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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7081, 28 July 1884, Page 4

It appears from oar London correspondent's letter that the Agent General of Victoria has been endeavouring once more to have a portion of the New Zealand mail matter forwarded by the P. and O. Brindisi service. He protests against the injustice supposed to be dqne to Victoria by holding over for the San Francisco, or fortnightly Orient service via Brindisi, New Zeaand letters not specially addressed. When the first notice of his action appeared in the cablegrams most people would naturally infer that a mistake had been made, as it did not appear how the matter in any way concerned him. It now turns out, however, that that there was no mistake, and that'he contemplates taking measures for indemnifying his colony for the loss it may have sustained through the partial nature of the arrangements made by the London postal authorities. The ground of his complaint seems to be that the Orient line is favoured, and that Victoria, whose contract is with the P. and O. line is excluded from the advantages enjoyed by New South "Wales, whose contract is with the Orient line. There can be no doubt that, as against the action of Mr. Fawcett in giving an exclusive preference to ,the Orient line, the complaint has considerable force; but it in no way diminishes -the injustice which the arrangement, even to the extent that it goes, manifestly inflicts on New Zealand. If New South Wales is to be at all benefited at our expense, it is natural enough that Victoria should wish to share in the spoil, and the action of the Agent-General for the latter colony is thus easily understood. The question for us, however, is ttis: Why Bhould the Imperial postal authorities have it in their power to benefit either of these colonies to our ' detriment and loss ? It is difficult to understand how this injurious arrangement could have gone so far as it hki done had our Agent-General protested against it altogether, with the same firmness as the Agent-General for Victoria has shown in withstanding its partial character. The cables have been ominously silent respecting any decided action in this matter on the part of Sir Dillon Bell, and his conduct is brought into greater prominence by the determined stand taken by Mr. Murray Smith. In contrasting the energy of the latter gentleman with the seeming slackness and indifference dt the former, it isdifficult to avoid the conclusion that the San Francisco service has no very zealous friend in the person of our Agent-General. Something very closely approaching to confirmation is thus given to the report which generally prevails in London, and has reached this colony, that he is not averse to the comparative uselessness and consequent expensiveness of this service, being demonstrated by this action of the London postal authorities, as it will pave the way for transferring the mail subsidy to the direct steam service companies. We venture to think that if, when the proposal to send New Zealand mail matter by other services than the one which our Government had contracted for, he had shown that earnestness in resisting it of which Mr. Murray Smith furnished an example, the postal authorities in London would not have persisted as they have done in carrying it out. The matter is one which certainly demands the most thorough investigation, and it is to be hoped that our Auckland members, on their arrival in Wellington, will give that heed to it which its importance to the colony, and especially to the northern portion of it, demands.