The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-04

COMMENTS OF
AUCKLAND PRESS
Strong Appeal for Continuance
on the Proposed Basis of
New Zealand Service.

AUCKLAND, N. H., March 23-The
New Zealand Herald says:
The mail steamer Ventura, the third
of the new San Francisco mail boats
will leave Auckland today on her re-
turn trip to California, with Mr. J. D.
ISpreckelS, the chairman of the Oceanic
company, on board 1t is regrettable
that this gentleman cannot remain
here, or cannot land at Auckland on &C
count of the quarantine regulations but
as he has promised to return at a later
period of the year, we may hope that
the very important negotiations he has
in hand for rapid development of the
Pacific trade, and the swiftest mail SER
vice from this colony TO London, will
soon be placed on a permanent basis.
For this colony cannot afford to ignore
the paramount advantages of the FRS
co mail service. It is the swiftest and
the surest route between London and
all South Pacific ports, not excluding
either Sydney or the Bluff. Important
as this service is to Auckland, it is only
so because its superiority over all other
possible routes is 50 great that it must
inevitably assist to give the colony it's
natural standing among the great com
mercial states. If the service were not
so supremely entitled to the patronage
and support of the entire colony by
being incomparably more useful than
any other, it would be futile for the
city of Auckland to take lively inter
est in securing it. The Frisco service
lis beneficial to this city in exact pro-
portion as it is beneficial to the general
public of New Zealand, of Australia
and of the Islands. For other sections
of the colony to treat it as an Auckland
institution and to antagonize it because
it will benefit this city is surely short
sighted policy. 1t will benefit every
part of the colony. We can understand
that Sydney and Melbourne, influenced
by the powerful interests involved in the
Federal service, via Suez, may be dis
posed to throw difficulties in the way
of a movement which they realize is
peculiarly advantageous to New Zea-
land. There are more factors in Aus
ltralian politics than we commonly hear
of as was shown by the extraordinary
action of New South Wales In violat-
ing the Pacific cable agreement. But
New Zealand will probably be wise
enough to understand what the Frisco
service means. In a matter so essen
TALLY national we should rise above pa
J rochialism; In matter SO peculiarly to
the advantage of these islands we
Eshould not take our cue from Australia
The great Sydney shipping lines may
manage to persuade our neighbors that
there is little benefit in the Pacific
route: but not a week passes without
giving New Zealand convincing proof
of the value to us of the Frisco service,
lie i've HI 70
of the Suez service and of the public
loss and injury which results from our
clinging to the tail of the Federal ar
rangements when our postal officials
should strike out boldly for themselves.
Between this Saturday morning and
next Tuesday no less than three Lon
don mails will be delivered in Auckland.
The following table explains them; it
may be stated that the mail which left
London on February missed connec-
ton at Sydney and came on via We'll
lington:
Route Left London. Reach Auckland
! Suez Feb. March %
| Suez Feb. Is March "a
Frisco Feb. % March 26
Here is a clear gain by the Frisco
route of from six to twelve days, in spite
of the exceptional delays due to the
snow blockades of February and March
on the American railways. Under or
binary circumstances, if our Govern
lment encourages the Frisco service and
helps to make 1t all that such service
can be made, letters leaving London
via Frisco a fortnight after the Suez
mail will reach us as quickly. We think
that Mr.. Ward should at once take
steps to have all New Zealand mails
from and to London sent by the route
that will deliver them earliest If this
were done there would be less confu-
sion, and our Southern friends would
know more of what the Frisco route
does for them.
The great point made against the
Frisco service is that it IS in foreign
hands. Yet Mr.. Ward has advocated
Anglo-Saxon federation with the SYM
pathetic approval of the entire colony.
The Americans are not foreigners and
are never regarded as foreigners other
wise than argumentatively. We all re-
greet the American navigation laws, but
since IS per cent of the trade of San
Francisco is carried in British bottoms,
| 1t must be admitted that there is an
other side to the question; and it is
certain that any special injustfces of
American laws would be set right under
the influence of increasing trade rela-
lions and unrestrained friendliness
New Zealand would not hesitate a mo-
ment in treating the Frisco line fairly
! if it were British. We should hesitate
as little because it is American. It has
been said that these Frisco steamers
are subventioned as American cruisers,
(which, should war occur between Brit
| ain and the United States, will be arm
| ed against us. But what are the
chances of war with our American kins-
men, who are bone of our bone and
/ flesh of our flesh? And what are the
chances of war with France and Rus
sia, even with Germany. and how
would a line of American mail boats
serve us in that very possible contin-