THE MAIL SERVICE.

Otago Witness, Issue 608, 25 July 1863, Page 3

THE MAIL SERVICE.

[From the Otago Daily Times, July 23rd.] It will be seen, by reference to another column, that Mr Reader Wood has complied with the promise he made to the Chamber of Commerce to amend the specification of th ; tenders for the Mail Service. He has advertised for alternative tenders for a steamer to leave on the 17th or 18tli of the month, and also for the detention of the down steamer for a longer period than the four days first specified. After what came out the other day respecting the contractors' right, if they insist on it, to refuse to discontinue their contract till the end of June next, it seems very improbable that Mr Wood will be in a position to accept any of the tenders he is now calling for. If he do, we understand, from what passed at the Chamber of Commerce, that he will at any rate not alter the date of departure of the homeward steamer from its present one, the 18th of the month. Supposing the contractors assert the right, which it is admitted they have to continue the contract till June next, it becomes a serious question whether some arrangement might not be made to modify it, satisfactory alike to all concerned.

Two propositions have been suggested, each of which, we have reason to believe, has been brought under the notice of the proper authority. The first is a modification of the present contract, to the extent of releasing the Aldinga from that portion of her engagement which compels her to remain in Melbourne till the 9th of the month. It is contended that this feature of the contract presses hardest on the contractors, aud makes the contract price higher than it otherwise would bo. They have nothing for the Aldinga to do from the 25th of the month, when she generally reaches Melbourne, till the 9th of the following month when she is bound to be ready to start. The trip to Adelaide, which the owners send her during the interval, is understand not to be a profitable one. Instead of compelling her to remain in Melbourne to the 9th, it is proposed to allow her to return to Otago at once, and before the 18th when she is compelled to Jeave Dunedia, to let her make a trip to the

Northern Provinces and back — thus affording that additional communication so much required. The Northern trade would be much more profitable to the contractors than the Adelaide one into which present arrangements force them, and in consideration of their being allowed to no into it, and of the subsidy they would receive for the carriage of mails, it is expected tbey would consent to relinquish a portion of the subsidy they are now paid for the Melbourne Service. The money so saved, with the £200 per month at present available for the carriags of the down Mails, would go far towauls subsidising a steamer to wait in Melbourne for the arrival of the English steamer, and to depart immediately afterwards. The arrangement would stand thus : — A separate steamer for the down Service, and the Aldinga to flo the up Service and one Northern Provinces' Service, a month. It is calculated that she Avould have time after her return to Otago, to go to the Manukan, and be back again hy the 16th, two days before her cootract time for sailing to Melbourne. Such is the one proposition. The other, which we deem by far the more important, is no less than to let the Aldinga fetch the mails and carry them back to King George's Sound by way of Ilobart Town. This, at first sight, somewhat startling proposition is perfectly feasible. The Aldinga with the greatest ease could do the voyage to the Sound, touching at Hobart Town, in ten da)'s. Allowing the ten days each way, this would give her ten spare days in the month. At least six of them she could wait at the Sound after the due date of the overland steamer, when in case the latter did not appear s-he could return to Dunedin to be ready to take the Mails hack. The English steamer would then carry the Mails to Melbourne; and they would come on, ns at present, by the first boat. Such a contingency however would not probably ha'-ptn once in the twelve months. During the lat-t six months the overland scrvicchns been worse performed than at any other period of the cont; act. Yet an examination into the daks of the ve&sels arriving at King George's Sound, shows that only once during that time would the Aldinga, supposing she ran to the Sound as suggested, have had to come on without the mails. That once was in March, when the P. and O Co.'s steamer was many days over due owing to detention at Point de Gallc, through the stranding there of the steamer Nemesis. On the five other occasion?, overdue as the steamers were, ?he could have brought on the mail and have allowed from two to six days for replies. When the Aldinga's swiftness is taken into consideration, and also the time which the Suez boat occupies in coaling at the Sound, it will be seen there is a considerable economy, besides the saving of distance. A glance at the Map will show how direct the route is from the Sound to Otago, by way of Hobart Town. In fact, ten days is an over-estimate of the period the Aldinga would consume on the passage. She would reach Otago with the MaiU certainly not more than 24 hours later than the ] P. and O. Boat arrives at Sydney, taking into account the detention of the latter at the Sound and Melbourne. And the Sydney people have almost invariably, several days' interval between the arrival and outgoing of the Mail.

We venture to assert, that if the Aldinga were engaged as proposed, the opportunity would be afForded to Otapro of replying by return Mail ten monthsout of twelve. Nor would the interval be of only a few hours, it would be of days. It would be so long generally that six months out of the twelve the Canterbury people would be enabled to avail themselves of the return mail, and even those of Wellington might calculate on doing so four months in the year. What will our neighbors say to the prospect of a four months' course of post with England — and yet they may realise it if the arrangements we suggest be carried out. But

we shall bo asked what will be the expense ? On this head we are of course only able to conjecture, but, we believe, the contractors would find £25,000 a j ear pay them. Of this amount Tasmania would undoubtedly contribute a considerable portion. The Tasmanians are most anxious for a direct steamer to Otago, and for years they have desired one to King George's Sound. At preseut they get the Mails via Melbourne and Launceston. But the Aldinga would deliver the Mails so early in Ilobart Town, that even those for Launceston would reach that place earlier than by the present arrangement. The Aldinga would, of course, not have time to take in or discharge much cargo at Hobart Town, bvt would be enabled to do as much passenger traffic as she could secure, and with direct communication to Tasmania, that beautiful Island would receive many New Zealand visitors. We are confident Tasmania, if only for the sake of being in direct communication with Dunedin and England without as at present being dependent on the route by Melbourne, would not grudge six or seven thousand pounds a year of the subsidy. This would leave only some eighteen or nineteen thousand pounds to be paid by New Zealand. The present service costs £13,000 a year, but there is besides £200 a month to be paid when the mail is brought down by the Aldinga. Failing the Aldinga, Mr Wood now offers a bonui of £350 a month to another vessel performing the service, or in other words would gladly add £4,200 to the contract price of £13,000. The expense, therefore, would only be two or three thousand pounds more than is at present provided for ; and we contend the advantages it confers would be cheap at ten thousand pounds. Otago, Southland, and Canterbury alone would be glad to make up such a sum ; and then there is Wellington, which would benefit by it in only a lesser degree. New Zealand gold and New Zealand latest news would go home direct to England, without the ole being credited to the Victorian fields, and the other distorted by Melbourne journalists. We trust the Chamber of Commerce will lose no time in giving the proposition the benefit of its consideration.

It should be remembered that we are not asking for a monopoly in favor of the Aldinga The service suggested, it is proposed should be subs'ituted for the present one, up to the time over which the Aldinga's contract extends— the end of June next.