THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4204, 10 September 1874, Page 3

THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE.

(From the Sydney Morning Herald August 25.) Since the departure of the last mail steamer by the Pacific route, the organisation of the mail service has undergone an important change. Mr. Hall, the contractor, left by the Mikado, but without leaving any sufficient provision for the continuation of the service. His attorney has full powers, but was without the sinews of war. It has since transpired that owing to the unforseen expenses occasioned by casualties, the charter money for the different vessels encased has not been punctually remitted, and that the owners had sent out instructions to withdraw the vessels. The contractors' agent having - been formally applied to by the Government to know if he was in a position to continue the service, and having admitted that he was not, the Government undertook to supply the omission itself, and has accordingly made a special contract with the Australasian Steam Navigation Company to carry the mails for the present trip. The service, therefore, may be considered as in a transition state ; the contract previously existing is in suspense; but it may not have been absolutely terminated. The Government has confined itself, for the present, to a temporary .arrangement for two reasons. First, because New Zealand is equally with itself a party to the contract, and New Zealand is not represented in Sydney by anyone with whom the Government could take counsel, nor is there at present a telegraphic line to that Colony that would enable the Government to be communicated with directly. Mr. Vogel_ has been appealed to to send up a plenipotentiary, and has promised to do so. Under the circumstances, the Government of New South Wales has acted to the best of its judgment in the interest of both parties; but, at the same time has clone only what was necessary, pending communications by letter with the Government of New Zealand. Another cause that operates to keep the service in a temporary condition, is the fact that it is at present unknown how far the English capitalists, who are parties to the permanent contract, are desirous of vacating it, and until their decision on that point is known, no fresh contract can be well entered into. The misadventures which have befallen the service by the stranding of the Macgregor and the Tartar, are greatly to be lamented, but such accidents might happen to any service, and in fact they happen to most services. The opinion that prevails in Sydney is that the English capitalists who are parties to tho contract have been unnecessarily alarmed, and have done themselves a wrong by backing out of an enterprise which contains within itself an abundant promise of a future profit. It i 3 thought that if they had been in full possession of all the facts of the case they would have seen that the unanticipated loss incurred in the first instance, would be more than redeemed by spirited persistence in the enterprise. The passenger traffic that has already been diverted to the new route has astonished everyone, and it would have continued to increase if tho vessels had all been adapted to the service, and the arrangements for the comfort of tlxe passengers had been satisfactory. But the vessels having been hurriedly selected and brought on to the route, and having been originally designed more for' cargo than for passenger traffic, it was impossible to improvise such accommodation as passengers are entitled to expect. With vessels adapted to the line, however, and the organisation of tho line completed so as to enable the voyages to be performed with regularity, no such complaints would arise. By the almost universal testimony of those who have taken the Pacific route, it is in every way preferable to that by way of Capo Horn, being both less disagreeable and more interesting ; and as the How of passenger traffic to and fro between Europe, America, and Australia, is annually increasing, the trade, large as it is, has already shown that it must steadily increase. It will be a matter of considerable regret if those gentlemen who took up this contract should prematurely drop it and lose their money, because we should desire that those who come forward to carry out a contract on our bdhalf should find a fair reward for their capital and their enterprise. If, however, they withdraw, the service itself will not lapse. There are others who have been watching its development with no little interest, who are perfectly cognisant of its capabilities, and who aro quite ready to accept its responsibilities. So far as the Government of this Colony is concerned, it has announced its resolution on no account whatever to allow the service to lapse, and we have every reason to hope that the Government of New Zealand will bo equally resolute. Tho local steam fleet, with the assistance of such of the vessels now running in the Pacific service as can be retained on the guarantee of tho Government, will suffice to keep the service going for the present, and until new arrangements can be made ; so that our English readers may bo assured that whoever else is dismayed the Government of this Colony is not, but will cither arrange to have the service temporarily continued or will cany it on itself until a fresh permanent contract can be entered into. No doubt whatever exists in Sydney as to tho policy of maintaining this line of mail communication, nor is there anything like regret at the Colony having committed itself to the enterprise. Every reason which justified its inception justifies it 3 maintenance, and it will be carried through in spite of all obstacles.