The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1883-04-28
Postal Union III Relation TO the San Fran
cisco Nail Service.

INVITATIONS Lave DeeD issued Dy victoria 10 all
the colonies to join Us in a conference on the
Postal Union. and it is reported that all have
signifed their intention to be represented except
New South Wales and New Zealand, from whom
no reply has been received, and these two colon
les are now considering the question whether
they should renew their existing mail contract
via San Francisco, and this is n fitting time to
consider what advantages the Postal Union offers
to the two latter colonies, and whether these are
so great and so manifest that they should allow
the San Francisco mail service TO terminate, and
rely on the Red Sea route alone for their CON-
municatioD with Europe, and utterly abandon
their present means OF communication with the
western hemisphere.
The postage by the San Francisco route to the
United States of America, the Oregon Territory,
Canada, and Great Britain is a uniform rate of
Cd. per 1oZ.; to France, Italy, Germany, and all
European countries, by same route, a uniform
rate of Sd. per toz.
Under present arrangements, New South Wales,
in virtue of her San Francisco subsidy, receives
the whole postage on outward letter (say cd. }.
on all posted in England two-thirds (say I'D }, or
for every letter not over !Oz., say on the double
trip 10d.; but If she joins the Postal Union, she
will then receive on letters posted here l l-2Od.
on letters posted in England 8 l9-20d. in other
words, she would only receive half of that which
she receives under existing arrangements. And
what are the compensating advantages for this
loss of revenue?
Ir New South Wales enters the Postal Union,
the uniform rate to America, Canada, Great Brit
ain, and the countries of Europe will probably be
3D., for the Postmaster General explained that
while sd. Is the rate for ocean-eOnveyed letters,
ID. extra may be charged to distant places, and
New South Wales and New Zealand, the antipo-
dean colonies, would be about the most distant
parts, and hence fairly chargeable with 3D.. so
that the only advantage to New South Wales in
entering the Postal Union would be a saving of
ID. per letter to European countries other than
England, for the Postal Union neither proposes
to share the cost Of our ocean subsidies nor to
accelerate the speed.
Letters conveyed to European countries via
Victoria and Brindisi now pay Cd, in place OF
Sd. via America, and the proportion OF letters to
the Continent OF Europe is probably as l to 1000
letters to America, Canada and Great Britain.
The Messageries Maritimes is now running
without subsidy from the colonies, and there can
be little doubt that il an application were made
to the French authorities to receive our letters at
MarseIlles, and thence distribute them at the
Postal Union rate Of 2td. it would be agreed to,
If they value correspondence with Australasia;
and the colonies might 10 that case pay Message
ries Maritimes 2%d. for ocean conveyance, re-
tanning Id. for their own island service, and thus
the Continent of Europe would by the Message
RES Maritimes obtain the advantage of a uniform
rate Of Cd, which America, Canada and Great
Britain now enjoy by the American route. a
similar arrangement might be made with the
Orient Company, paying them 2Hd., and the
Italian Government might be induced to take up
the mails at Naples ana distribute them at the
Postal Union rate of 21ad., thus making a uni
form rate of Cd. through Italy, the rate at pre-
sent via Brindisi being Cd.
To carry out these negotiations effectually,
however, il is essential that New South Wales
and New Zealand have control of an independent
line Of their own, such as the San Francisco line
affords them.
If New South Wales seek to enter the Postal
Union, Victoria requires that New South Wales
shall pay her proportion OF the subsidy. ESQ 900,
TO the Suez route, and if New South Wales gives
up the contract with San Francisco, and pays
her share of the Suez subsidy, all her letters then
being sent via Snez will at least equal those sent
by Victoria, consequently her contribution to the
Suez contract in her then secondary position as
sub-contractor will be at least equal to Victoria.
1t may be out of place to recall the circum-
stances under which the San Francisco service
was originally entered into, and its immediate re-
suits. Shortly before the San Francisco mail
service was arranged the various colonies held a
postal conference 10 arrange common action with
regard to the p. and o. contract, then failing 70
be renewed. Previous to this time, and from the
first initiation of the SueZ route, the terminus Of
the steamers had been at Sydney but at this
conference Victoria, with the aid OF South Aus
tralia, Western Australia. and Tasmania, had the
controlling influence, and Il resolution was
adopted that Melbourne should be the terminus
of the Suez route and. in pursuance OF this,
during the whole period of the contract then
entered into, none Of the Suez mail steamers came
on to Sydney, but the p. and o. Company found
the Sydney trade so essential to the successful
carving out Of their contract with Victoria that
they continued the connection with sydney by
means of n branch steamer. Victoria then hav-
ing the Suez contract in her own hands made her
own terms with Western Australia, South Aus
tralia. and Tasmania and while she was unde-
cided on what terms she would permit New South
Wales and New Zealand to send their mails via
their Suez mail steamers, these two latter colon
les secured the San Francisco mail service, and u
once offered Victoria and the other colonies to
carry their mails for the postage only, and Vic
tOria could not do otherwise than follow this
broad and federal policy on the part of New
South Wales and New Zealand, and it will be
well for these colonies to retain their present in
dependent position in discussing any project for
adopting the Postal Union.
As a mail route 1t may be pointed out that, on
an average of the time occupied in IL voyages,
leaving sydney about the same time, the cOmpar-
ison is in favor of the Pacific route-the letters
via America having been delivered in London in
43 days "A hours per Z. and y. Co, via Red
Sea, A days IA hours per Orient steamer, IA
days IL hours. The last three mails reported as
arrived in London, leaving Sydney per Ballaret,
January I6, arrived February 2S-43 days per
John Elder. January %, arrived March G-43
days per Zenlandia, January %, arrived March
ga days: exactly the same time in each case
but while postage is cd. via America, it is Sd. via
Red Sea.
Passengers cmbarkIng IN Sydney ana dlsem-
barking from steamer in England Per Ballarat,
10Th January, landed 9Th March-64 days per
Chimberazo, 9th January, landed Bird March-56
days per Zelandia, 25th January, landed 9th
March-43 days. So that a passenger via Amer
lea may loiter in that country for 10 or II days,
viewing all its objects of interest, for which the
through ticket gives every facility, and land in
England within tie same period OF time that
would have been occupied in making the passage
VIA Red Sea without any stoppage, by steamer,
from port to port.
In the case of the American route, he lands at
Liverpool within II hours by rail of the leading
cities is England and Scotland. In the case OF