THE FRISCO MAIL SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11877, 31 January 1902, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE FRISCO MAIL SERVICE.

OFFER TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. : FULL TEXT OF THE LETTER, The following is the full text of the letter sent by Messrs. Burns, Philp, .and Co., Australasian managing agents .for the Oceanic Steamship Company, to the Federal Post-master-General relative to the question of future mail services across the Pacific, which was referred to in our cable news from Sydney last week: — " January 2, 1902. " To the Honourable the Postmaster-General, the Commonwealth of Australia,. Melbourne. " Sir,—-We had the honour on the 10th ult. to briefly intimate -to \ you that the Oceanic Steamship Company of San Francisco, for which we are the managing agents in Australasia, proposed in the course of a short time to lay before your Government important propositions relative to the mail service of the future across the Pacific.

" We now respectfully return to the subect for the purpose of placing before your Government certain matters whhA'w'e submit should be borne in mind when the subject of the mail contracts has to be dealt with. The Oceanic Steamship Company, well backed with capital as It is, is very confident of its ability to render conspicuous service to the Commonwealth, not only with regard to the mails for the American continent, but also with regard to those for the United Kingdom itself. ." As to the mail service for the American continent, there appears to be every reasonable probability of this growing rapidly in importance. The commerce between the United States and Australia has expanded in a marked degree during the past 10 years, and a still greater degree of expansion in the early future may certainly be looked for in view of the trend of thought, policy, and enterprise in the United States. It is more than 30 years since direct communication between Australia and San Francisco was first established, yet it is only, 10 years since the United States Government was induced to do anything by way of subsidy to maintain or to improve the service, but having once, moved in this direction it has continued to move step by step. In 1891 the United States Government authorised the first payment to this service, and in 1897 the sum was increased, and in 1900 a subsidy upon a tonnage basis equalling about £50,000 per year for 10 years was contracted to be paid to the Oceanic Company, and this contract made possible the improved service now being run. The increased interest shown by this subsidy to be felt by the United States in the commerce of the Pacific is no isolated incident, but is, we submit, to be looked ! upon as indicative of the general policy likely '' to be pursued in the future by the United States with regard to external trade. "That we are not exaggerating the possibilities of the outlook may be judged by reference to various cable messages from the United: States that have appeared in the press within the last few weeks, and to which we will briefly refer. On November 22, President Roosevelt was reported to have said that American interests in the Pacific were destined to an indefinite development. On December 5 it appeared that in his Presidential message to Congress President Roosevelt referred to the desirability of making reciprocity treaties with other countries. lhe next day, December 6, a message reported that the United States Isthmian Commission recommended :'■ the construction of the Nicaraguan Canal at a cost of 190,000,000 dollars. A day later, December 7, the cable reported that Mr. Lyman J. Gage, Secretary to the United States Treasury,. in his annual report announced a surplus of £16,191,246, and urged that the surplus should be availed of for the establishment of a complete mail service with Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America, which service, he thought, should constitute the backbone , of the American system of oversea communication. Further, it will be remembered that in the very last speech delivered by the late President McKinley reference was made to the desirability , of increasing the external , trade of the United States. This speech of President McKinley's, and the various events which have lately : transpired, to which reference has been made, are ample justification for the belief, that an era of enlarged and more active commerce between , the ; United States and Australia is now being entered upon. It is needless to say that this new attitude on the part of the United States, with their population of nearly 80 millions of well-to-do and energetic people, is of great significance, and promises no small advantage in the fixture to Australia. H ? : -

