THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE.

Marlborough Express, Volume XL, Issue 4, 5 January 1907, Page 2

THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE.

; AN mmLtf JMPROVEMI&Fp '". ARRANGED FOR. [iPBESSs A'SB®&TATION.] WELL3IKGTON, Jan. -5* bpeakmgswith. r-eference to the Ss*ft£ r" ■ff^ ISru lh «"****> Prenifet* , stated-that^ before t&© expiry o f tbe^' contract -in November- Jiast the steamerswere running; ermticaUy, and the Government decrded:that instead of offer^ inga renewal of: the-'contract, to im-^' pose a penalty of.v£3oo under the con-*----£ract -for-failure'to-keep to the time- - table, and -fu*;thei V not to give a con- ' tract, even-for • 12-montlts, until the ' Owners were m a-p.osition. to carry out the terms or the: agreement. The three steamers owned by the company were undergoing eartensw© tepairsfand every effort - was behig-. made to get " outside steamers-paf- on-.- daring th& time/that ■ these' steasiers were under repair.

The Premier referred' to the com-paratively-small -subsidy: paid by NewZealand, and said that.BO^ther company would put on .steamera to fill the gaps^atanythinglike■ th^amount that the Colony was now contributing for the mail service via America. After referring, to the- unsuccessful efforts made by the-Government for the Vancouver steamers to-oali at New Zealand,-the^Premier said?tliat U p to the present there had. Veen no-service nor was there'likely to -lie? one, that would givers .fast a mart,connection between Auckland audlibndon as that via America j but ifc must bY put on a basis to fill the requirements of the people of th> ceuntry. The- Government hacTdone.everything- possible to improve the service; if the Colony were prepared to pay for a largeiy^iicreased service it could get larger and Faster steamers, but Parliament, Having nxed the maximum sum at'£2o:oo9 per year for both these services, had done so withi the full recognition "of wfcat it believed the Colony was justified in paying. As soon as it was-possible for the Government to obtain a-- Ketter service than now, the publib might depend on it that it would sbe done.- He noticed that the Premier of Queensland had stated that he-was prepared to forego Brisbane's being the port of call for the Vancouver-steamers,-, provided that Queensland were not asked to pay anything for the service.- Th& consent of the Federal Government would have to be- obtained fdrrtkafc course, and as the subsidy for carrying the mails via Vancouver was spread over the Commonwealth, to relieve Queensland of payment would m>t be. so easy m practice as-if would appear on the face of it/