THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1885.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 5315, 9 October 1885, Page 2

THE Grey River Argus. PUBLISHED DAILY. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1885.

The contract for the San Francisco service has been completed after a good deal of unnecessary mumbo-jumbo mystery. It must have been virtually completed before the session closed, because the I Government pointed to this straggling and ragged-looking feather as one of their triumphs. Considering the difficulties they had to contend with in getting their own way in anything, we are not disposed to try to deprive them of any little credit they may feel justified in taking to themselves over the transaction. It is tolerably clear 1 that the House as a whole i attached little or no importance to the -matter, otherwise Government would havehad to throw it into the waste basket ; alongside their tariff proposals. The Treasurer always had a weak side far foreign postal services, and ,ye are net disposed to cavil at him for his desire to bring the colony into direct communication with a great commercial nation like 4 mer i ca " The Colony as a whole has also been more or less in love with the idea of .keeping alive close and active commercial relations with the United States ever since the old Panama service, which unfortunately from its inception carried the , fatal brand of mismanagement on its front, and was therefore doomed to an early grave amongst other gigantic business failures. Not discouraged by one failure, the Colony embarked in another which was almost equally unsuccessful, and also came to a premature end. That did not dismay us sufficiently to prevent us entering into the present service, which, all things considered, has been carried out very .successfully. The commercial advantages derived from it have been nothing "like so extensive as its sanguine advocates : anticipated. But still it has laid the foundation of a trade that showa signs of developing into something considerable, and we should very much regret to see it abandoned now after all the expense and care bestowed in nurturing it thus far, just as the eyes of the United States are being opened ,tp the fallacy of their protection policy. : 'lt would have been much more satisfactory had we succeeded in making better terms for ourselves. New South Wales, considering the advantages she reaps from"being the terminus, might well afford to contribute more in proportion to her wealth and population as compared with this colony. So in the same way might the United States well have increased their subsidy of £4000, which is the merest trifle towards a service which is of the very greatest value to American merchants in enabling them to compete with those of Great Britain by giving them a material advantage of several days at least in their business correspondence. American m erchants are fully alive to the fact th<xt the San Francisco service opened a new market to them of great promise, and one in which they have commanded a large trade. This has been so potent a fact that we are quite sure that had the subsidy been left in their hands this colony would have been much more liberally dealt with. But unfortunately the commercial interests of the United States in foreign trade are very largely dependent upon a few cliques who " rig " the Legislature. We have therefore to be thankful for any concession. Even the £4000 that it is assumed we will get, we are by no means certain that it will not be blocked at the eleventh hour, as has been done before. Although New South Wales has driven a hard bargain, she is a colony sufficiently akin to our own in her political methods to be depended upon to ratify and carry out any promise made by her representatives. Although we should have been glad to learn that the contract was based on better terms for this colony, there are advantages that the former did not possess. The cost will at least be no greater ; the inspired outline of it published yesterday makes out that it will be less. There is also a material advantage in time, which to commercial men is a great deal. As we are no worse eff as a colony than when the present contract was entered into, and as we have never deemed the San Francisco Bervice a burden in any shape, there is no reason to be dissatisfied with the contract just; entered into, especially when we reflect that the greater share of the service will, be performed by a New Zealand company with New Zealand boats, and that any profits the contract may yield will be very largely absorbed in the maintenance of people, whose home is in this Colony. It is premature to speculate on any springs of commerce that may be tapped in the Far. East by opening up communications between Honolulu, Japan and China, though the day perhaps is not so remote when commercial relations between this Colony and those eastern countries will assume dimensions of importance.