The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1884-12-24

| recently the subject brought before tho utteu-
! tiou Of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce by
| by Mr.. J. Mileu. The result of the consideration
was a letter which was written to the Postmaster
| General. to which he in due time replied. The
] following is portion Of the correspondence thus
! alluded to;
| rom committee consider this matter Of suiii-
ceut importance that steps might be taken, if nee
essry. during the present session of Parliament 50
| that ample time may be given for arranging new
| contract before the present one expires 5, Our
| committee are also Of opinion that IN renewing
/ the contract further time would gained, and the
service shortened, by omitting TO call AT Honolulu
| as the Government OF the Sandwich Islands makes
no contribution towards the subsidy, and the
steamers, by treaty with another company, have
ceased to trade there.-I have the honour to be,
Sir. your obedieut servant, John Reid. Chairman
In answer, Sir Julius Nogel, the Postmaster
General sent the following reply:
10 the Chairman Chamber of Commerce, AuCk-
land. General Post Office, 18th November, ISL
Sir.-I have to acknowledge the receipt Of your
letter of the slst ultmo, Offering suggestions by
your Chamber for improving the mail service
between New Zealand and United NuIsdum by
way Of San Francisco. Many OF the points to
which your Chamber draws attention were well
considered by the Government of the day, when
arranging for the renewal Of the service up to
Nov. 1855 MN. You are no doubt aware that the
contract time between san francisco and Auck-
land from next month Is TO be shortened By p
hours: and 1 would remind you that even nov the
mails are delivered at Auckland in considerably
under - days 1.-THE present contract time from
san Francisco. The service may be capable Of
improvement, bat nothing further in this diTec
tiuu can be done during the currency Of the exist
ing contract. am not aware that there Is any
ocean mail service IN the world carried out at
speed Of sixteen miles hour; and think it will
be some time before the colony is likely 10 have
its ocean mails carried at such rate Of speed.
The Cunard steamers are not now considered the
swiftGst vessels plying on the Atlantic, This isr
OF has been st late, conceded to the GulOu line;
g..TH HHrH. agHHH
has considerably under sixteen knots an hour.
The direct mail steam service by the New Zealand
shipping Company's fleet, between New Zealand
and the United Kingdom, which which will be
iuauEuatod next month under contract with the
Government, will provide a regular alternative
fortuightly service with the San Francisco line.
This probably, was not contemplated by your
Chamber at the time when Il discussed the ques-
ion Of the mail service. The direct service will
afford quicker and cheaper means for the transit
Of mails between the colony and the mother c0uu-
try than by the Brndisi and Suez route, which It
should almost entirely supplant as an alternate
mail line for New ZealRnd.-l have, &c, Julius
wI11rNarus, Dec. 9Th.
During the lass three months q long battle has
been proceeding between New South Wales and
New Zealand regarding the San Francisco mail !
service and it Is at length settled satisfactorily
for New Zealand. The late Government of New ]
Zealand, entered into IN arrangement for the ser-
vice, by which they agreed TO pay 3l,2J0 per au
mum against ElN.1i0 paid by New south Wales, !
although the latter was 70 have the benefit Of the
terminus Of the line. For very little moro the |
New Zealand Government could have had the |
terminus in New Zealand, They not only did not ]
take advantage OF such an opportunity. but tlGy /
consented to Nev South Wales having power TO /
withdraw during the last twelve months OF she /
contract though New zealand was 30 continue |
bound. OF course. such provision gave the I
power TO New South Wales to pay what It liked /
Tor the yoars's service as the boats were sll 10
continue to run TO sydney It might however, 4
az least have been supposed that New South Wales
would divide with New Zealand the benefit Of any |
reduction. This, however, they showed NO dis |
position to do. They gave the requisite notice OF
withdrawal from the contract, Iutimatiug the ]
same 20 the New zealand Postmaster General, |
and adding significantly that this would not PIE /
cude them from considering fresh prop lsals from
the contractors. There was evidently an intgu- l
ti5u not 10 lose the service, but TO obtain re-
ductian Of the cost indeed, the Contractors sub
sequently admitted what amounted 10 an under /
standing Of this nature The Government were |
SO aunuyod at the manner in which it pro- I
posed to treat New Zealand that they determined /
that the contractors at least should pay for it. |
In order to do this they treated the withdrawal Of
New south Wales as final, and had recourse TO |
provisions IN the Post Oiice Act which prohibit.
cd steamers under contract 10 New Zealand from /
carrying the mails Of other colonies without its
consent Accordingly, when The Postmaster-G Gen /
eral OF New South Wales announced later that he /
had arranged with the contractors for reduction |
Of 1000. and to rcjoin contractor subiect 70 |
New Lelianu's consent. the FOstfnnster-r neral 1
positively refused such consent gave notice OF the
clauses in the Post Ofhee Act. and declined to
allow the mails Of New South Wales to be carried 1
unless n prior arrangement was made with hun. /
He informed the contractors he would not acrte /
to their arrangement with New South Wales un- i
less they made a corresponding reduction Of 5000
TO New Zealand. The contractors refused to make /
any allowance whatever to New Zealand, where
upon the PostInasisr-General gave them formal /
notice not % carry the New SOuth Wales mails /
without his consent. Lengthensd negotiations
followed. and have resulted al length IN that /
cliogy agreeing TO pay New Zealand G10lO for the
carriace Of its mails. New Zealand viii also get
the whole OF the amounts from the other colonies
for the clrTiage Of their mails. The net payment
10 New Zealand Will be about kSl0o.