"As indications of, the future expansion and improvement of traffic upon the Pacific, we may say that two steamers are now building, each of 10,000 toss, and a steaming ca,-

pacity of 20 knots, to trade between Sari' ' ' ->| Francisco and China. These steamers wi& / ■ be running in a : few months. Other inn - ] port-ant developments as between San Framl ' cisco and Manila, Honolulu, and elsewhereare now being pushed forward. \ "I Up to within a twelvemonth ago the Xxi-Jl ~ ' service to Sari Francisco had been a four* weekly one, at a moderate speed only. The subsidy which is now being paid by tin* United States has enabled the Oceanic Com-,' ? pauy to make this; a three-weekly service and to accelerate the speed. . But the ques* tion may well arise: How long will either' ' ■" Australia or America be content with onl? one direct mail in three weeks? If the de* velopment in trade' which appears to"be' foreshadowed is at all realised, both countries will probably soon think a fort, nightly service to be imperative; and if so Australia might well think it her duty to assist in bringing it about. "It must be remembered that the cost of running a line of first-class quick steamers is very heavy. The subsidy of £50,000 which ;is being paid by the United States "' goes but a small way towards the expenses of the service, and, pending a further development of trade, does ; not warrant the company incurring the increased expenditure that a fortnightly service would necessitate v The position will be better understood when we say that the Oceanic Company is expend- - ing ' in Australia alone in connection with this service about £6000 for every voyage of each steamer, or a total of about £100,000 per annum (expenditure in New Zealand being additional), whilst the whole revenue collected in Australia from' passage money, I and fi eight is probably less than half that amount. "The mails are now being carried in 20 days from Sydney to San Francisco, including the detour to New Zealand. It nr>y be worth while giving the principal routes across the Pacific to San Francisco, together with the distance to be run on each route and the time calculated on the present speed" and with allowances for port, detentions that each route would occupy: — 1. Sydney, Suva, and TT utiles. Days. Big. . 1. Sydney, Suva, and Hono- " luluSydney to Suva ... 1,735 5 0 Suva to Honolulu ... ... 2,750 8 o ' Honolulu to San Francisco 2,100 ' 5 18 n \ ■' 6,585 18 18 2. Sydney, Noumea, Suva, and Honolulu— Sydney to Noumea. ... .;. 1,065 3 0 Noumea to Suva ... ... 735 .2 6 Suva to Honolulu ...... 2,750 7 17 Honolulu to San Francisco 2,100 • 5 18 6,650 18 17 3. Sydney, Brisbane, and HonoluluSydney to Brisbane ... ... 510 1 20 "' < Brisbane to Honolulu ... 4,051 11 6 I Honolulu to San Francisco 2,100 5 18 ■ „ ■':''-• : 6,661 18 20 4. Sydney, Brisbane, Noumea, Suva, and HonoluluSydney to Brisbane ... 510 1. 23 ' -'■ Brisbane to Noumea -.'... 807 2 9 Noumea to Suva ....... 735 2 0 Suva to Honolulu ... 2,750 7 20 Honolulu to San Francisco 2,100 5 18 '■■■I '■■'■■: 6,902 19' IS 5. Sydney. Auckland, Pago Pago, and HonoluluSydney to Auckland ... 1,284 3 19 Auckland to Pago Pago ... 1,570 4 9 Pago Pago to Honolulu ... 2,270 6 15 Honolulu to San Francisco 2,100 '< 5 18 - ■

