OCEAN MAIL RESOLUTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 217, 13 September 1890, Page 8

OCEAN MAIL RESOLUTIONS.

GOVERNMENT PROPOSALS RECEIVED WITH CHEERS.

(BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN REPORTER.)

Wellington, 2.30 p.m. Hon. Mr Mitchelson, in moving the ocean mail resolutions, said the House and colony were to be congratulated on achieving whafc he at one time deemed impossible. They would have a four-weekly service via 'Frisco, and the same by the direct service, or practically a fortnightly service at a very small loss to the colony. New South Wales had absolutely declined to grant any subsidy. The amount New Zealand proposed to pay to the contractors was insufficient to justify their claiming that any particular port be made the terminus of the 'JTrisco Service. It was proposed that the contractors receive from Australia the whole amount of the postages of that colony, between £6,000 and £7,000 yearly. There was a strong feeling that the interprovincial letter rate should be reduced to a penny, bub the Government did not Bee its way to accede to this request) owing to the lose of revenue involved. In reply to Mr Monk, Mr Mitchelson said the Government had no absolute information as to whether Shaw-Savill and the New Zealand Shipping Company would fall in with these arrangements. Mr Ballance, while complimenting the Government on their excellent arrangements urged the desirability of having Auckland or Wellington the terminal port of the 'Frisco service, even if it cost £4,000 or £5,000, for ifc would be worth £15,000 to £20,000 to this colony from acommercial point of view. He also urged the reduction of the inland rate to a penny, which he said would be an annually diminishing loss. The proposals were received with cheers from both sides of the House, and are not likely to have any serious opposition.