The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, The Morning News and The Echo. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1833.

Auckland Star, Volume XI, Issue 3220, 15 November 1880, Page 2

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, The Morning News and The Echo.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1833.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that we can do.

Mr K. J. Creighton, who still holds the position of Agent for the New Zealand Government in San Francisco, has been successful in getting through Congress a measure authorising the Postmaster-General of the United States to remit the whole charge hitherto made for the conveyance of the Australian and New Zealand mails across the continent. This means a concession amounting to £16,000 a-year in favour of the continuance of the service. Mr Creighton has been industriously pressing the point since 1876, and has unceasingly represented the probability that without some such, aid from America the Pacific Mail Service will terminate at the expiration of the present contract in November 1883. Mr Creighton has also drawn attention to the fact with which our own postal authorities are only too familiar — that the Imperial Government favour the Brindisi and Suez route, and use all the means in their power to get correspondence sent that way. Very stronglyworded remonstrances against this practice irom the New Zealand Post-master-General were included in the annual report laid before parliament last session. It is rather a curious thing that the chief opponents of Mr j Creighton's mission, and therefore the I prime supporters of the movement to drive all Australasian postal matter and trade away from America and through purely British channels, were •

the Permanent Heads of tho Postal Department of the United States. It is, perhaps, too much to expect an American official, more than an English one, to understand anything beyond tho region of red tape and sealing-wax. The extension of commerce and the opening up of new fields for American products, new sources for tho supply of raw material for Amoricim manufacturers, is a matter above and beyond them. But tho Suporintendant of Foreign Mail Service at Washington—a Mr Blackfan—appears to have been absolutely spurred into unoflioial agilicy by tho passing of the exemption proviso through Congress. After the Bill passed tho Sonate Mr Blackfan appeared, unsolicited, before the coininittoo and protested. This resulted iv the clause being struck out of tho Bill in which ie was originally inserted. Senator Booth and Representative Davis, however, after making careful inquiry into tho facts, brought up tho matter again, and tho remission w>\s again sanctioned by a voto of 23 to 20. It is quite possiblo, us tho duty of putting tho clause into operation is left with the Post-Master Genera], thut its purposo may still be dofcated through ofllcial obstruction, but if ho tho United Statos Government may loam when too late that their illiberal policy lias lost the country an important commercial connection. In urging the concession before Congress tho lion. Homco Davis directed attention to the largo consumption of American goods in tho colonies, amounting to no less than eight million dollars, It is woll-ioinoiu-borocl hero that wliou Now Zealand and New South Wales undertook to ostablish this service thoy woro oncouraged to beliovo that tho United States Covornment, which derives tho chief benefit, would contribute to tho cost. The I'aciflc mail subsidy bills promoted by Mr Webb failed, and the uttitudo of tho Congress has since been such as to afford these colonies no encouragement to go on paying .£72,500 a yoar for tho maintenance of a service which is so little appreciated by a leading participant in the fruits of the enterprise. The free conveyance of mails across tho continent is a very paltry assistance to a work ofsuch consequence, but nono tho less is Mr Cktughton deserving of tho best thanks of both tho contracting colonies for his persistont assiduity in obtaining oven this manifestation from tho United States of a desire to strengthen the bond which has boon well established by tho San Francisco service. Further proof of an awakening intorest is afforded in tho greater expedition with which the mails are pushed through. A special train was despatched with tho City of Sydney's hißt homeward mail, which overtook tho regular train at Omaha, securing a forty days' delivery from Sydney to London. Tho time with the inward mails has also been shortened two days. The improvement has not como beforo it was wanted, for with the increasing rapidity of the Suoz steamers and tho regularity of tho Orient line, Australasian of steam and mail communication is being revolutionised, and that in a direction tho reverse) of favourable to ! tho Trans-Pacific Route.