COLONY'S MAIL SERVICES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 164, 11 July 1907, Page 4

COLONY'S MAIL SERVICES.

- REGULAR CONiGECnOjSiWITH SUEZ. —i A £15,000 BARGAIN. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.y WELLINGTON, Wednesday. The position of the colony's' oversea' mail services was dealt with fully by tha Premier, who informed the House this afternoon thaft an improved arrant ment has been made with the Union;: Steamship Company and the Hiiddarfc 1 Parker Company for conveyance of mails ' between Wellington and Sydney, so as _i_ l take advantage of the regular service to England via Suez. He stated thai." fbr v eleven months he had been ehdeavoufiij,' to arrange for a weekly service cdhneft- J . ing with the Suez service, but" <rreat di_fiP ; culties stood in the Way. Neither of _&a " companies wanted to do it even at! £15,000 per annum, because of the hi!-: creased expenditure necessary in the.v.ayi of paying for overtime and extra doc____r■1 but during the last few days they hM got to the point where, for the very reasonable sum of £15.000 per annum, tha weekly connection would be guaraij- ' teed. Formerly the colony had to pay" £200 a week, with gratuities. So that now they were getting the service' fori a lower sum per trip. If they liked to pay a very large subsidy, perhaps £20,00() a year or more, they could have a steamer waiting to pick up the mail oh a, particular date, but this expenditure wouii not be justified. Two of the lines of steamers had different' times 6f arrival \ in Sydney, and to connect with thera would necessitate the intercolonial cbfiipanies altering their business in Anckland by laying back a day or two and having ah irregularity of starting a. the other end. What the colony wanted was a mail service of our own, as ieariy equal to the 'Frisco servic_ as it WSg' possible to get at a reasonable price; Tlie Suez service approached that standard.: as near as it was possible-to get it pre-: sent. ... :f ■■_