The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-12-23
TIE PACIFIC
Commercial 9bbrrtisfr.
SATURDAY,, DECEMBER %.
Postal Subsidies.

SSGO
By advices from New Zealand and Australia
received by the Ne6raska, we are defnitively in
formed that the Colony of New Zealand had rati-
fed the contract as commend by the Mel
bourne Conference, with the additional proviso
however that the amount Of subsidy shall not be
increased during the ten years, and that the boats
shall perform the coastal service to Port Chalmers.
This latter stipulation was looked upon by some
as fatal to the scheme, as was an amendment
which was moved to limit the contract to three
years, Mr.. Stafford, one of the Ministerial party,
being reported to have expressed Indifference as 20
which amendment was carried, he being convinced
that in either case the result would be the same,
as the contractors would be unable to carry on the
coastal service for the present subsidy. After a
long desate, in which the report says that much
personal reerimination was INDUCED in between
members and the Ministers, the amendment to re-
strict TO three years was lost, and the original
resolution, r~atifying the payment of a subsidy of
EGO 600 for ten years (and STIMULATING for the
coastal service) was carried, by a large majority.
This was ON the Sd of November.
On November 10th, in the Parliament of New
South Wales, after considerable discussion, the
contract entered into at the Melbourne Conference
was disagreed with, by a vote of "a to Is. So
far as that Colony is concerned, this action of the
Legislature ends the project Of Sydney sharing
with the other ports in the advantages of a steam
ship line to San Francisco ,-for the present year
at least.
But the Government of Victoria, however, on
the 9th of October, secured a majority of two
to one in favor of the proposed subsidy. During
the debate, the opposition raised the question as
to whether Sydney or Melbourne should have the
advantage of the expenditure connected with the
repair and victualling OF the steamers, by reason
Of being the terminus. As we have seen above
that New South Wales declines to enter into
the contract, and Victoria consents to do 50, the
question of terminus will not be a difficult one to
determine.
The question recurs, will the subsidies and
contracts thus granted by the Legislatures of
New Zealand and Victoria be sufficient to warrant
Mr.. Webb in continuing the line? The princi-
pal objection in the way at present appears to be
the stipulation insisted on by New Zealand, that
the boats shall proceed to " Port Chalmers, by
way of and calling at Auckland, Wellington, and
Lyttleton,' - making Port Chalmers the terminus
for that Colony. We hear nothing now of the
difficulty which was urged a few months ago,
that vessels under the American flag could not
engage in the Colonial coasting trade, and if that
difficulty no longer exists, there would appear to
be nothing to prevent Mr.. Webb putting on
a branch line OF boats to connect Port Chalmers
and Intermediate ports with Auckland, while the
main line should run direct from the latter port
to Melbourne, thus giving contumacious New
South Wales the go-by entirely. Doubtless the
adoption of such a course would speedily have
the effect TO arouse Sydney to the Importance of
keeping up with Melbourne in trading and postal
facilities. The jealousy of and opposition to one
another of the Australian Colonies is proverbial.
We feel confident that the presence of Mr..
Webb in the business circles of New Zealand and
Australia, will go a great way in promoting the
permanent establishment of his line. And we
have reason to believe that a subsidy of ESQ, 900,
contributed one-haIf each by New Zealand and
Victoria, leaving out the coastal route to Port
Chalmers, or one of sIO0, 900, including that
route, will be finally agreed to.
As to the subsidy from this Government which
was voted by the last Legislature, amounting to
$50 900 for two years,-we were informed some
time since that monthly payments of $4,000, out
of that appropriation, were begun to be
made to the boats of the Hall line, and were
continued until they ceased running. The natu-
raj inference is, such having been the case, that
those monthly payments are still continued to
the boats of the Webb line for whatever reasons
existed for the payment in the first instance,
must of course continue to be operative now.
The discussion that was recently had as to a
subsidy, was, as We understand it, whether this
Government should incur Il debt in order to pay
a permanent subsidy for ten years, as has been
just voted by New Zealand and Victoria.
1t is rumored that Halls line of boats, via
FIJI, will be revived, to commence running about
April next, and it is further minated that they
will run direct from the Fjis to San Francisco
without calling here. In order to do that much
larger boats must be employed than those re-
Gently used on the line. as boats like the WOngG
WongG would require all their capacity for
stowage of fuel to make the passage, and have
no room for freight.
The sudden and extensive impulse given by
American buyers of wool in the Colonial market,
of late, rising in amounts to millions of dollars,
must produce an effect favorable to the line to
San Francisco and over the American continent.
The necessity for transhipment at this port is, it
is true, a slight objection to sending woods by the
steamers, but with the arrivalpn this side of the
additional ships of the Webb line, the carriage
Of freight will be without interruption of break
ing cargo from the port OF shipment to San Fran
cisco, and thence by the railroad to New York or
Boston.
Whatever may be the present result, as to the
line of steamships now running between the
colonies and California, there can be but one
opinion, that the situation and the commerce of
those southern regions will eventually demand
and establish the route, as a necessity, and as the
most practicable and advantageous one, both for
travel to and from Europe, and for the transmits
sion of mails. The vast resources of New Zealand
have scarcely begun as yet to be realized, and
Australia, a grand continent in itself, is for the