VANCOUVER MAIL SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 78, 26 December 1907, Page 6

VANCOUVER MAIL SERVICE

VIEWS OF MR, JOHN DUTHIE. . WARD-LAURIiDR- iMPRACTIC- . - ■;; .'■ ;■■' , 'ABLE.v;':://■ ; .' : ,':.: During the tour from which, ho'has just rotnrned Mr. John Diithie took tho opportunity of studying the question of an AllRed mail' eervioo-. from :,oth<jr points .of viow.'th'an' those of. the; stay-at-home ;New Zealandor.- He readily cohsehted to. express his opinions on tho .• subject to a represent a-, tive of Tiie Dominion. ' .•. .. ' ; _ "While, tlio London Conference' was" siV ting," said/.Mr. Duthie, "it was underst-dbd that Australia was agre'eablo,. that New Zealand should .again -take up/the Vancouver service, with Auckland as 'the ;first port'of colonial call: Presumably.Australia was/satisfied with Suez as its connection, and content to get a .monthly, mail .to Canada and the United States by/way of New Zealand. The Union Company's'.:contract had not long to run, and the-general manager of that company, who was in London, sought a contract of such duration as would, justifythem in building larger- steamers than those now engaged, and of sufficient' power -to maintain a 16-17 knot speed-.at-sea; i.e., equal to the P. .'.and 0: Company. ■ AN IMPRACTICABLE SCHEME. " The prospect of a contract on -those lineswas supposed to bo; fairly certain, when suddenly the Premiers ~6f Canada .and New Zealand put forward/conditions stipulating 'for a speed equaOo, or beyond, that obtained on tho Atlantic fc-rry lines ; but. utterly impracticable for so great a distance as this in tho Pacific. It is difficult to surmise what was bohind this demand; no. necessity or circumstanoo was mentioned which: warranted an expshdituro of the- enormoiis 'subsidy which, on behalf of. their colonies,/:theso" PremicTs proffered, but oven such ..payments could not induce- practical -. shipowners' "tp,... entertain their proposals,; and so the was left. Tho Union Company is still working under»ita Queensland contract, and tho service will apparently bo' allowed to lapse, by. effluxion, as happened when tho New Zealand Shipping Company's contract was allowed by our Govornment to run out. .-■'. .;■./. ... ' '.. CANADLiN-HOPES./' " When I was in Montreal and Toronto, oxporters wero talking with' much cbnfideneo of a transfer to the Australian trado of'the throe Empress steamers -. now running betwoon Vancouver and Japan-China. . Still, it did not , appear ~ probablo that even tho wealthy Canadian Pacific' Railway .Company, which owned .these vessels,/ coitid, on so long a railway haulage-, give. a-through rate sucn as. would enable. Canadian, 1 makers to com-: pete with. freight shipped from ■ New York. Besides, tho steamers are not well • adapted to-a tropical route. jAfter.l left,,l saw an announcement by/a Canadian Minister which made it appear as if a contract Had been arranged, but whatever'wero the| prospects -a ftsw months-ago.the position is; how changed.

. , TARIFFS AND . THE VSERVICE. ."; - Canadian patriotism, is and -thp carriagoof.Australasian niailSthrough their territory was not, of much :importanco ; to them, nor - was this' the -main- object .which they, sought .. ;Their. ,rea]' .was-', to establish- a ..co.nnectidn ,wh.ich';ikpuld I'ea'il; to pperiing the ..market'for'their-surplus inajuifiicturo?, hut' iiow' botli": the jCommqnVea'lth' riid the ' Dbniiriion; have, b'y. .pasiiiig tliei.i' i.e.w, .tariffs;;, done much , : to'-'itbw'iift-.'tlicEe hopes. , -'Those tariffs . were introduced -andadopted for .the, purpose : of., effectively; teeming Australian maniifactures,.. and the so:called preference, wji.ich ' consisted-. of doubly ■ '.taking rivals .who.;',?ero already ousted, savours, of the .burlesque... .Iri presonce of this action, If bar. that little>.assistaiice can now bo. looked for. from' Canada, and.l expect, that the Vancouver service, if continued at all,: will only be carried ..on at the cost an_d risk, of .New : Zealand. .'.Bui oven so, it.would.yet ■ be a very retrograde step to let- it fall through; A mail-'.con-nection with. America- is how an.international necessity;" '. :■ .; ..■ ■■