SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1514, 7 March 1901, Page 31

SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

ARRIVAL OF THE VENTURA. AUCKLAND, March 5. The inward San Francisco mail steamer Ventura arrived this evening, one day late. Mr Spreckles, head of the Oceanic Steamship Company, is a passenger. The following are the steamer s passengers for New Zealand : —Messrs. L. L. Mount, John Cobine, J. H. Gourlie and wife, J. D. Gongai and wife, S. L. Clark, E. F. Chandler and wife, W. Gilbert, W. A. Sooular, Francis De Souse, F. W. Grant and wife, W. Purdy, C. Parkinson, K. Cannon, A. Jadeen and wife, J. W. Silva, J. Cook

and wife, A. W. Asper, D. Duncan, S. J. Johnson, Lena, Pritchard, H. F. Garrett, W. Scott, Rev E. W. Cooper, wife and child. During the voyage of the Ventura from Philadelphia, where she wasi built, to San Francisco, prior to leaving on her first trip to New Zealand, an accident occurred on board. By an explosion of pipes in the engineroom five men were killed. INTERVIEW WITH MR SPRECKLES. AUCKLAND, March 5. Mr J. D. Spreckles, Chairman of the Oceanic Steamship Company, in the course of an interview, said : “Under the American Act of 1891 I applied for and obtained a contract for this mail service for a period of ten years with the American Government. That simply covers the outward voyage from San Francisco to Sydney, which has to be accomplished in twenty-one days. Now the thing wants to be put on a proper basis from your end of the 'line. I don’t come with the purpose of demanding anything. Our relations hitherto have been most pleasant, and I have no doubt "the Government will accord me the same fair treatment as they have in the past. We have a contract with the American Government for a specified service to be run in a specified time, but net being under any contract with your Government, I am not compelled to make a specified time from this end. Now, we are only getting poundage, but we want a contract for as long a period as we can get. That would put the matter on a decided focd> ing, and your Government could control the time from this end, “The subsidy given by the United States Government to boats-of the Alameda class was one dollar per statute mile. When I built these larger steamers I was entitled under the American Mail Subsidy Act of 1891 to two dollars per statute mile: that would amount to about 16.009 dollars-per trip. For a four-weekly service we get from tho New Zealand Government in the neighbourhood of £11,000., Now we have larger steamers, accelerated speed and more trips in the year. The mails are becoming so large that it will only be a short time before the poundage will be almost as big as the subsidy I would ask.

r ‘ In the event of the Government not •deciding to subsidise the service I should continue to run just the same, but if your Government have no contract, they will not be in such a good position as they would if they had one. I mean for instance, in regard to controlling the time.

“I think the time is approaching when there will be a fortnightly service. I think it might take place in about a year’s rime- Since the. Union Company purchased an interest in the Vancouver service it would be possible for them to continue to hold the agency for our. line, although all our relations have been of a n iost satisfactory nature. I will not establish an office of our own; I will appoint local people who are familiar with t-hei country and trade. That matter will be settled when I return from Australia.

11 You are going to find a marked increase in travel to this part of the world There is one thing that has attracted my attention by its possibilities, and, that is the frozen mutton trade, which, I think, could be built up. It is my intention to find out what the markets are like here, and it is likely the company will purchase meat here for the round trip. We can get better meat here, especially mutton, than we can elsewhere, and we have large refrigerating chambers on board where it can he ■kept. As far as trade between here and San Francisco is concerned, I understand that mutton here is worth 3£ cents a pound. The duty is two cents, our freight is two cents, the selling price in San Francisco is 9 cents per lb.. That gives a fair margin. Those people who have tried your frozen mutton appreciate it very much.”