i . 7,224 20 13 i "It will bo seen that the last route,, which is the one now "being run, has the • greatest mileage, the mails being conveyed • thereby across the Pacific in 20 days,,' whereas by taking the first ; route there' are 638 fewer miles to run, and a possible ' saving of two days. In other words the company could, without any increase of,'' the present rate of speed, undertake to' carry mails from Sydney to San Francisco"' -' in 18 daysa' distinct and important im< ■ provement on anything yet achieved. The; adoption erf this route, which would avoid [ the detour. to New Zealand, would require' a special arrangement in.j the::interests off that important colony. This could be' v secured by the running of a steamer to I. connect with . the Oceanic mail steamer at!' Suva. The New Zealand mails could then; be carried through Auckland to San Francisco also in 18 days. It is true that this . )-i is a day or two longer, but if the service became a fortnightly one, then even New Zealand would be better served than at present, for she would have a mail .every) 14 days instead of every 21 days. " With regard to the mail. service toLon* . - don via San Francisco route, the Oceania Company can point to'what they are already doing as proof that any proposals they may make are entitled to considers* ' tion, even against competitors using the Suez route. They have shown that mails can be delivered in London in 32 days from the time of leaving Sydney, in spite of the delay caused by the detour to New Zealand. This is equivalent to 30 days if the direct route, . as per table No.' 1, be taken. English letters by the Oceanic steamer Sierra were last week delivered in NeW Zealand in 27 days—a further proof of what can be done by the company. If a, contract of importance were made, the • company would be enabled to make special arrangements to fit' in the : Pacific service - with the express train service across thai United States, and also • with the lines ;;;S of swift steamers across the Atlantic. Both ... these services are being, accelerated from time to time. The passage across the At« lantic, it is thought, will soon be done by the new turbine steamers in one-third less time than now occupied, and the pro- , gress that has already been made in quickening the transmission of mails on land, points to the possibility of mails being transmitted across the United States in ' , considerably less than the time now occupied, quick though it is. But without reckoning on improvements which have still to be effected, the company is in a ' position to offer an attractive contract for the conveyance of mails right through to .'-.. j London; indeed, we understand the directors have already made representations to the Imperial Government on the subject. "Since the foregoing' was drafted * - ". rather remarkable statement has appeared in a letter from the New York correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald. Under date of November 29, the correspondent writes as follows : —' Sydney to London: Suddenly the mail service has become . for the moment the point upon . which • many eyes have been fastened. Every im- , portant paper has been roused into an ■ effort to show that if the mail from Sydney •. i to London, can be carried quicker via San ' Francisco or via Vancouver than by the Suez.Canal, it is the duty of the British • Government to act accordingly.:. What is far more important is to see how far the two rival routes* are capable of improvement. New Yorkers, even when they happen to be in Washington, know most about their own 3000-mile end of the line. That now takes six days, but it will surely soon be brought within less , than five, and in two ways. One of these ways is by making the jumping-off place Long Island instead of New York Harbour, and by quickening the speed of the steamers. The other is by carrying the Sydney (NeW: ;^; ;;:|g South Wales) and other Australian mails via San Francisco or Vancouver to the other Sydney (Cape Breton), and then sending them to Londonderry (Ireland). At " great circle sailing" the American-Sydney _" ■ ''" is less than 2000 miles from Londonderry, which a real ocean greyhound could cover iu three days and eight hours.. From New ' York to Sydney (Cape Breton), is 1096 miles, a 20-hour run over a fairly good • road. Across the Pacific the possible passage should be more per hour than across ._ the ever-stormy and foggy Atlantic, and . even conceding that east of the 'American,-:;jg;fi coastline the limit of speed has been already nearly attained, yet the trip from London to Sydney ought ultimately to bemads in less than three weeks.' "It will be observed that the subject has already aroused great interest in the United States, and when the bold sug- ; .. v i gestion of a passage London to Sydney ' ifl ' less than three weeks' is made, it will be admitted that the presentment we have sought to make of , the: possibilities of this route has been very moderately drawn. "We have the honour to be, shy you? obedient servants* " Burns, Pkilp and Company, Limited. " (Signed per James Burns), Ausfcralasiaa 1 . Managing Agents, Oceanic Steamship Con» : i pany," ' _- -' f

The "Auckland Harbour Board on January '21 "agreed to the acceptance of Mr. Good.* ' man's offer to supply; a comprehensive report on electric lighting and power. Mr. Goodman is also reporting to the Auckland City Council on the question of electric | lighting, but his work has been delayed - on account of having to ; complete his re- ,-*;! ports to the Dunedin i City Council, which has occupied a longer time than was i*3* .] pected., ■"..'-".•.;■ - > ' ■ ":'■■"'■' ■■■ '■•': '' v^-': ;: : \^ : .': : Y-.::--/ ' y-t^'^-'o:fi:MstM ■■.::■'; -V:-:K :■■■:-, .■ :': : ':■: ',' <: : . ,■. :': [ ■''■ i. , :': ■ ' ' I