STEAMER SERVICES

Evening Star, Issue 19352, 11 September 1926, Page 2

STEAMER SERVICES

SOOTH ISLAHD HANDICAP NEGOTIATION IN PROGRESS [Fiiom Oun Paelumentaey Repoetkr] WELLINGTON, September 10. “What has been done to establish direct steamer communication between the South Island and Australia?” asked Sir Joseph Ward when the Postal Department's Supplementary Estimates came up for adoption in the House tonight and the member for Invercargill saw no provision there for expenditure on the service.

“ It is under consideration,” replied Mr Nosworthy, Postmaster-General. Sir Joseph Ward suggested that this was too indefinite. He would like to see a vote on the Estimates. It would bo no good considering the matter 11 Parliament did not pass the money at once. AH Nosworthy: Oh, wo could find a way. (Laughter.) A Member; That’s bluff! Mr Nosworthy; There is no bluff about it, and the hou. gentleman will recognise it is not going to be done for nothing, it is a pretty big business, because the trade has not been there for the last few years, and I am not going to commit the Government oilhand to £25(1,000 or £200,000. it lias been considered in Cabinet two or three times, and negotiations arc going on. if we can come to a satisfactory arrangement the Government will find the money.” Mi- Horn suggested that the matter could be arranged by way of a mail subsidy. To show what Now Zealand had lost through failure to maintain this direct communication with Australia, ho remembered that on a steamer leaving Bluff for Melbourne the last cargo aboard was eight trucks of oysters. AH Coates: How many oysters m a truck? Air Horn declined to estimate, but he had gone into the question of what the South Island people hail lost through the lack of direct communication. and estimated it at two millions. Sir Joseph Ward declared that it was a delusion to mention £250.000 as the probable cost of the service. Mr Downie Stewart: If it did I could not provide it. Sir Joseph Ward: “It would be quite wrong to allow such an impression to go out.” He added that a strong feeling was developing that the South Island must not bo allowed to drift. Ho was sorry that the Postmaster-Gen-eral could not give a definite estimate of the cost. The figures he had quoted were impossible.