The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1874-05-23
Ee Ocean Mail Service.

The STRENGTHENING Herald Of the 10Th Of April.
has the following:
The new MaiI,SerYice continues TO develop is pos
sibiIities without at the same time giving Us the ac-
tual satisfaction OF performances TO the contract The
last mail that reached Us through America was most
unreasonably detained before it reached San Fran
cisco, and that involved a further delay SO far as
New South Wales IS concerned, because the mail
steamer had 10 20 Mound by New Zealand 70 deliver
the mails for that colony. We have not as yet, there
fore, had a single run without some contreismps,
and this has necessarily somewhat tried the public
patience. 1t has, however, been satisfactorily dem
onstrated that the run from San Francisco to Sydney
can be comfortably performed within thirty days BY
vessels Of moderate size and power; and with supe-
rior vessels il is presumable that = considerable saw
ing on that time may be effected. To make the
service through 10 England, however, thoroughly
effective, those who are in charge Of the American
and Atlantic transit must take care 10 see that there
Is no unnecessary delay. IL Is on that part Of the
route more than in the navigation Of the Pacific that
time is most likely to be lost. So far as the passenger
traffic by the new route Is concerned, it is more than
equal 10 the most anguine ezpectatons-in fact it Is
beyond the power Of the present line 10 aecomm1,
date. The great hurry with which the present service
was organized has compelled the contractors to
employ such vessels as were promptly available, and
though as to size aud speed they leave nothing 10
complain Of, their passenger accommodation is very
limited, and there has been no time allowed them in
port to reft. Travel by this route has therefore not
yet attained the degree of luxury which is d desirable,
and which it is confidently hoped will be fully real
lied when the steamers which are being specially
constructed for theseryice are placed on the line.
In the proceedings of the Legislative Council,
April ., we read the following remarks Of the Post
Master General Of New South Wales:
Mr.. Samuel felt perfectly convinced that the mail
line across the United States of America would be a
great success when the new boats now being built
were brought into use; and he fully believed that the
mails from England would be delivered in 40 DAYS.
Our mails were carried across the Atlantic by the
Cunard line, which, during the year 1872, averaged
10 days for the passage, while the White Star line
did it in a little ovG 9 days on the average. Six
days and 20 hours vas the usual time for conveyance
across the American continent. He felt confident that
the mails would be brought from San Francisco to
this colony in "a days, or, at the most, 25. Allowing
then, for the loss of two days in calling at Honolulu
and Kandavu, this would give Al days for the whole
time Of transit. He was speaking of the permanent
service, and the temporary service would not last
more than nine or ten months. Notwithstanding the
many difficulties attending the Inauguration of a
new mail service they had succeeded in delivering
the mails via San Francisco in less time than they
were delivered by a well organized service by way of
Southampton and Suez. He mentioned in reference
to the last mail that two days were lost owing to the
heavy portion having arrived / at New York six days
before the last portion. Hitherto the service had been
carried on at every disadvantage at sea, as regarded
American railway, which was well protected by
snow-sheds. The new steamers now being built
would be equal TO q speed of IA knots, though not
up to that as an average, He believed the San Fran
cisco line would be q popular one for passengers.
But he considered that the three different lines would
be beneficial to all the colonies, and hoped the time
would come when the colonies would join in the sub
sides, and when Melbourne would be the terminus
of the San Francisco line and Sydney of the Suez
line.