The New York herald., 1877-02-13
MR. JOHN Il. DALE AND LATE
OCEAN MAILS
New YORK, Sunday afternoon.

New YORK. Sunday afternoon.
TO THE EDITOR or THE HERALp:--
Ny attention has been directed to article appear
Ing your widely circulating medium OF the Slst ulL,
with refercnce to tho present system Of ocean mail
carragc between Great Britain and United States
As who has an interest not only from busp dss
connection but also from that interest which every
one must take In the means provided tor communica-
ton between the two greatest nations the lace OF
the GLOBE l, In venturng 70 address you, do so well
knowing my own inability to do thorough justice to
ME subject, but yet with ction that It
the interests oil lin which the prosperity Of
both nations is invoved), for the benefit OF in
dividuals that statements predcatng against and not
wholly founded truth should be receivei AS
'gospc by the great majority OF the reading public
Tor want ol simple reiutaton
The great cause Of complaint on tho part Of the
no certainty OF the mails being delivered Uy certain
date and that formerly certainty Of delivery
secured. ans, 70 an extent, unao9oseaiy true; ou.
time there are no less than live lines OF steamers
sailing direct from New York to Liverpool, and these
among them, on an average send away two steamers
per week. do not, for one moment, pretend TO say
inat all Of these equally last. and Should
therefore, indiscrinnately receive the mails but
what do assert aud what is perfectly easy proof
s that AZ least once week fast steamer sails from
both s,des which, II intrusted with the mails, would
safely convey them, and, rule, within two
days OF the arrival OF the steamers carrying the goods
should they, AS they seldom are, prove faster than
the mail steamer aud goods per steamer must
remain twenty-Iour hours after arrival
ships holds before breaking out" and as
10 intervene TO the goods gong over 10 'generai
order," iall to see how, IN the event OF the mail
the Others any just ground rests for complaint IL
would be worse than useless within the confines of
letter like ths to enter INTO individual r0iuaton
ot statements made IN the article appearing IN your
paper OF the 3lst u but have taken The trouble 10
verify some OF the statements so made, and content
myself with simple denial OF the greater portion Of
The so-calIed iacts, leaving 10 those who desire
stronger reiutation than that contained herein
satisfy themselves by an appeal to the same public
sources, from which am enabled ~ write thus con-
hdeutly.
But to take the question Of ocean mail carriage
its proper basis show what the duties vi large
carrying companies are, not only ~ their constituents
but also W world vi large II ID ouly necessary
look back the action Of such firms Messrs lnnan
who ouly lew years ago offered TO carry the English
mail tor u bagatelie OF the contract that Messrs.
Cunard had been receiving prior to the lapse OF the
contract, and this oner doubtless disintercstcd
ON Messrs. Inman's part and was given from desire
to facilitate the munication between The Two coun
tries and from consideration tor the interests oil those
who were frcghters Al that time there VAS no ques-
ton raised OF loss by detention OF steamers or o mad
equacy ot postal rates To cover loss Tor such detcbto
Now, however. when tho business between the two
countries nearly trebied from what at the date
OF Messrs. lnmans dsin crcsed Oiler they ina IL
possible 10 do tho very business that few years ago
they almost begged to be allowed to do. WhyY Per
haps trade Is not good used TO bc still the
fact remains that the business Of the two countries
mas enormously increased and that the principal
ricrs Of ten years ago still receive considerable por
ton OF the cargoes shipped; and again the question
Are tno carrlcrs bound TO 0ncr fac
ny ~ shippers and the general pubcf Ii they do 30,
then there Is nor cannot he any question o late ar
rivals vi mails, iOr In ail s'snip has right TO
carry ships letters,'' and all iho.c who have
suffered through the detention Of their
letters would In iutun take to have
their duplicates at least by the bringing their
cargocs The broad question Is, Are the interests of
shippers not ol so great importance make in
cumDent upon those wno, their capacity Of courers
convey the results Of tho business done on both sides
TO not only give them every facility bat to overbDl-
ance any s1cn loss may be involved In a detention
Tor few hours at Queens,ownY say. unhesitalingly
inr all those, like myself interested IN business on
this side
We Shippers have nothing to do with the profit or
loss q case OF this Kind. What We have 10 do
with is ths--tlat steamers run tiast or slow, the
case may bel so many times a week, and we have
right TO expect that the companies 80 running should
in each and every case give Us tho benefit o convey.
ancc any single loss being than ecooped py tho
profits Of trade the pests and the brilliant prospects
OF The iuturA r l. WALKkR