FIFTY YEARS AGO

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21899, 7 September 1934, Page 8

FIFTY YEARS AGO

AMERICAN SHIPPING > . . INAUGURATION OF SERVICE . AUCKLAND TO SAN FRANCISCO ' Mail services conducted by America® shipping lines, which were the subject of an announcement by the Prime MiW ister, the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes, p u V lished in yesterday's Herald, also werq "in the news" 50 years ago. At thai time the service between San Francisco New Zealand and Australia was before the public owing to tbe decision of th& New South Wales Government to with-, draw from the contract. In an editorial article in the issue of September 8, 1884, the Herald stated: " What may strike some as a misfortune will, we feel assured, prove eventu-" ally an immense benefit to New Zea~ land. By the withdrawal of New" South Wales, we shall have the contract undef our control, and will have it in our power to arrange that a mail should be despatched fortnightly both via San Francisco and by the direct service companies' steamers (to England). should thus be able to secure that alf New Zealand mail matter should be forwarded by the services we contract for, to the exclusion of any other routes, and reap for ourselves the advantages which some of the other colonies now enjoy at our expense." The Sydney-Auckland-San Francisco service was inaugurated 64 years ago. On the first trip from Sydney to California the steamer Wonga Wonga arrived at Auckland on April 1, 1870 and sailed the following day for Honolulu. The Herald of 1 that date stated the new mail service from New Zealand to England, via San Francisco, had been arranged. "The Panama line which so completely broke down, wa» a very heavy charge on-the colony, while in the case of the new service matters are on a very different footing," the paper added. "It has the very great advantage of bringing Auckland and California into direct communication with one another. . . The Americans are evidenffy intent on' securing as much as possihje of the traffic and commerce of the Southern Pacific."