
tors TO continue the service on both routes
for the United States hostages on the mails
conveyed, and inaugurating system of
self sustaining ocean mail service, subse-
quently adopted as the policy of the govern
nleut by act of June-14, 1853, limiting the
compensation to the sea and United States
inland postage when the conveyance is by
an American, and to the sea postage only
when by a foreign vessel
''The service of the New York and Liver
pool (Collins) line ceased in the month of
February, 1858, since which time the mails
have been carried between those ports for
the hostages"
The postmaster general ia unfavorable to
paying subsidies to American lines running
| to foreign ports, as done by Great Britain
and France. He says the department. has
no information warrsnting the conclusion
that American lines would not have been
sustained during the same period under the
provisions OF the existing law allowing the
| United States postage-as a compensation
for the service" He sums up as follows:
ut is also to be. observed that Great
Britain grants subsidy to- bat single
line OF steamships to the United States If
it was advisable for this Government to
grant like monopoly to any single line of
american steamers, it could be paid, under
the provisions of the existing law q liberal
mail compensation equal to any subsidy that
Congress would be likely TO grant But
were it practicable to satisfy the conflicting
claims Of our principal Atlantic cities by
granting monopoly to a single line Of
steamers, sailing from any one port, the
effects OF such a measure would be to retard
rather than advance the general commercial
prosperity of the country; and as it would
be injudicious to subsidize separate lines
from each of our Atlantic ports, because Of
the large expenditure it would involve, it ID
submitted whether our commercial interests
are not best advanced by the present mode
of encouraging ooanpetitionin ocean steam
navigation AT least, thewiser course will
be to postpone additional grants in aid Of
ocean steam lines. ulitiIthe system based
upon postage earnings has had fair trial in
time of peace, and Of greatly increased &C
tivity iu commercial affairs p