THE NEW MAIL CONTRACT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume II, Issue 541, 7 August 1865, Page 4

THE NEW MAIL CONTRACT.

The .V Herald of the 25th July gives the folio*; ing- particulars of the new contract for the service rw : — From the official notification of the acceptance of the new mail contract we learn that the Peninsula and Oriental Company had no rival*. Theirs wast™ only tender sent in, and its acceptance was therefore a matter of course. The new contract is for the sum of £120,000 a J'®'' or £10 000 a month. The present c ntraet is * rote of £134,672. There is, th. reform a swing« £14,672 a year, and half this sum of 7326, w" a saving to the colonies jointly. The new^ contra' is not for any definite period, but is terminable at tvr years' notice. . . If the service is to be fortnightly the eubridy l! be £170,000, which would reduce the charge for esc trip to £30*3. The extra cost to the united colony would be £25,000, and the extra cost to New sou fVales would probably be about £8000. ( . If the lunar month instead of the ca'endßr fflonis adopted as the basis of the time-table, '^ ere , 1 " B be thirteen trips instead of twelve each year, and extra ten thousand pounds will be wanted. , The oompany declines to call at Kangaroo I J ' S ° or at least asks an extra subsidy of £15,000 ayesit is obliged to do so. If South Australia and Queensland decline to come parties to the contract, it is proposed that . postage rate for their letters should be nut" eighteen pence, at which rate it is assumed their po tioaa of the service will be self-supporting. Bo' ■ is on the assumption that the number of let' wauld not be diminished, which it certainly woU ' The Lords of the Treasury approve of the omi-sj of Kangaroo Island as a calling place, on ground that it would lengthen the journey D ; Nothing is expressly Slid upon the fubject, b ut ' presume tnat the new contract is based on the s* rate of speed that prevails at present. It aooi appear that the com;>nny troubled itself to »en any alternative tenders, as invited, for a higfl« r lower rate of speed. ~ j:,. Lord Stanley, of Alderl •>', again expressed hi"inclination of his depaitment t > contribute any'" r either to the Panama or Torres Straits route, ® n , exhorts the Lords of the Treasury to yield to no ther solicitations on that point.