THE POSTAL CONFERENCE.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXIII, Issue 3040, 24 April 1867, Page 6

THE POSTAL CONFERENCE.

T HK first murmurs of discontent at the results of the Portal Conference have come from Melbourne, and this diicontent is finding its expression both within and without the walk of Parliament. So far Mtreoan gather, the complaints appear to be that the contribution is excessive, that the fortnightly mail to Suez is not adopted as a part of the proposed scheme, that Port Phillip is not the terminus of the 1 in©, and that the Cape route has not been provided for. It is fair enough, of course, that these objecti ons should be canvassed, and that it should be •honld b. Mhown thm* the colony had not been wronged. Bat those who urge them are bat repeating in another form the complaint that Victoria has not had its own way in everything. Bat the object of the Conference was not to explain to the delegates from the other colonies the nature of Victorian ideas, and to obtain an act of submission thereto. Those ideas were well known. So also were those entertained by the other colonies. But all these separate views had been discussed from the separate points of view, and, as often happens in such cases, the estimate of the respective advantages and grievances had baen seen in a somewhat exaggerated fight. The purpose of the conference was to consider the separate and the common interests together, and to see how far it was possible to obtain a compromise. It was not to be supposed that such a conference would simply endorse the peculiar claims of any one colony, even the most populous and wealthy. The separate proposals put before the conference sufficiently prove this. Union could only have been obtained by some degree of concession. To judge whether Victoria has conceded too much, the comparison must be made not with its present contribution, but with its outlay if it carried out its own project. If, as some of the people seem to wish, Victoria preferred a policy of isolation to > a policy of union, how would it stand then t Its object would be to secure a fortnightly mail by Suez, the steamer skipping South Australia, and making Port Phillip its terminus. This might be done for, ■ay, £50,000 a year in addition to the present subsidy. But it is not clear that the Home Government would bear its share of this additional expense. It does not appear unwilling to bear half the expense of any mail service which is for the use of, and which ht desired by, the colonies collectively, but it refuses to pay half of any service adopted by one colony, especially for its own particular accommodation. On this principle it has hitherto refused to contribute to the Panama or Torres Straits services, and it is only became those services have now bee» adopted by the Conference as part of the united Australasian postal system, that a sound bads is laid Ut the claim that half the total cost shall be borne by the mother country. A purely Victorian aid Sum service would not have the same claim, and would not meet with the same consideration. Victoria would be left to bear the whole expense of the second Suez mail, just as New Zealand was left to contract for the Panama service, and Queensland for the Torres Straits service. This obligation alone would amount to £50.000 a year. Then, apart from this, Victoria would have to become responsible for the whole colonial moiety of the now existing Bnez line, which, as it would be shortened a little, would amount to about £120,000, of which Victoria would have to be responsible for £60,000. It would of course be in a position to recover some of this from the other colonies by making a charge on the postage. But it would not be able to get much from Tasmania, the correspondence of which is small in amount ; and South Australia would refuse to come into a fortnightly Suez service, unless the unwelcome concession was made that ths steamers should call at Kangaroo Island or Holdfast Bay. And the amount of postage recoverable from New South Wales would not be very large. For it must be remembered that nearly four-fifths of the letters to and from this colony go by way of Southampton, showing that to the majority of the letter-writers the extra fourpence is considered of more importance than the lew days gained by the despatch through France. And if an extra tax were placed on letters by the Suez route in oxdtr to indemnify Victoria, nearly the whole of the correspondence of this colony would go by way of Panama, the delivery being quite as quick that way as via Suez and Southampton. Only letters of great importance would pay the extra poitage. Victoria, therefore, could only recover a yuj small sum by taxing Sydney letters — probably not much, if at au, more than it would have to pay for Victorian letters sent to America via Panama. Tiis ease would be still stronger with New Zealand and Queensland, for the former would send the -whole of its correspondence by Panama, and the other by Torres Straits. South Australia Would be more at the mercy of Victoria, but •Ten then it would only be the limited despatch correspondence which would be taxable, for the majority of correspondents would rather send their letters by sailing sdips than pay a very heavy postage. The result, therefore, of a policy of isolation would be that Victoria would have to take upon itself very heavy responsibilities, not less probably than £100,000, and with the very small power of reimbursing itself to any considerable extent. | It is necesmry to look this matter fairly in the face, because it is idle to grumble at the policy of unioi until the other alternative has been calmly Calculated. The Victorian delegstes at the Conference had to contemplate both istaec, and they judged rightly that union was economy. The Victorian subsidy is to be considerably increased, but then it must be remembered that at present it does not pay in proportion to the benefits it receives. The method of paying by mileage, introduced by Sir William Denison, was representative rather of the cost than of the benefitp of the service, for the colony which first receives the mail gets so far the greatest benefit. This was strikingly exemplified during tiie year when the mails were so irregular. Melbourn* secured the return of post, while Sydney lost it, yet Sydney paid a greater mileage than Melbourne did. The case is stronger with New Zealand, which never gets the return of post at all. This has fairly to be taken into account when questions of general benefit and advantage are entertained, as well as the mere question of cost. # If the Parliament of Victoria'condemns the decision of /the Conferenot, there is so far an end of the arrangement, and with it, of course, an end of all prospect of getting £200,000 a year from the mother country. . It is only on the basis of union that the demand for that contribution can be made or will be entertained^ It would be a very suicidal policy in »ny colony, to destroy the chance of that claim being •ncojssfuliy urged.— Sydney Morning Herald, April 5.