OVERSEAS MAILS

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11438, 7 February 1923, Page 7

OVERSEAS MAILS

DELAYS COMPLAINED OF GOODS ARRIVE BEFORE BILLS OF LADING. CHAMBER TAKES ACTION. A council meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce was held yesterday afternoon, Mr S. A. Longuet being voted to the chair, in the absence of the president (Mr W. F. Cuthbertson). Mr Andrew Mackenzie (chairman of the post and telegraphs committee of the chamber) called attention to the fact that in the House of Commons the question of the frequent delays m connection with the mails from the United Kingdom had been brought up on two occasions in December last. Tho matter, he urged, was one of great importance to New Zealand importers. It had already been taken up lev the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, and his committee l’elt that the Wellington Chamber should also take it up, and try to get a change made. QUESTIONS IN HOUSE OF COMMONS. In the House of Commons recently, he stated, Mr Harris gave notice, “To ask the Postmaster-General if he will state why there is not a regular mail service to the Dominion of New Zealand; whether he is aware that it is a common thing for steamers carrying goods to arrive in the Dominion before the mails carrying documents and hills of lading arrive, with a consequent loss to shippers and injury to British trade; whether, owing to the closer proximity of America, he is aware that this irregular mail service is likely to direct trade to the United States of America; wily the dates of the mails to New Zealand are often only advertised a day or two before dispatch, and at the last moment are frequently changed; and whether he will consider re-establishing a regular fortnightly service of mails between this country and New Zealand in order to encourage British trade?”

To this the Postmaster-General replied on December sth last: “There is already a regular dispatch of mails once a fortnight from this country to New Zealand via Suez. The dates of departure are published in advance each quarter in the ‘Post Office Guide.' Additional dispatches have recently been arranged by the steamers of the Commonwealth Line. Advantage is also taken of services via North America, by way of Vancouver and San Francisco, and also by the Panama Canal route. The vessels on these routes are not rinder contract to the British Post Office; and it is not practicable to. give long notice of the dates of sailing. The information is published, however, in the ‘Post Office Daily List,’ which usually shows at least one week’s mails. It is the case that cargo, sent by a fast ship proceeding via Panama, may arrive in New Zealand in advance of the relative documents if they, are posted after the ship conveying the cargo has sailed. The steamer service from the United States to New Zealand is not more regular than that from the United Kingdom, and is less frequent.” “NO REGULAR CONNECTION.” Later, Mr Harris asked the Post-master-General whether he was aware that, in connection with the fortnightly mail service via Suez to New Zealand, there was no regular connection to carry tho mails from Australia to New Zealand, and whether he would endeavour to arrange such a through service, or, failing that, would he consider arranging for a regular mail service to New Zealand via Vancouver as before the war. To this the Postmaster-General replied on December 12th last: “There is no scheduled close connection between Australia and New Zealand for the mails sent via Suez, hut the period of waiting at Sydney is, as a rule, short. I will communicate with the New Zealand Post Office, which contracts for the steamer service between Sydney and Auckland and across the Pacific, in order to ascertain whether any improvement is practicable on either route.’’ A discussion ensued, in the course of which one member of the chamber remarked that, in the experience of his firm, documents had arrived no less than three months after tho goods to which they related. On the motion of the chairman, the matter was referred to the post and telegraphs committee, who were asked to bring it before the Postal Department.