THE MEXICAN MAIL ROUTE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13399, 30 January 1907, Page 8

THE MEXICAN MAIL ROUTE.

A SUGGESTED NEW ZEALAND SERVICE. [FROM ovr OWN CORRESPONDENT.] LONDON, December 21. Mobk than once recently I have referred to the suggestion put forward by Mr. L. Fondi Wright, of New Zealand— as a result of his visit to the locality— a. new mail service between England and New Zealand,

by way of Mexico. It will be remembered that among the advantages claimed for this lino are improvedquickness of transit, greater cheapness of passage, consequent encouragement to tourists visiting New Zealand, and enhanced facilities for trade. I have requested Mr. Wright to explain his scheme succinctly and clearly, in order that it may receive due consideration in the, colony. He has therefore' been good enough to furnish mo with a statement of his views ami suggestion-, a«. follows: — '•I propose," he write-, '"to levy a toll \ on the American and Mexican railways and on the steamers conveying passengers across the Atlantic. The minimum saloon passage from Auckland to Salina Cruz would be £25. There arc steamers that now rake passengers for £21 first saloon from Liverpool via New York to Kingston, Jamaica. This is quito as far as a direct line to the Atlantic terminus of the Tohuantepeo railway; £2 for faro on the railway makes a total of £48that, is, passage money from gland to New Zealand or vice-versa. "The right of conveying passengers from the Atbjniie terminus to Liverpool or other port," continued Mr. Wright, "should to given to one company, on condition that they paid a commission of, say, £4 per passengur. Passengers going by rail should be only booked, at through rates, over one continuous line, and that combination of lines to pay £4 commission per passenger. As none of the Atlantic liners have a full complement of pas.soitgors excepting for about five months in the year, if one company had the whole of tin- through booking, no doubt that company would pay, say, £2 per bead commission. .Ho a-- to control the hnsinew, all passengers booking from Auckland to Salina Cruz only would have to pay £29, in the same way those who booked from London to New York, and so on, by any route at their pleasure, to Salina Cruz. When they came to book to Auckland they ; would have to pay £29- By this mean's every passenger taking a through ticket would indirectly pay £4 in commission, and those who booked to Salina Cruz would pay an extra £4. This £4, in whatever way collected, would be placed to subsidy account. Assuming that it is a fortnightly service and that each steamer carries 250 passengers, then there would be 1000 passengers per month, or rather more, or £48,000 per year. "A line of four steamers of the class required might be obtained for £125,000 p>-r year. New Zealand might fairlv pay for such a service £50,000, Mexico might be induced to pay, say. £25,000—1 have it. on very good authority that they would pay if there were any quid pro quo. ] have pointed out that by commission £48.000 or something more might be obtained. If Australia will not join in the subsidy, then *o e t r »?Ann OU fl ° a Pondage. I find that £250,000, a- mentioned in two or three papers as the subsidy to be paid by Australasia for eight 15-knot boats, is an error and that the true subsidy is only £125,000 ' "At an average estimate," adds 'Mr VVright, '•£IOO,OOO will be paid as canai dues by thes* eight steamers; from this it, appears that £120.000 nut. of £130,000 should be ample to subsidise four steamers, even if "hey have to maintain an average of 20 knots for the whole voyage of 6000 miles, when one remoinl>ers that, in one case the subsidy only pays duos, in the other coal. As this would bo the fastest and cheapest, route from Australasia to Europe there can be little doubt, that there would be a full complement of passengers each way when the total number travelliug is considered. And New Zealand would materially augment her touriat traffic."