MAIL SERVICES.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3645, 21 January 1899, Page 3

MAIL SERVICES.

THE SAN FRANCISCO ROUTE. , IMPORTANT ALTERATION. A day or two ago it was announced by cable from London Unit the period of the transit of letters en route to Now Zealand had been reduced (between Liverpool and San Francisco) by one day. tn explanation is as follows : --Iho Seer tary of tho General Post Office has received advices that tho through time ot mails between San I'rancisco and York has, from the Ist January, been reduced by five hours, enabling the mails, to arrive at 5.35 a.m. instead ot iU-.i.J a.m. ns hitherto. As the fast Atlantic boats usually leave New York about tu o’clock, this will ensure a close connection, and tho Department is now considering whether it would bo possible to dispatch the mails from New Zealand two days later than at present, viz., on Monday instead of Saturday from Auckland, and Saturday instead of Ihursday from Wellington. Ordinarily mails should arrive here on Wednesday, which would give Wellington business people Thursday, Friday, and half of Saturday to write their replies. . From New York to San Francisco the saving of time on the railway journey is about 13 hours, and the result will be that under ordinary circumstances the steamers will bo able to leave San Francisco on tho Wednesday,'’arriving iniNew Zealand on the Tuesday. The chief gain from these alterations will be that people in Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington will ho enabled: to answer letters by tho return mail. Doubtless the convenience thus afforded will be greatly appreciated by business people. A return has boon compiled showing tho average of times of mails between the New York and London post offices during a certain number of trips last year when carried by the various lines 'if steamers running across the Atlantic. From tiiis it appears that the quickest average was gained by the Kaiser VVdhelm dor Grosse, of tho North Gorman Lloyd line, whose average delivery was 6 days 14 hours. The next in order was the Lucania (Cunard) with an .average of 6 days 17 hours. The St. Louis of the American line, came next with 7 days 3 hours; the Hamburg-Amoncan steamer Columbia made an average of 7 days 6 hours, tho White Star .liner Teutonic coming next with 7 days 8 hours.