A BELATED REPLY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 50, 22 November 1907, Page 8

A BELATED REPLY.

SHE , PREMIER ON THE ENGLISH MAIL . ' SERyiCE. : . The Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce ■(Mr. S. Carroll) has received an answer to a lettor (authorised by the Council of the Chamber) written to-the Premier on March 23 lost, on the subject of the English mail service. The Promier replied ,on Wednesday last, as follows:— . ■ "November 20, 1907. ■ "Sir,—l have the honour to refer to your letter of August 1G last, respecting the mail ser--vices • between: New Zealand and the • United Kingdom. , 1 am very glad to note the satisfaction of your Chamber with the arrangements which the Department has already made to that end. In view of the regular weekly service by way of Suez, I regret that I do not see my-way to adopt the 'suggestion of your Chamber, to arrange a direct servico •between New Zealand and an English port. I think it very likely that the' Government will lave to concentrate its resources at no distant date on the extension of mail facilities by another route.—l have the honour to be; sir, your obedient servant, J. G. Ward, PostmasterGeneral." - ■. ■ ■ In explanation of tho above it should bo stated that the resolution of tho Council of the Chamber of Comtnerco included a suggestion on the subject of Government subsidies, viz., that the Government should endeavour to arrange with tho existing direct lines between New Zealand and London that, in return for a reasonable subsidy, they should establish a mail service between tho two countries with a time limit of 35 days. Tho_Council considered that the timo had arrived when a 35 days' .•service was quito feasible and that, with tho aid of a reasonable subsidy, the companies would bo prepared to lay on steamers or such a class as would obtain this object. It was thought that the establishment of such a eervico on the'lines suggested would form such an advertisement and such, an inducement forpassenger and immigrant traffic that tho cost of tho subsidy- would bo justified.