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Lyttelton Times, Volume XVII, Issue 982, 9 April 1862, Page 4

Br the arrival of the Prince Alfred we have intelligence from Melbourne via" Otago to the 26th March.. We are enabled thus to lay before our readers a sketch of the mail service for the colony according to the arrangements entered into by the Postmaster-General during his recent visit to Australia. The intercolonial service will consist of three distinct and separate lines. One to and from Melbourne and Otago by two vessels, one arriving in Otago from Melbourne on the 19th of the month and another leaving Otago for Melbourne on the 18th. There will be a steamer from Sydney to Auckland arriving on the 22nd and another from Wellington and Nelson to Sydney leaving Nelson on the 13th. Each of these boats will perform a return passage but not as mail boats. So much for the services between Australia and New Zealand; now for the inter-provin-cial. A boat will leave Manukau on the 10th, for the Bluff, calling at all ports ; Nelson, on the 12th; Otago, on the 17th; Bluff, on the 20th; returning back to Manukau on the 6th. This boat carries homeward mails down the coast, and takes her time back. Another boat leaves Manukau on the Ist of the month, for Otago, calling at all ports, and arriving in Port Chalmers by the 15th, ready for the mail from Melbourne, when it arrives • for which she is to wait till the 25th, if necessary, and then proceed up the coast as fast as possible, delivering all the mails except those of Auckland and Napier. This boat will keep commercial time down the coast, mail

time returning- U p. A third boat will leave Auckland by the east coust on the 24th taking- Napier. mails only, and proceeding-, with easy time, to the Bluff and back. Such is the plan proposed to meet the manifold requirements of the postal service of the colony. The chief objects which the Postmaster-General had to keep in view were —to deliver the mails in the colony as quickly as possible, and to take them punctually away ; to distribute them as equally as possible in point of time to all the provinces, and to give preference, where such must be given, to the most important; to keep up a rapid and constant inter-communication between all

so that wherever the seat of government may be, the other provinces should be attached to it as closely as possible; to give commercial advantages equally to all the important provinces by means of individual connection with some port of Australia in the same bottom,to lighten the burden of all this to the colonial revenues by taxing- the provinces which receive commercial, as well as postal advantages, in a ratio with their profit. These objects, the plan here set forth appears calculated to carry out successfully. It cannot be expected that, where there are so many conflicting interests all eager for their own satisfaction, any plan, however perfect in design or detail, will meet with universal approbation. It is hopeless to expect that those who are determined to be served first will consent, with anything like good grace to being served on terms of equality with others. If the objects we have enumerated are those which should influence a government in consulting the general interests of the colony, Mr. Ward has done his work satisfactorily in having arranged a service which bids fair to attain them.