The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-09-05
THE AUSTRALIAN MAIL
SERVICE.
Debate on the Subsidy Proposal in
the New Zealand Parliament.
Strong Arguments i'm Its FaVOr-Im-
pOrtance of the Hawaiian Trade
The Oceanic Steamship Com
pany EuIOgfzed-VaIue of
Tourist Travel. Etc.


were put in possession of the terms under
which the New Zealand Government calls
for tenders for the continuance of the Austria
liam and California mail service. The time
is to be eighteen days between the terminal
ports of Auckland and San Francisco, ne
cessitating a speed of thirteen and three
quarter knots an hour throughout the en-
tire distance. The service between Auck-
land and San Francisco is to be performed
by two vessels, ''each being a good, sub
stantial and efficient screw steam vessel of
the first class, and fully equal to Glass 100
Al, LIoyds' register, and of not less than
$500 gross registered tonnage, propelled by
first-rate engines of adequate power, and
having spar decks and large capacity for
passengers through tropical ATTITUDES; and
each vessel will be required to be under the
command of a competent Captain, having
ample experience in the command of screw
steam vessels The branch service from
Auckland to Sydney, which is to form part
of the main contract, is not to exceed five
days either way, and to be performed by
such vessels as the Postmaster General may
from time to time approve. The service is
to be four weekly one, giving as at present
thirteen round trips each year. By vote of
the House of Representatives the time of the
proposed contract was fixed at three years,
and the subsidy to be paid is not to exceed
100000, or S150,0oO, year. bonus of $25
an hour will be paid the contractors for de-
livering the mail at San Francisco and
Auckland within contract time, and pen
oil of COO iS 70 he inn 1OSp1 for 10 to
delivery. The Colonial Government is to
retain all subsidies obtained from Great
Britain and her Colonies and Samoa; the
contractor to retain American and Hawaiian
subsidies plus the amount payable under the
contract. The contractors are to bind them
selves to pay to the Postmaster General of
New Zealand the sum of 100000 $500, 000)
by way of liquidated damages in case they
fail to commence the service, or having
commenced it shall wilfully neglect or re-
fuse to carry out the same. There are other
conditions as to inspection, fittings, etc.,
usual to such contracts. These are the
salient points of it, however.
The debate on the Government proposals
as reported in ''Hansard,' copies of which
are in our possession, was an animated and
instructive one. The opposition to the
mail service via San Francisco was strong
and determined, the adherents of the direct
and competing service representing great
wealth and influence. It was pointed out
by them that the Colonial steamer trade
with the States was very trifing, and that
the direct steamers were carrying half as
much mail matter as the San Francisco
subsidized line for one-third the cost. On
the other hand, it was pointed out by the
Postmaster General that the California SER
vice was now the real standard service.
''Put that on one side, he said, ''and then
we should simply be brought to the question
of what would be most convenient for the
other companies, who would join immedi-
ately and we should have a much slower
SERVICE Referring to the general question,
Sir julius Vogel said:
GAS the Panama canal is now approaching
completion, I am convinced that the trade
by the San Francisco line will largely in
crease. Honolulu, for example, will become
a very important station. There is another
thing also which I think should be taken
into consideration: if the fortunes and dis
us-if the British Nation should be at any
time at war with foreign Powers-this mail
service, as an alternative service, would be
of infinite use, not only to New Zealand, but
to the whole of the Australian colonies. It
is impossible to exaggerate what its i'm
portance would have been if the apprehen-
sions which lately existed of war with
Russia had been we'll founded. 1t is so we'll
known throughout the world that New
Zealand has had the enterprise to initiate
and continue this service that we should be
doing the Colony great injury-we should
be discrediting it before the other colonies
and before the United States-if we should
now take a retrOgade step of abandoning
service of which it is impossible to say that
it has not proved a most efficient means of
carrying our mails"
Touching upon the question of whether
the service should be British or an Ameri-
can one, Sir Julius Vogel made the follow
ing remarks, in which he paid deserved
compliment to the Oceanic Steamship Com
pany. He said:
Certainly in many respects it might be
desirable to get British steamers to enter
this service, but [ need scarcely say that
the Government are not narrow enough in
their ideas to show any objection to an
American service; yet it is quite likely that
we may find that the service will not fall
into American hands, but into English
hands As far as we know now, the present
contractors, the Pacific Mail Company, are
not likely to wish to continue; but there is
contingency that a company which is
very wealthy and very successful, and
which runs between San Francisco and
Hawaii, may compete; and beyond that,
there are the local companies-the Union,
the Shaw-Savill and Albien Company and
the New Zealand Shipping Company-any
one of which may probably be inclined to
tender for the service when it is approved by
the House.
During the further course of the debate
very strong argument was made in favor of
the continuance of the service on the ground
of promoting tourist travel, the Importance
of which to New Zealand could not well be