THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

Evening Star, Issue 12626, 4 October 1905, Page 6

THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

DELAYS IN TRANSIT. [Fame Oua Pabuakbitcibx Rkpoxto.} WELLINGTON, October 4. A eeries of despatches relating to the ocean mail services, and particularly to that via San Francisco, was laid on the table of the House of Representatives yesterday by the Postmaster-General, Sir Joseph Ward. The delays in the delivery of the homeward mail are drawn pointed attention to by the High Commissioner, who, writing on April 13 last, states that the mails are seldom delivered on due date. This hod been especially the case this year. On three occasions they were not delivered until the Tuesday after the Saturday on which they were due, and twice not tiU the Thursday after. This delay was a source of much inconvenience and loss from a business point of view to banking, shipping, and other interests. To this the Hon. A. Pitt, on behalf of the Premier, replied that the Government were only too conscious that the service had been irregular, mainly due to delays on the railway between 'Frisco and New York and protracted voyages oa the Atlantic. The contractors (Messrs J. D. Spreckels and Co.) had from time to time been firmly requested to see that their steamers reached i San Francisco sufficiently early to admit of the mails being forwarded by the 10 a.m. train fur New York. The contractors were doing their best to ensure due connection with this train, and the Minister was hopeful of greater regularity in the LoDdoo delivery. The departure of the train from San Francisco at 11 a.m. instead of 10a.m., which took effect on May 1, and the transfer of the mails to the fast Twentieth-cen-tury Express between Chicago and New York, should make the delivery more regular. Everything possible was being done 1 to Jginrmise delays. Mr V. A. Sproul, of the Auckland office of the Oceanic Company, writing from San Francisco on June 28, stated that the general opinion in San Francisco v,as that ! Chicago was the weak spot, tba transfer there not receiving the attention it should. He suggested that the San Francisco agent should Da transferred to Chicago, an agent not being necessary in San Francisco. Matters were being arranged so that even thought the mails did net reach San Francisco till Tuesday tbey would arrive in New York in time to go forward by the Saturday steamer. ■—Australia's Use of the Service.— In a lengthy despatch to tho Federal Postmaster-General in May last, Sir Joseph Ward urged the recipient to extend more liberal treatment to the San Francisco service than represented bv the present payment of 2s per lb for letters and 4s per cwt for other matter, a contribution entirety out of keeping with the value of the service to.the Commonwealth. Sir Joseph proceeded : " In 1891 it was agreed that the poundage rates in respect of both Trisco and Suez services should be 12s per lb for letters, Is for books, and 6d for news- i papers. The contributions from non-con-tracting colonies to the San Francisco service were paid over to the contractors instead of being retained by this office, as { had been the practice previously. In contracting with Messrs Spreckels in November, 1900, for the renewal of the San Francisco service, it was decided that New Zealand should no longer collect the non-con-tracting colonies' contributions, but leave the contractors to make their own arrangements with the colonies. It should be mentioned that for some time previous to 1900, and until Messrs Spreckels took over the service in that year, New South Wale* j made a fixed contribution of £4,000 a year to the San Francisco service. New Zealand entered the Postal Union in 1891, and reduced the letter postage to Great Britain to 2£d. The Sydney Post Office was advised of this, and alio informed, as already mentioned, that the rates for the use of tho San Francisco service by non-contractiTij; colonies had been reduced'to 12s per lb for j letters, Is for books, and 6d for newspapers. As New Zealand would probably make regular use of the Peninsular and Oriental and Orient services, the direct service not having been renewed, the Sydney Post' Office was asked whether the Australian colonies would not agree to allow this cokary the use of the Peninsular and Oriental and Orient services for the equivalent of the bare postages. At the same time the Sydney Post Office was also reminded that all recoveries from non-con-tracting colonies were paid aver by us to the contractors. The reply was that the 'Postmaster-General thinks tlie- fairest arrangement is to follow the recommendations of the heads of departments at the Sydney conference, and charge 12s on letters by both San Francisco and Suea routes.' It will thus be seen that New Zealand has been paying 12s per lb for letters, Is for books, and 6d for newspapers for sea carriage bv the Peninsular and Oriental ami Orient ■services since 1891. It was only during the short break between the termination of the late Peninsular and Oriental and Orient contracts and the new oue made in March last with the Orient Company that the Commonwealth intimated tliat we oould have the use of the services at the reduced poundage rates of 2s per lb for letters and 4s per cwt for other matter. Since then it is understood that we may make use of the services on payment of Postal Union rates. Our payment for the Bea. carriage of our outward mails in 1904 from Adelaide by the Peninsular and Oriental and Orient services was £4,031. At Postal Union rates the payment would not have exceeded £1,400. The Commonwealth, however, does not even pay Postal Union rates to the San Francisco service, but the local rate of 2s per pound far letters and 4s per hundredweight for books and newspapers —a payment, as already indicated, entirely inadequate to the vabae of the service to the Commonwealth, and especially to Sydney, which is the terminal port, and benefits to the extent of over £62,600 a year, spent in coaling and victualling the ships. I am not clearly acquainted with the reasons which led to the abandonment by Australia of the longstanding arrangement under which a mutual support by the contracting colonies was to be given as far as practicable to the Eastern and Western services. The redaction from a rate of 12s per pound for letters, Is for books, and 6d for newspapers to the Commonwealth rate of 2s per pound for letters and 4s per hundredweight for books and newspapers took place on the Ist December, 1900, but the Commonwealth did not suggest any corresponding reduction in the rates payable by New Zealand for the use of the Peninsular and Oriental and Orient services. While I am now aware that. New Zealand is at liberty to reduce the payment towards the eastern services to Postal Union rates, the point requires further cfinsidWstion whether this arrangement should not be retrospective from at least the date on which the Commonwealth reduced its payment for conveyance of mails by the San Francisco service. At the same tame, it is difficult to' understand why the Commonwealth should not, failing a more equitable arrangement, at least adopt the Postal Union rates' for matter conveyed by the San Francisco steamers. The point is one which has been brought before my department by the contractors' representatives in more than one, form; bjrL IjJiave heretofore, refrained from expjmssjag an opinion as to the merits of tfie case. Taking a broad view of the q&stion,, I. would ra gg es^'Js h #sAlk c :- value «rihe San Fraaoispo -mevimmmu^'Siwar

