New-York tribune., 1869-04-03
GREAT BRITAIN.
THE CUNARD MAIL JOB.
lFROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.

LONDON. March 13.-One mans hatred OF iobbing
has at last dragged into light in the House of Com
mons, the long scandal of the Cunard mail contracts.
Mr.. Seely the member for Lincoln, is known for his
occasional brilliant raids on Admiralty abuses He
never did better service than last night when he
went outside Of the naval administration to expose
the last of many corrupt acts of the late Government
His motion brought on debate which anywhere but
in England would have put the seal of death on the
Cunard contract. and which even in England will
perhaps annul bargain that was on the eve OF
being irrevocaby closed. The mail arrangements be-
tween England and America are a matter
of deep interest on both sides of the ocean,
and the debate in the House last night was scarcely
less important to America than to England. For the
money which the Cunard Company takes in the first
place out of the Treasury here in the end out
of the pockets of those who in both countries go on
paying the high postages maintained solely to swell
the enormous profits of this steamship monopoly. Ii
the high postages and the great subsidies gave us
swift service the extorton might DO borne by the
commercial community, to whom speed and regular
ty are more than money. Bat we do not get what
we pay for, as Mr.. Seely proved last
night, and if did, we should have no
right to continue rate practically
prohibitory upon letters that the great mass Of the
people write / shall cite some evidence brought
forward by Mr. Seely, and add some of my own. Mr..
Seely made a very powerful statement; but he dwelt
most as an economist naturally would dwell, on the
extravagance of the proposed compensation. l think
the ineficiency of the Cunard service an even
stronger point. 1t was so under the old contract.
Under the new it is 80 striking that don't know
how to characterize the bargain without using
hard word-without saying that it is fraud upon
the public.
By the new contract the ToryIGovernment agreed
to pay the Cunard line f70000 q year for two weekly
mails, and the 1nman line f35,0O0 year for ono
weekly mail the contract TO be binding on the Gov
ernment for eight years Tho extravaganza of the
price needs but single fact TO prove It, VIZ: that
the North German Lloyds have been performing the
same service as the 1nman without any subsidy at
all-recevng only the postages on the letters they
carried, about $12,5OO for the year. The enormous
payment TO the Cunard and Inman lines can be de-
Tended only on the ground that equally good service
that is, service equally swift and equally regular
cannot be procured otherwise In a general way,
avoiding stat istcs the advocates Of the subsidy sys
TEN do make this claim behalf of their clients.
Let us see what the facts are
First: 1t is only fair TO separate tho Inman aud
Cunard services. Until lately they were rivals, now
they arc allies far the postal business goes.
The Inman line had formerly subsidy, and was a
great opponent of subsidies. A little more than
year ago the Messrs Inman wrote 10 the Chancellor
Of the Exchcquer that any advantage given 20 the
Cunard line could only injure the public service;
that a subsidy enabled the Cunarders 20 under
quote our rates of freight" although they had
good feet as Cunard And Inman at that timo de-
clared his willingness TO perform the service for the
postages only. i know nothing OF the circumstances
that have made the two old enemies now confeder-
ates il is enough TO say In respect 10 the claims Of
the Inman line, that ii is just much entitled 10
subsidy as the Cunard line. IL offers an honest sery-
ice III exchange for high pay while for still higher
pay the Cunard line offers service which is any
thing but honest. / have called IL fraud on the
public, and here is the proof.
The Cunard line proposes TO perform two weekly
services, the Inman one. The Cunard IS to receive
double the subsidy of the Inman. The claim to q
subsidy is based on regularity aud speed. in fact,
these two things. regularity and speed, are 30 de-
pendent on either that they cannot be separated.
1t is useless for vessel to start regularly II she ar
ryes irremlary or il her speed is so slow that she
regularly delivers her mails late The Cunard Com
pany run what may bo called two lines OF steamers
from Liverpool to New-York They star. So"
freight and emigrant ship from Liverpool for New
York via Boston every Tuesday. Their regular pas
senger line leaves Liverpool on Saturdays. Under
the new contract they receive the same subsidy for
tho cargo line and for the passenger line Mails are
al this moment actually made up every week in Lon
don, and forwarded by the slow Tuesday boats
which call at Queenstown for letters on Wednesdays.
Thcseboats make average passages of, think, more
than IA days. and are sometimes lG and IL. Ibclicve
should be perfectly safe in saying that they ner9
reach New York until after the arrival Of tho Inman
ships. which sail day later have not the record
of VOYAGES by me. and TO avoid contradiction will
say, seldom or never That is why l describe this
ngencnt as dishonest and fraud on the public
which pays fa5,000 year for service which Is no
service IL is, in fact worse than worthless, being
q positive annoyance and hndorance to business
men or others whose letters require speedy deiy-
cry. In London, can direct that my letters II
written OH Tuesday shall not be posted till Wedncs-
day. in order that they may not be sent by tho
Cunard cargo boats But what is a man to do on
tho continentf The new arrangement came into
operation while was in Madrid At first was Igno-
rant of IL and used TO post letters to reach London
OH Tuesdays 30 that they might be sure to go by tho
"Wednesday mail. The result was, they were sent
nv the slow Tuesday Cunard boats, and reached
New.York day or moro after tho lnman mails OF
Wednesday Afterward indorsed on the envelope.
"Not 70 be forwarded by the Tuesday Cnarder"
but don't know whether the post-olice people pah
anv respect TO my prohibition. Mr.. Seely who is
cautious man. says these boats are generally
oyertaken by boats which left one, two, and in somo
cases three days afterward.D Could there be
greater absurdity than to forward mails by such
tagging ships as thesei believe 1t has happened
more than once that the Tuesday Cunarder has
arrived in New-York not only after tho lnman
shin of the following day, but after the regular
Cunarder which left on Saturday-Jow days later.
II would be trnng with the public to send letters by
this cargo line on any terms. II the Messrs Cunard
would take them for nothing they ought not to be
allowed to receive them. What is to be said OF
contract by which the Government not only allows