The Press. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1873.
We hope that Government will let us know as soon as possible, through some of the many means at its disposal, what has been done at the Intercolonial Conference about postal contracts. At [ present the position of New Zealand is I very unsatisfactory. We are committed to what is without exception the worst mail service ever known—so bad that even Mr Vogel, its originator, is forced to confess its lamentable, inefficiency—and, unless our obligations are dissolved by consent, we are bound to it by contract for eight years. The sum paid by the colony for this mockery of a service is £40,000 per annum. As yet the money is almost a dead loss. For postal purposes the San Francisco line is next to useless. We could get our letters carried more cheaply, more expeditiously, and with a hundred times more punctuality by the P. and O. Company. The passengers to and from New Zealand are not numerous; nor, if they were ten times as many, could tbe taxpaying public consider the pleasure or convenience to individuals of travelling by the American route a sufficient return for an outlay of £40,000. In short, the colony is in an unpleasant predicament, and the question is, can any means be devised forgetting out of it P - For our part, we ha*e al ways maintained that the best hope of relief lies
in co-operation with the Australian colonies. We believe that, if proper overt beefe.made at the outset, au arrangeVnentinHjHt have been effected by which New Zealand would have gained every possible benefit obtainable from *the establishment of a Oalifornian mail service, at a third of the present cost. The contractors urgently recommended that course. "What they;want is hold of the Australian trade. They never contemplated toNew Zealand only, and would never hate entered into the contract if they had foreseen any chance of its stopping there. Their conHucE" 6F toe service for the Fast eighteen months : —the cool disregard of the BDeciS*?d.dates!.?f saj^ljn^-—the wa.nt. of any effort to keep time—the constant delays and frequent stoppnges — the withdjravviDgof the Dakota for a. twelvemonth —the entire indifference as to "whether any of the conditions of the agreement were fulfilled or not— all. prove that, so long^as Australia is esclud.edj>the contract is of no value. They hold to it only in the hope that sooner or later Australia, will be in-* duced to come in. Ther evidently have never thought it worth their while to serve New Zealand alone.
But, unfortunately, Mr. Vogel could not be brought to see the matter in this light. He was under an impression that hia contract with Messrs Webb and Holladay gave New Zealand a superiority over Australia, which he was resolved to press to the utmost. His fixed idea was to make the service primarily a New Zealand one, under the control of the New Zealand Government; admitting New South Wales and Victoria afterwards, as an act of grace, and on strictly
subordinate terms. It was not likely that the great Australian colonies would consent to accept such a position. Sydney and Melbourne have not learnt to tbiuk so slightly' of themselves as to submit to be paraded before the world in the character of humble attendants on Wellington. Mr Vogel's design, at once so arrogant and so feeble, collapsed ignominiously. Victoria laughed tde pretensions of New Zealand to scorn. New South Wales has rejected.any kind of partnership, and, ignoring Mr -Webb altogether, has set about establishing a service on her own account.
The Intercolonial Conference gave Mr Vogel another opportunity. He had a chance of relieving,the colony from an intolerable burden by some proposal which consulted Australian, not simply New Zealand, interests. But, so far as we can learn, he has not succeeded. The members of therConference keep their secrets well, and telegrams from Sydney contain little more information than that the posfal question haa been under discussion. But it is reported that tbey have not come to any agreement. The other delegates are said to be opposed to the views of the representatives of New Zealand; and even-Mr Vogel's offer to make Sydney the terminus of the line has not overcome their preference for the line set on foot by the New South Wales Government. A despatch is also said to have been received from the Imperial Government, to the effect that no assistance will be
given to any service which is not generally supported by the colonies. All this indicates failure ; and it is confirmed by a telegram from Mr Vogel to the Government announcing that the C<>nfere»*ce "is not likely to do anything." On the other hand, there has been some good news for Mr Webbfroni America. The subsidy of 500,000 dollars a year for ten years, for a Californian and Australian line of mail steamers has been favorably reported on, and is certain to be car-
ried. This perhaps may influence the final decision of the Conference. But we do not know what conditions are attached to the subsidy, The object of Congress in granting it is to extend American trade with Australia, which will not be achieved by a line that stops short at New Zealaud. Unless Mr Webb's steamers run to some Australian . port he... will, not be entitled to the subsidy. Nor, under any - circumstances, will it
make any difference to iNew Zealand. When Mr Webb made his contract he calculated on obtaining 500,000 dollars a year by an Act of Congress, and it was in addition to this amount that, he bargained for a contribution of £/50,000—0r £40,000, when the gteame v did not go on to Sydney—from the colony. He is known to have been a heavy loser hitherto; and the receipt of "the expected assistance from America will only put him in the position he had reckoned ou occupying from the first, and will be no reason for fore-
going or lessening his demand on New Zealand. Unless, therefore, Mr Yogel can persuade Victoria br New South Wales to do something to help us, his second mission will end as fruitlessly as the first, and we Bhall be as badly off as ever. On the whole, the prospect is not a lively one, and we cannot think that the Intercolonial Conference has done much to improve it.
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Press, Volume XXI, Issue 2353, 18 February 1873, Page 2
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1,055The Press. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1873. Press, Volume XXI, Issue 2353, 18 February 1873, Page 2
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