DIRECT SERVICE WITH SOUTH AFRICA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2529, 3 September 1902, Page 22

DIRECT SERVICE WITH SOUTH AFRICA.

rENDERS CALLED IN LONDON.

TO CLOSE ON THURSDAY NEXT.

THE ACTING-PREMIER DIS-

APPROVES.

The somewhat startling news was received by private cable from London on Monday that the Agent-general for New Zealand was inviting tenders in London for a South African service on the same lines as those under .which the offer of the so-called Blue Star line had been received and accepted. It was added that tenders were to close on i r J?hur«lay, 4th inst. This, of course, meant that no .tender from the colony could be put in, as, apart from the fact that uo tenders were invited here, no shipowners would jthink of making an offer uwtil the conditions of the contract were known. We at ones forwarded the intimation to our Wellington borrespondeint, tuid requested that all information about the proposed new service should "be obtained from tlie AcringPremier. On Monday evening our correEpcm'dendent telegraphed : ' t " There, is considerable, surprise .here at the '.■announcement that tenders are to clos© an a> fow days- in London for the new South \Afrlcan Bteam service. Apparently Mr Seddon, and Mr W. -P. Reeves are acting on ithejx own responsibility, and have not congulfed the Ministry. On Saturday the Agent-general cabled to tfce Acting-Premier *hat h& is calling for tenders for the South lAfrican steamship service, to be in by tho fcth. September. Sir Joseph Ward states that ihe thinks the time within which tenders tare to be received insufficient, and he has cabled to London stating so, and suggesting hhat tenders should be called for in New Zealand as well ac in Britain." Our correspondent's telegram would imply that Mr Seddon and the Agent-general were acting ' independently of Sir J. G. Ward «nd the Cabinet, and it i 8 evidently inferred chat the cablegram received from tne.Agentweneral on Saturday is the firtit intimation (received about the matter. It is somewhat 'Blgnificant, however, tlmt an announcement '-appeared in the Melbourne Age of August )C<.B stating that fresh lenders were being railed for by the New Zealand Government tfor a South African service. Tl»e eommerrial editor of the Ago is very friendly with tome members of the New Zealand {Ministry, and in view of what lias now (transpired from London it would appear as if the gentleman in question had received special and exclusive information from somewhere as to the intentions of the iGovenunent. On observing the paragraph tn the Melbourne Age, we made inquiries in (puncdin, believing that the Union, New Zealand Shipping, Shaw, Savill. and Albion, and Tr3er Companies would have received jtatimation that fresh tenders had been called for. But the contrary proved to be the case, fold the representatives of the above eomtoahles in Dunedm knew nothing whatever about the matter. No advertisement apcpeared in the Age concerning the matter. .•The following i» the', pairagraph which <iid »ppear: — • The 'N«w -Zealand Government has decidod do discontinue it« cdnnection with the Blue fetar line, which had previously secured a provisional contract fox a direct South African service. The Government is now again calling for Headers for a direct monthly steam service bsjltreen New Zealand «nd South Africa, and for an alternative service between New Zealand land Western Australia and South Africa, four Deading ports, including Durban, Port Elizaibeth, aud Table Bay, to be touched at. The maximum subsidy available for the service is £30,000, and tho contract wiil be for three -rears. The Btentners are to be oi rot less than UO3O tons, aud not more than 400!) tons capacity, and are to bs fitted with relrgerators foi meat and produce. Accommodation for the carriage of passengers, mails, and live s-tock is also required. The steamers must have a snecd ol not less than 10 knots an hour, and preference vill be given to those having the highest ■ seed and the beat accommodation. The rates of freight frcm Xew Zealand ports are to be rt follows : —Wheat, at per ton weight, 30s; flour, at per ton we:ght. 30s; barley, at per 'on weight, 32s Gu ; oats, at pei ton wfight, Bss; bran, at per tor. weight, 40s; potatoes, in sacks, at per ton weight, -40a: hay. oaten «r meadow, pressed in bai?s, at per ion of 50 i?ubic feet measurement. 37s 6d ; pota'oes, in Tsoires. per ton of 50 cubic feet mca=ur.Tcent. S7s 6d; frozen mt-ai and dairy produce, at currert surarneT Tates nil r.g between Nnw Zealand and Lon«2o-i ; otli<"r soods at proportionate rates at not less than these current betwWJ !>Jevr Zcnland ancr London, 'rom time to time in bo fixed by th" New Z?a'anri fJoV'-'nmen:. The f.otattoii'of the CVomal S.S. Com pa ny m JiO-don to take over the now cancelled couVr^ct appears to have lapsed.

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