OVERSEA MAILS DELAYED.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 198, 19 August 1908, Page 2

OVERSEA MAILS DELAYED.

A LOCAL- COMPLAINT. Complaints have been made by business people aad others in connection with the Li* arrival of the last Suez and Vancouver mails. The Vancouver mail reached Suva on August 2, and only came to hand by the Moana yesterday. The mail was carried on to Sydney, when, if suitable arrangements had been made, it might have been forwarded on from iSuva to Auckland direct by the steamer Rakauoa, which left the Fijian port on the day that the Vancouver mail steamer arrived. Tne mail was delayed a further couple of days by the Moana going in search of the Hawea. The Moana had also the Suez mail on board. Both these mails, it is asserted, snould have been placed on board the Tyser steamer Marere, which arrived at Auckland from Sydney on Sunday last. The" local agents for the Tyser lines (Messrs. Heather, Roberton, and Co.) stated to a "Star" reporter that the day before her sailing from Sydney it was understood the Marere would carry the Vancouver and Suez mails across to Auckland. On Monday afternoon (August 10) the postal authorities at Sydney informed Capt. Firth, of the Marere, that the Moana, leaving Sydney ora Angust 12, would take the mails across to Auckland, as the Union Company had intimated that their steamer would reach this port as soon as the Marere, The .Marere left Sydney on August 11, and the Moana on August 12, and the Marere arrived here 43 hours ahead of the Union liner. The agents could not state whether it •was known in Sydney when the arrangements were made that the Moana was to prolong her trip in order to search for the Hawea. The local office of the Union Company obligingly supplied our reporter with all the information at their disposal. The Vancouver steamer arrived at Suva on August 13. The Sakanoa left Suva on the same day for Auckland, but whether it was before or after the mail arrived it was not known. Presumably the Marama had not put in an appearance when the Rakanoa left. The Rakanoa has since discharged her cargo and proceeded out in search of the Hawea. The Auckland office has not been advised with regard to 3ny delay at Sydney, and, of course, the time spent in looking for the Hawea could not be avoided. The assistant-postmaster, Mr. Dryden. was nest seen. He said that undter ordinary circumstances the Moana would have jrot mon Sunday. The Moana left I Sydney on Wednesday last, scheduled! time. He did not know whether the Sydney Post Office knew in time that the Moana was to search for the Hawea to send the mails on by the Marere. which left Sydney the day before, Tuesday. With regard to the Vancouver'mail, the Rakanoa presumably left Suva before the arrival oi the mail steamer, or the New Zealand mails would! have been transhipped at that port. Whenever convenient, New Zealand mails are sent on from ' Suva to the Dominion direct, but the sailings of the steamers do not always fit in with the arrival of the mail It is a serious matter to detain a steamer on the point of sailing because the mail is due. It may be that the mail is a day or several days late, and this would be disastrous in the case of a vessel loaded with a cargo of fruit. Last year the postmaster at Fiji wired for instructions with regard to the detention of a cargo steamer about to sail for Anckland. The mail was about dtae, but the Fiji authorities vrere advised to send the mail on to Sydney. As it happened, this was very fortunate, as the Auckland bound steamer got on a reef at Fiji, and did not arriev here until Beveral weeks after the mail had been ctelivexed. No contingency has since arisen where it has been necessary to consider the detention of a steamer at FijL Invariably the mail has arrived via Sydney, and on the few occasions that it came here direct from Suva connecting steamers were timed to leave after the mail steamer arrived. In connection with the present case the local postal authorities have written to the head office at Wellington, suggesting that in special circumstances arrangements should be made with the Fiji office to hold a vessel there when the Vancouver mail steamer is expected; at any rate it is suggested that the Suva postmaster in any such cases in the future should be instructed to wire to the Auckland office, which could decide from time to time whether the mails should go on to Sydney or be Bent to Auckland direct by a local steamer.