TEE MAIL SERVICES.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11098, 17 October 1901, Page 5

TEE MAIL SERVICES.

CABLE NEWS.

THB BATTLE OF THE ROUTES; NEW ZEALAKtf AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. United Prdae Ae*&c-iUon— Br Eleofcio Telegrepb—Copyright (Received October 16th, 9 &.m.) MELBOURNE, October 16. Sir Joseph Ward has cabled to the Hon. J. O. Drake, Federal Postmaster-General, asking whether some arrangement cannot be made whereby New Zealand would be made a party to the P. and 0. and Orient mail contracts, with the view to diverting the New Zealand-English mails to the Suez route. Cabinet will consider ,the question as socrfi as the censure motion is disposed' of. SiDNEI", October 16. The "Daily Telegraph,* , dealing with th 6 trouble between N*w Zealand and *Mr Spreckels, says:—"The Vancouver line present* many attraction* to New Zealand, and would make saoa & formidable appearanoe as a rival to the San Francisco line under New Zealand support, that the Com' nionwealth, finding other conditions equal, may yet h&ve to consider -whether it shall subsidise a British or 3 a foreign line to North America. It is quite possible that Messrs Spreckels will find it to their h> teasefc to sing smaller, both in Australia and New Zealand, in order to preserve their right to tbe present fat American subsidy." BRISBANE, October 16. Regarding the statements made in New Zealand by Mr Spreckels , representatives as to the possibility of extending thd 'Frisco mail service to- Queensland if the New Zealand proposals were not accepted, the Premier states that he has received no Communication of any kind from Mr Spreckels. The Queensland' arrangement with the Canadian line has still two or three years to run, and the Government has no .power to complete negotiations with Mr Spreckels, that being a matter entirely for th« Federal Government.