The Lyttelton Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 1868.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2340, 23 June 1868, Page 2

The Lyttelton Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 1868.

It is somewhat singular that, just at the time when the New Zealand Government, under the presidency of Mr Stafford, is tacitly advocating the withdrawal of the moderate assistance given to the mail steamers running between the several provinces, the portion of the mercantile world at home which is specially interested in the trade of these colonies should be actively engaged in an endeavour to persuade the Imperial Government to largely increase the postal facilities between Great Britain aud the Australasian colonies. Only the other day we published intelligence to the effect that Mr Stafford had given notice to the Bteara companies concerned in the inter-colonial and provincial services, that their subsidies would cease in three months, in order that the Bubject might be left free to be dealt with by the Assembly during the forthcoming session. "When a government adopts a line of action of this sort, it is fair to presume that it is either favourable to the withdrawal 01 mail subsidies or indifferent about the matter. If it considered these services of vital importance to the commercial welfare of the community, we may be sure that it would resist the withdrawal of the subsidies. "We may therefore safely conclude that the Government does not attach any very great importance to the maintenance or improvement of the postal communication between the several parts ot the colony. Whether this is a very enlightened policy or not, we may perhaps be better able to judge after an examination of what is being done by the body 01 gentlemen who represent those engaged in the Australian trade in England. It evidently does not appear to them a matter of indifference whether the correspondence between Europe and Australia is carried on once or twice a month, or not at all. On the contrary, they one and all seem strongly impressed with the importance of a regular, rapid, and cheap means bi communication. So strongly indeed did the deputation, which recently waited upon the Duke of Montrose, feel the importance of the subject, that two or three of its memhersseemedquite prepared to sacrifice any liberty ot choice enjoyed by their fellow-colonists in Australia so long as they obtained the desired boon. It is curious to observe old colonists like Mr Laruach and Mr Wilson advising the Duke of Montrose virtually to disregard the wishes of a large minority of their fellow colonists, by imposing a fortnightly postal service upon them with or without their approval. Whatever we may think of the propriety of Buch a proceeding, it certainly proves that Australian capitalists in England are not indifferent to the

advantages which accrue from improved means of postal communication. The proceedings to which we have here referred have arisen out of the recent changes in the India and China mail services, to which we alluded in a recent article.' The effect of those changes was to throw back the Australian postal service by a month, for at least two-thirds of the correspond, ence. The Southampton mail, which carries a large proportion of the letters, is not delivered, by the new arrangement, till three days after the despatch of the outward mail via Marseilles. It is impossible therefore to reply to the bulk of the correspondence tillthefollowing month. The London merchants and bankers at once embodied a petition to the Post-office, and appointed a deputation to wait upon the Duke of Montrose. Mr Samuel Morley headed the deputation, and impressed upon the Post Master-General the importance of facilitating the communication between England and Australia. He pointed out that the population of these colonies, although amounting to only 1,700,000, carried on a trade to the extent of £68,000,000 with England, and that although there was a daily mail to America, a weekly mail to India, and a fortnightly mail to China and Japan, it was considered sufficient

by the Post-office to have a monthly service to Australia. Several other members of the deputation took part in the discussion, urging upon the Government the necessity of a fortnightly service. The Duke of Montrose appeared to recognise the claims which the deputation had upon the Government, but pointed out that the chief obstacle lay in the conflicting views and interests of the different colonies. He agreed with the opinion that the Home Government should send out a responsible officer to enquire into and decide upon the merits of the various plans of_ communication, with a view to bringing about an agreement between those who held conflicting views. The Duke, also, held out what we may hope were sincere, though vague, proI mises of assistance.

It is not out of place here again to allude to the singular fact, that in a discussion expressly confined to mail communication between England and the Australasian colonies, no mention whatever was made of the Panama service. It is true that the deputation consisted almost entirely of gentlemen connected with the Australian trade, and that no representative of New Zealand was present, but it might have been expected that the Postmaster-General would have pointed out that the Panama route afforded the very means of communication desired by the deputation. We fear it must be admitted that the colonists of Yictoria shew a strong disposition to ignore the Panama line, and to refuse their assistance to its development. But that ought surely to afford the strongest inducement to those who are interested in the main-

tenance of the line, to bring it again more prominently before the attention of the Imperial and Colonial Governments. The. Victorian deputation seemed to imply that the Panama line was beneath consideration. It should be the business of the New Zealand Government and the Directors of the line to shew that it affords an independent and reliable means of communication between England and these colonies. Surely there ought to be some men now in England'sufficieutly interested in this colony to be able and willing to speak in favour of the Panama line.