The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1889-04-03
MAIL SERVICE.

tween the United States and Austria
la:
Nothing is likely to be done by
the colonies in the way of establish
ing a fortnightly mail service with
America until some decision has
been arrived at with regard to the
proposed conference with Canada on
this and other subjects. A mail
service with America must be we'll
worth maintaining. Sixty millions
of English-speaking people are now
living there, and these numbers are
increasing with extraordinary rapid
ity. They are, as it so happens, our
nearest neighbours of what we, who
are so very new, may call the old
world, and the possibilities of large
mutual commerce must exist. But
mems minds Of late have been
directed towards a change of route.
The idea has been favoured that we
should abandon San Francisco and
make Vancouver our terminus, and
this for several reasons. Canada is
British colony, and has manifested
friendly feeling towards us. She
is willing to be main contributor to
any subsidy, and she presses upon
us the idea that the mails should be
carried under the national flag. She
does not amuse herself by piling
duties upon our main export of
wool. All these points are entitled
to weight, and when the Canadian
delegates arrive here they meet
statesmen who desire to be salts
fed.
On the other hand, we have
amongst us the representative Of a
San Francisco service who is placing
business rather than sentimental
reasons before Ministers. 1t is in
the United States, he urges, that the
market exists, and not in Canada.
Despite the wool tariff, America
imports as much wool as Victoria
exports, and in particular Mr..
Creighton insists that the States
afford large, an almost inexhausti-
BILE market, for Australian fruit. AT
first this SET ms startling assertion,
inasmuch as Australia imports dried
fruit in large quantities from the
States. AS matter of fact, how
ever, the States in 1877 imported
fresh fruit to the value of $4,000
600, the fruit consisting of cherries,
apricots, plums, figs, lemons, and
oranges, and this trade is growing.
Not only that, but the winter and
spring demand is unsupplied, and it
cannot be supplied from any other
than southern hemisphere. The
other day it will be remembered that
our contributor 9Th" spoke of the
fruit trade that is springing up be-
tween the Mediterranean and the
United States, and Mr.. Creighton
atlirms that there is no reason why
we, in the language of the markets,
should not have "cut in" This
is the ordinary summer trade, but
of the winter and spring trade we
with our opposite seasons might as
pire to a monopoly. An attentive
ear is naturally to be turned to all
this. Our farmers, in particular,
are always pleased to hear of new
markets, and the irrigation colonies
of the future will be glad of GUS
toners for their produce. But one
or two questions at once occur,
which will require to be answered.
Is not the market for wool. such as
it is, and for fruit, such as it may
be, in the Eastern states, and would
fortnightly mail service Gone
steamer per month coming direct to
Melbourne) do much more than give
us the local market of California
How far does the rail service from
San Francisco to Chicago, New
York, Boston, &C., handicap the
commercial project in question:
Mr.. Creighton asks the Post
master-General to consider it an adj
vantage that the fortnightly service
would be under the American flag.
We firmly declined here, il will be
recollected, to consider Mr.. Hen
mixer Heaton's suggestion that we
might give our mail bags to Ger
man or French line and obtain a
cheap postal service thereby, be-
cause we saw that our Government
would be contributing to the sup
port of vessels that might be used
as foreign cruisers against US, and
that we should be assisting to run
off vessels on whose assistance as
cruisers We could rely. But it is
urged that we cannot imagine war
between Great Britain and the
United States. The people of the
two nations have established friend
ly treaty Of their own, land could not
be induced to fight. Such a service,
therefore, gives us the permanent
benefit of the neutral flag, and come
what may it ensures our keeping
open one communication at least
with Europe. In war time any Eng
lsh or colonial service across the
Pacific would need to be protected.
The vessels would be long way
from any British base, and the task
would be strain on the navy, and
no matter what eXertions were made
4 Il