VANCOUVER SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 815, 12 May 1910, Page 5

VANCOUVER SERVICE.

A. NEW ZEALAND CALL. WITHOUT LEAVING OUT BRISBANE Bj Telecrupl'— Press Association—OoorrlKhL Sydney, May 11. . Tho Federal Postmaster-General, , Mr. J. Thomas (whb'was recently interviewed ' by Sir James' Mills) is visiting Sydnej to obtain information with a. view to improving the: Vancouver service. ; He ia anxious that it should :be put on a better footing, and considers tho present annual tenure very unsatisfactory. Personally, he said , in an interview, ho favoured the vessels calling at Auckland if it could bo done without detriment to Australia's interest. It seemed to him that such a call would be an advantage- to the Commonwealth, as it would mean larger and. swifter steamers. Apart from the question of mails the aspect of v bcing able to open up markets for Australian produce appealed strongly to him. .There was no intention of dropping Brisbane as a, port of call; / '■■■.■. : Given swifter steamers—and ho thought they could bo arranged' for at less dost than was now being paid—the inclusion of New..Zealand would not appreciably lengthen. the ; voyage.' QUEENSLAND ♦ BRISBANE' COMMERCIAL VIEWS, (Bee. May 11, 9.15 p.m.) Brisbane,' May. 11. The Brisbane Chamber' of Commerce discussed the proposal to make Now Zealand n point of .call for Vnncouver mail steamers. -.... It was stated that for years New South iWnles and Queensland had borne the 'burden of the Vancouver 1 mail subsidy for the benefit of the whole of Australia, and it would be unfair'to take the boats off tho Queensland route in the interests of New. Zealand, which was not a portion of the Commonwealth. It was also stated that the 'value of imports by the Vancouver .line into Queensland had been su> under during the last three years:— ';;■'

1907 : ..■ JE54.000 13(18 ; MSM... - 190!) ~.;............. .£55,000 and for the first four'mouths of this year/ JE31.000. .'""■'