The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1871-12-20

expect refund to the colony from this source Of
$4,000 out of the e5O,OOO paid. Mr. Gillies's
amendment would utterly upset the service, as, if
+ it were carried, Mr.. Webb would pay the e25,OOO
( forfeit and have done with the affair. The Gov
ernmeut therefore opposed the amendment, but
at the same time deprecated making the matter
party question"
~ Mr.. Gillies said that Ministers had made it a
party question. He did not think the future ad-
1 vautages would compensate for the present pay
ment which the Colony was unable to afford
1 The American wooLbuyers had actually gone to
Australia instead Of staying here. New Zealand
had done wrong in attempting to bully Australia,
and had better now give j up. What the Gov
f eminent asked was for the House to endorse, not
a contract already made, but one to be made to
give, in fact, az acceptance for the Ministry to i
up. 1t would be very unwise to enter into con
tract for ten years, even if it we're good one,
Mr. Vogel is great at making contracts, but was
too sharp. and none of them lasted He did not
believe Mr. Webb would carry out the present
arrangement for even three years, and he objected
to giving Mr.. Yogel power to force Mr.. Webb
into still more ruinous contract He thought
the Australian Conference had dealt very unfairly
with New Zealand, and after reading the report
of It's proceedings be would alter the second part
Of his amendment so as to make it read that the
service should be entered into in unison with the
Australian Colonies, without reference to the
scheme of the Conference. He believed that
with the assistance Of Australia the service might
be obtained for less than 100000 He moved
his first amendment, That the contract be not
ratified for more than three years, and during that
time be strictly enforced.
MIR. Reynolds proposed, as a further amend
ment the following addition to Mr. Yogels reso-
luton - Provided that no such alterations and
notifications shall have the effect of increasing
the sum payable as subsidy, or shall exempt the
contractors from Clause Of the contract which
requires the steamers to call at the ports therein
ramed'
On division, Mr. Gies's amendment was
negatived by 80 to IA, and the original resolu-
ton with Mr. Reynolds addition, was carried"
The Governor, in his speech ON the pro-
rogation of the Parliament, makes the fol-
lowing remarks:
al observe, with much satisfaction, the support
you have given to the Californian mail service
and trust that the course you have taken will lead
to the establishment permanently, of service
which, whilst it brings New Zealand near and in
convenient communication with Britain, it also
opens the way to large business relations with the
prosperous and enterprising people of the United
States"
So that it would appear that the con-
tract is ratified, provided that no altera-
tons or notifications shall be made which
shall increase the subsidy, or exempt the
contractors from the operations of the
sixth clause, which reads as follows;
One of the vessels to be employed under this
twenty-eight days, and shall proceed thence to
Port Chalmers, by way of and calling at AucI
land, Wellington, and Lytteton, in New Zealand
and one of the said vessels shall leave Port Chal
mars onoa. IN avary tganty-eight DAYS. aud shall
proceed to San Francisco, by way OF and calling
at Lyttelton, Wellington, and Auckland"
BY the Sydney Hal we learn that Sir
James Martin, on the 10th of November,
moved that their Assembly 90 into Com
mittee to consider the propriety of adopt
ing the contract entered into by the Mel
bourne Conference for Steam Postal Ser
vices via Suez and San Francisco. After
a lengthy discussion, in which the OPpo-
sition declared the scheme of the Inter-
Colonial Conference gave no advantages
to Sydney, the motion was negatived by |
a vote of "a to 10.
This of course disposes of the n. S.
Wales subsidy, for the present, for it has
become mixed up with party issues, and |
it will not be mooted again except
change of Ministers should take place.
The following remarks of Mr.. Hoskins,
in the Assembly, explain the reason of
the discontinuance of Halls line. He said |
e that this matter owed its origin to the
carried last session on the mo-
ton of Mr. Lloyd, in favor of the Steam
Postal service via San Francisco. Three
fourths of the members then present in
the House had been in favor of that mo-
ton, and the Government, acting upon it,
had subsidized Halls line to San Fran
cisco. After time, Mr.. Halls agent had
that Melbourne should be made
the terminus ofthe line, and then the Gov
ernment withheld the subsidy, and the
Conference had in consequence to be held
on the subject The matter was there dis
cussed, and the present plan proposed"
We hear from private sources, that the
feeling outside of the politicians is so
strongly in favor of the route to San Fran
cisco via FIJI, that Mr.. Halls line viii be
revived, and it is even stated that it will
be commenced in April next, with larger
and swifter boats than were formerly used.
We consider the combination of the Co
Ionies, upon their postal services, to be
now put out of the question; and neither
Colony is probably able, singly, to estab-
fish steam line to San Francisco.