CARRYING THE MAILS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13875, 8 October 1908, Page 5

CARRYING THE MAILS.

AN IMPORTANT STATEMENT. CONNECTION WITH TAHITI. [BY TELEGRAPH.PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, Wednesday. In reply to a question by Mr. A it,ken in the House to-day Sir Joseph Ward stated that an accelerated sen-ice by the P. and 0. steamers had been commenced in February last. The day of departure from Sydney was the same as formerly, namely, Tuesday, and connection by Friday's steamer from Wellington was a: close as possible. The inward mails by the P. and 0. stealer were due to arrive tit Sydney on Monday, but this could not be entirely depended upon. Tho mails sometimes reached Sydney on Tuesday, and the steamer for New Zealand left on Wednesday. An improved service by the Orient steamers would not commence until 1910. In the meantime the mails almost invariably arrived at Sydney on Wednesday, one. or two hours before the departure of the steamer for New Zealand, which left at one p.m. The steamers to be employed for the Wellington-Sydney and Sydney-Auckland connections would be those of the Union Company a.ml the Huddart-Parker Company. As. the arrival of the Sue?: mails at Sydney wae so irregular, no better arrangements than the present could bo made without a complete reorganisation of the intercolonial and coastal .services of the Imion and art-Parker Companies, the cost of which would be very great. With the exception that onoe a fortnight mails from. London had to lie at Sydney from one 'to two days before the sailing of a steamer for New Zealand, the connections were very close.

Mr. Aitkeri said this reply only referred to the present service. What lie desired was that better arrangements should be made for carrying mails between Australia and New Zealand when the new service by the Orient steamers comes into operation in 1910. The Prime Minister saiil Mr. Aitken wanted to travel too fast for the Government. So long- as the present- service existed connection could only be accelerated by an hour or two, and it would be far too costly to do that. He hoped, however, in a day or two, to be able to announce that the Government had completed negotiations for a connection with Tahiti and Rnrotonga, which would give us another mail connection with the Old Land, and an inexpensive one from our point of view.

The connection to which Sir Joseph Ward refers is no doubt with the San Francisco steamers, which at present make sixweekly trips between the Californian port and Tahiti.