The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-12-31
New Mail Arrangements on
the Atlantic.

tiations which have been proceeding
between the Postlnastcr-Gencral of
Great Britain and the Atlantic
Steamship companies, for the con-
vcyance of the American mails,
have resulted in an arrangement be-
ing made of a temporary character,
by which Queenstown will be re-
tained as port of call for two out
of three of the weekly outgoing
steamers. The Postmaster-G General
in June last issued circular stating
that the agreements then in force
would terminate on Dec. 1. The
despatch of the mails three times u
week, namely, Tuesday, Thursday,
and Saturday, from London, and on
the following days from Queens
town, having been found the most
convenient for all parts of the king
dom, it was proposed to give pre-
ference to ships calling at Queens
town; but instead of entering into
agreements extending over long
periods, it was proposed to take up
month by month, or quarter by
quarter, the most efficient vessels
sailing from Liverpool, Ui0 Queens
town, to New York ON the days
above mentioned, the remuneration
to be by payment per voyage at
the rate of 3s per pound for letters
and post cards, and Sd. per pound
of newspapers, printed papers, and
patterns or samples. For vessels
not calling at Queenstown the re-
muneration will be Is. Sd. per pound
for letters and post cards, and I'D.
per pound for other articles, these
being for bulk rates equivalent to
the rates per letter or paper ordin-
arily paid for the conveyance of
ship letter mails. In October joint
offer was made by the Cunard and
White Star Companies to despatch
on two days only at the new rates,
under exclusive privilege, precluding
transmission of mails by other lines
unless by special address in the
ship named. The Post Office refused
this proposal, on the ground that
the two dispatches were not sullici-
ent. A third despatch was then
offered from Liverpool to Boston
every Tuesday, the monopoly being
still maintained. AS the Boston
route was regarded as being carried
on by slower steamers, the authori-
ties refused acceptance on the
ground that the Tuesday mails
might be outstripped by the faster
Thursday mails. The Post Office,
has, therefore, fallen back on other
offers, and arrangements have been
made for preventing any break in
the continuity of the three services
per week. The Cunard and White
Star Companies will not carry the
mails under the new arrangement.
The reconstructed Inman Company,
which is said TO have the intention
of adding to its fleet of fast-speed
vessels, made an offer, which has
been accepted, to carry on the terms
required, the Tuesday mail from
Liverpool and Queenstown. The
North German Llyod steamers,
which are available under the Postal
Convention, and are Greenock built,
of very fast speed, will convey the
Thursday mails from Southampton
direct to New York, and the Satur-
day mails will be carried by the
Guion steamers, which include in
their number the Alaska and the
Arizona. These offers have been
Professionally accepted for three
months, the authorities hoping then
that other ships will be in tie field
and that the monopoly will be en-.
tirely broken down. In the mean
time they possess the freedom of
sending mails by any fast ships sail.
ing from any port, which would
have been denied to them under the
exclusive tenders submitted by the
Cunard and White Star Companies.
BY the new arrangement nine out OF
the twelve fastest Atlantic steamers
are, we believe, available for the
postal service with America; and
the German-Lloyd steamers will
await the Thursday night mail out OF
London. Another result of the new
arrangement is to effect saving OF
25 percent. The Post Office, how
ever, has not considered economy as
the basis of the change, but eilici-