THE MAIL SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8386, 14 October 1890, Page 6

THE MAIL SERVICE.

DEPUTATION TO MR. MITCHELSON.

Yesterday morning a deputation of the Chamber of Commerce, consisting of Captain Col bock (president), and Messrs. A. 11. Nathan, C. C. McMillan, A. Bell, T. Allen, J. Reid, J. Bridgewater, W. F. La wry, and J. Young (secretary), waited on the Hon. Mr. Mitcholson (Acting-Premier) to urge upon him the nocessity of keeping the terminus of tho San Francisco mail service at Auckland. Captain Colbeck introduced the deputation. He said it was rumoured that the inhabitants of Wellington were still trying to induce tho (Government to make Wellington the terminus of the San Francisco service. He held that the deputation could show that there was no comparison between tho two places as terminal ports for tho service. He understood that Wellington demanded either that the Government, should givo a larger subsidy to the company or give them an extra day in time. He admitted that as a rule Wellington was the best distributing centre, but this did not hold for letters. With Wellington as the terminus letters for the North would have to be sent back for distribution. With tho boats calling at Auckland, on tho other hand, tho distribution was continuous. Tho whole of the Auckland' province was benefited to the extent of one day, and Wellington and tho South would not gain by any change. He did not want to say anything about the conduct of the \\ ellington people in taking the steps they had, but tie wished to {loint out that the people of Auckland were not asking for ! anything injurious to tho interests of the I colony ; while the wrong that would be done by asking for a larger subsidy or by delaying the mail was such an injustice that he hoped the Government would do their best to oppose it. Mr. McMillan* said what the Chamber of Commerce wished to impress on the Government was that Auckland was much nearer to San Francisco than Wellington, that now when communication with the South was so good, and they had such steamers as the Takapuna running, it was an advantage to the whole colony to have the terminus at Auckland. Then, again, there was a large and important district north of Auckland to which delivery of mails would be greatly delayed if Wellington was the terminus. Another reason for keeping the terminus at Auckland was he facilities provided by tho Auckland Harbour Board. As a member of the Auckland Harbour Board, lie might say they were going to very heavy expense in erecting a wharf specially for berthing the mail steamers. They were also prepared to make very important) concessions to the company. Taking all these circumstances into consideration, lie thought they had very strong ground for urgiug that Auckland should be the first port of call for the San Francisco service.

Mr. Bell pointed out tho facilities for coaling which existed in Auckland. Wellington had no local coal supply like Auckland, and had to get her coal from otherplaces. Mr. Nathan" said another point was tho benefit to the various island services radiating from Auckland to Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and Tahiti, in having the San Francisco mail terminus at Auckland. The Postoffice had to distribute not only the Southern but the Island mails.

Mr. MiTciiKr.soN' said the question had been raised as to overtures having beon made by Wellington people to the Government to allow the mail contractors to make Wellington the terminus for tho colony, lie had no knowledge of such overtures, and he did not think the Government had been approached yet. The deputation would, no doubt, remember that the attempt to substitute Wellington for Auckland was defeated, and a subsequent resolution, making the ports of call alternate, was also defeated, but when a motion was brought forward by the member for Taieri, giving the contractors the option of choosing the terminus, that motion was carried.

The time allowed for the carriage of mails from San Francisco to Auckland, namely, twenty days, had not been altered, however. There was no doubt that before Wellington could be made the port of call, the Government would either have to grant increased subsidy or increase of time by one day. The contract was now in course of preparation, and would have to be brought to Auckland for signature by him (Mr. Mitchelson), in his capacity as Post-master-General. As far as lay in his power, he would try to induce the Government not to allow any increase of time for this reason. The average time for carrying tho mails from London via San Francisco to Auckland, last year, was 35'G'1 days, and the average time to Wellington via Auckland was 37 '38 days. This showed that there was only about \h days spent in carriage of the mails from Auckland to Wellington, and considerable part of that time was due to occasional delays caused by the tides not suiting. The actual difference in favour of Wellington was only six or seven hours, and that was not worth taking into consideration. There was one important factor in making Auckland the terminus. The Government were now subsidising the mail services to the Islands. The mail to Fiji had to be taken and brought back to suit the San Francisco boat. Seeing the connection of Auckland with the Pacific Islands, he thought tho , Government should use every effort to keep Auckland as the terminus for the colony. | Mr. Ballance had said that the Government should insist on an alteration of the terminal port., but in the present financial position of the colony the Government could not pay the additional subsidy necessary to make such a change, and, under tho circumstances, thought it better to leave it optional with the contractors to make Sydney the terminus. Mr. Mitchelson also mentioned that the mails were always sorted on board the steamer on the way from San Francisco, and were at once distributed to the various centres. The towns along the railway line. from New Plymouth to Wellington got their mails as the mail-train passed through, so that Stratford, Hawera, Whanganui, Pahnerston, and the other towns on the line got their mails within a few hours of its arrival in Auckland. Mr. Mitchelson concluded by promising that, seeing the importance of the subject, ho would do his best to induce the Govrrnment to act in accordance with tho wishes of the deputation.