SAN FRANCISCO TO SYDNEY.

Otago Witness, Issue 902, 13 March 1869, Page 1

SAN FRANCISCO TO SYDNEY.

* A new steamship line is soon to go into operation on the Pacific. First-class steamers are to ply between San Francisco and Australia by way of Honolulu, the Fiji Islands, and around the south of New Caledonia to Sydney. This will considerably shorten the route to Australia.' So wrote the Philadelphia correspondent of the London Times, on the 18th of December last ; thus furnishing a confirmation of our conjectures as to the probability of such a line of communication being speedily established. There can be no doubt that the establishment of this line is simply another proof of the determination of the Americans to compete with Great Britain for- the trade of the Pacific. China and Australasia are the great objects of their enterprise. If they have not explicitly declared theie intentions in this respect, they have unmistakeably displayed their policy. A recent writer has said that the Pacific Railroad was designed not only to become the shortest road between New York and San Francisco, but to be the means of putting- down Mormonism. It is much more probable that the great railway was designed for the purpose of monopolising the trade of the Pacific Ocean. Such an end would be commensurate with the means. The most arduous and ambitious undertaking of the day could not have been designed to answer any ordinary purpose. So far as intercourse between the Western and the Eastern States is concerned, the Americans might veiy well have contented themselves with their present means of traffic for years to come. No pressing reasons of public policy necessitated the establishment of railway communication between the two .coasts. The prevalence of Mormonism is undoubtedly a grave social evil, and undoubtedly the settlement of the Northern territory will give it a check : but the Americans are not a people to enter upon vast commercial speculations with a view to the interests of morality or public order. Their 2>olicy in this matter is exactly in accord with their national character. The keenest tradei-s in the world, they have hitherto found themselves shut out, rather by natural barriers than by successful competition, from the lucrative trade with the East. This trade they are determined to seize. They have successfully concluded their negotiations with the Chinese Government, and despatched an Embassy to China. But treaties and embassies cannot remove those obstacles with which they have had to contend up to the present time. The only means of removing them was the establishment of a line of railway right across the continent. The result of that achievement is lhafe San Francisco becomes another New York and the emporium of the whole Pacific Ocean. American steamships and sailing vessels will traverse the Pacific in all directions, and enter into rivalry with the English merchantmen. The practical monopoly of the latter will be at an sod, Th^ this is ft?

aim of the American policy is well understood by other nations. Some months ago, the Money Market Eeview pointed out to the commercial public of Great Britain that the interests of British commerce were involved in the maintenance of the Panama line, inasmuch as the Pacific railway would place the American merchants _ in possession of extraordinary facilities for monopolising the Pacific trade. The last Suez telegrams announced that Russia had taken the alarm, and in order to counteract the American schemes, had undertaken to construct a railway across Asia to St. Petersburg. One oreat project thus begets another. Russian rivalry will not afford much ground for apprehension in the commercial circles of Liverpool and London ; but the case is vastly different with America.

If the route of the new line is correctly marked by the correspondent of the Times, New Zealand will not enjoy the advantage of direct connection with it. .But we presume there would be little difficulty in making arrangements with the San Francisco line for the conveyance of mails; in any case, there is enough in New Zealand to attract the cupidity of American traders. We are already large importers from the States, and may find it to our advantage to import still more largely. Whatever commercial relations may spring up between the two countries, it is at least tolerably certain that 'the loss of the Panama line will sooner or later be compensated by another and more permanent one in an American direction. We shall not have to depend upon the Suez service entirely. It is to San Francisco that this colony must look for an efficient mail service. "Whatever objections may be raised against such a route, there can be no doubt as to the unsatisfactory character of the Suez line. ! In this matter at least, the in- j terests of Australia and New Zealand are diametrically opposed. The Australian colonies will soon -have a double service via Suez ; either by Galle as at present, ov by the Torres Straits route as advocated by the northern colonies. They will also have the Cape of Good Hope line, as an additional means of communication. But none of these routes can serve New Zealand as efficiently as one across the Pacific. They iiotonlysubjectusto extreme inconvenience in the despatch and arrival of our mails, buy they also deprive us of direct communication with America. This is far too important an object to be left out of sight, when our mail service is under consideration. The news that a San Francisco and Sydney line of steamships is actually in course of formation, will attract no little attention in Australia as well as in this colony. In the present disorganised state of our postal communication with Europe, the, intelligence is decidedly welcome.