LESSONS FROM NEW SOUTH WALES.—No. I.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 811, 20 March 1874, Page 3

LESSONS FROM NEW SOUTH WALES.—No. I.

CALIFORNIA* MAIL SERVICE. In an article upon the subject of taxation a week or two ago, we made some reference to the effect that the policy of the above named Colony in the matter of free-trade, and of her bid for the premier position as a Colony, as well as her liberal policy, would have on our own. Previous to this, in articles upon the new San Francisco .Mail Service, we have had occasion to make, more than once, reference to the state of opinion in New South Wales. There is, indeed, so much of similarity in the circumstances of this Colony and that of its Australian compeer, that she becomes our natural ally rather than Victoria. We have more than once |K)inted out that Mr Vogel has courted Victoria to the neglect of New South Wales. It was only the bold j»olicy of the latter in determining to establish an independent mail service after the recent Colonial Conference had closed its sittings that compelled Mr Vogel to recollect that he was likely to be called to account for his conduct as Premier it* he allowed the Fijis to be made the chief port of call on the line of route, and not New Zealand. He was absolutely forced to resign Victorian pretensions and his own inclinations, and we may surmise that he is not altogether over pleased to find that clever Mr H. H. Hall has, after all, out-generaled him. Mr Parkes was too astute for our Premier; but what of that, so long as the real interests of this Co!cny are conserv ed ? Perhaps the lukewarmness that exists between the two Premiers may account for the reason why Mr Vogel's pet arrangement for a submarine telegraph system, connecting New South Wales, was not introduced by Mr Parkes into the Parliament sitting in Sydney. Be that as it may, we are sure that the following extracts will be read with none the less They are taken from a report in the Sydney Morning Herald of a s|>eech delivered by the lion. Mr Parkes at Wollongong. This exchange we need hardly remark has coine since the last of our articles was written. In fact, it has only been received by the last mail. The reception given to Mr Parkes was enthusiastic throughout the Illawarra district, and after the banquet large numbers of ladies attended to hear the hon. gentleman speak. We do not give the subjects in the order they were dealt with. As we have just been referring to the mail service we may as well first give some of the remarks the lion, gentleman made under that head, premising that all through the speech we have condensed it: — Mr Parkes, on rising to respond, was greeted with protracted cheering. He said—"The reception which has been given to me on my arrival in Illawarra, characterised as it h is been by circumstances of so much sponfitaneousness and warmth, might be accepted bv a proud man accustomed to marks of distinction as a great honor, but I, a very plain man, with no circumstances of social life specially to commend me to you, who must depend amidst much misrepresentation and detraction upon my own efforts, single and alone, extending over some years, not 1111chequered by serious misfortunes—coming to you, as I do, with 110 tie uniting me in any way to your town or district, —your reception must be to n»e in the highest degree gratifying. Your chairman has referred to the difficulty of our ocean mail service ; and it is to me very gratifying that the people of Wollongong, who, I hope, represent the people of the entire district, are quite sensible that this question of communication between Australia and other j>arts of the world is not, as it is sometimes narrowly asserted to be, a mere question affecting the merchants of Sydney, but that it is a great social question intimately connected with the advancement of civilization, and one which affects every man in the country. (Cheers). A Conference was assembled in Sydney in which the whole of the Colonies, including New Zealand, were represented, audit is an undoubted fact that some of the representatives of the Colonies at that Conference gave their voice directly against their convictions in view of their own special interests involved in the maintenance of the Suez mail service. It was admitted that the course taken was very unfair towards New South Wales ; but then, it was argued, unless these other Colonies took that course, they would stand in danger of losing the service altogether, and therefore it was that they took that course which avowedly served their own purposes. The avowed aim of Victoria was to advance that / 4Wony to the premier place in the Australian group; and, as the other Colonies yielded to her threatening attitude, New South Wales was voted into the position of being subordinate in all her mail interests to the sister Colony of Victoria. But she had the alternative of taking some course which would enable her to protect herself. I and my colleague, Mr Samuel, were the representatives of New South Wales in this Conference. We did not hesitate for a single moment to assert the independence of this Colony in respect to the arrangement which was being made; we did not hesitate to commit this Colony to a decided and unequivocal dissent from this proceeding, or to take upon ourselves, as meml>ers of the Government, the responsibility of providing for this country the means of communication independent of all the Colon e : . (Cheers). We have got the steamers, and fine powerful ships they are, running between Sydney and San Francisco. But in the organization ol this service we have succeeded in obtaining the alliance of tlie rich and proqjerom Colony of New Zealand, and 1 count that as no mean advantage in tlie future progress oi New South Wales. (Hear, hear). New Zealand is so abundantly blessed with natural riches, that her position in the future, not withstanding the great amount of her debt must be that of a great country ; and am circumstance that would tend to cultivate anc maintain an alliance between this Colony ant New Zealand would be greatly to the ad van tage of both. (Hear, hear). Your chairmai has stated, with considerable foresight, tha this particular line of communication acres the Pacific will greatly tend to our advantagi in opening up commercial intercourse witl

these beautiful and fertile islands of tlie South Sens. (Hoa. ', lie.vr). I attuch great possible ini;>ort?UK'e to the achievement of the Government is establishing this line of communication. If time permitted, I might briefly , point out what a grand result it is for tL( ji English nation.