ipon wealth might be ; mpa|r*siely< estimated at £IO,OOO per annunif, while the value to New Zealand-of regular communication by the Peninsular and Oriental and-Orient services is about £5,000. I have not' at hand the amount actually paid over by the.' Commonwealth, for the;use'of the.San Francisco service, bat, of coarse, it is considerably less than £IOO,OOO (?) -*erannum, and although New Zealand has op to the present been paying about £4,000 a year for the use of the Eastern steamers the payment of Postal Union rates will reduce our contribution to about £1,500 per annum. At the present stage of this correspondence I will not enter into the merits of the poundage and San Francisco contribution system beyond saying that, in ray opinion % the interests of New Zealand are at present best served by granting, as far as practicable, liberal contributions to ocean mail steamers, and that, as a matter of reciprocity, I am prepared to recommend my Government to favorably consider the payment of a fixed contribution to the Peninsular and Oriental and Orient steamers,' provided the Commonwealth will adopt a similar policy in regard to the San Francisco service. I may add that unless some such arrangement is adopted there will be great difficulty in obtaining a renewal of the San Francisco service." No reply to this has yet been received. —The Vancouver Service. — The Secretary to the Post Office, in the course of a communication to Christchurch in July, stated that the negotiations for the Vancouver service calling at New Zealand were still proceeding. Under date of May 30, the managing director of the Union S.S. Company advised the Postmaster-General that the present position regarding the Vancouver service is as follows :—Our offer to the Federal Government is to continue via Brisbane for a subsidy of £30,000, being an increase of £6,000. of which Canada has agreed to pay one-half, or, as an alternative, to omit Brisbane and call at New Zealand for a subsidy of £20,000, allowing us to retain the subsidy contributed by New Zealand. In reply to this, the Postmaster-General offers to renew on present terms via Brisbane for one year, with the proviso that i f notice of termination is not given by 30th April next the contract goes on for a second year. We propose to decline this, and urge him to consider an alternative proposal via New Zealand. In view of this, can we rely on receiving the subsidy of £20,000 from New Zealand, as has been from time to time verbally indicated ? Sir Joseph Ward replied : "Director Union Steam Ship Company.—Yes. The New Zealand Government will give £20,000 per annum for Vancouver mail service, touching at Auckland or Wellington, at the option of the contractors. The period for -which a subsidy -would \>e given by the New Zealand Government would be fchive years; or if you find it necessary to have a shorter period to conform with what you are doing with Australia, there would be no objection to a reduced period."