THE WIST OF ENGLAND STEAM SERVICE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2626, 13 July 1904, Page 11

THE WIST OF ENGLAND STEAM SERVICE.

(Froji Otjr Owx Coksespoxdext.) WELLINGTON, July 3

Speaking on the subject of the Wo-=t of England ser\ ice in the House on Friday night, Mr Lewis explained the grounds on which co.nplamt was made with respFei to the tender accepted. Pie said: — The Premier has repeatedly stated that the^o tenders were ad\ertised for. and that opportunities were given to all chipping films alike. It is the doubt on that head that has found expres.Mon in what I refer to. It is stated that immediately after la-t ression a meeting took pla->e between the Premier, the Minuter of Railways, and tho Australian representative of the Federal line. Tho tenders certainly were not called for for some time after that date. It is supposed, theretore, that that particular company had an ad\antage o\ er other companioci in J-nowing beforehand that those tenders were to be called foi. When they were called for— l think that the dates will substantiate my" statement— it was during the holiday season. Ihe directors ot at least one company— and 1 'hink the directors of the otheis, because the samo remark will apply to pretty nearly all cur busimss men. — were scatteied all o\er the colony. Some were :n Auckland, some were at the Cold Lakes di-trict of Olago. -ome were at Mount Cook, and some were- hardly to Ixj found anywhere. The notice gi\en was %cry short, and it was absolutely impossible for those gentlemen to mret. Any consultation in which they indulged could only take place by relpgiaph. Tho hon. member for Wellington told its- that m London, whore thr heal ofiiccs are. there were only four days allowed: that the circular which the. Agent-general distributed fiirong the oflkos theif allowed only lour days for a reply. Of coiuse, 1 do not bind mjself to that stutument any more thnn to other*.

Mr Seddon: Tenders wore iin itcd on December 23. and 010-^d on January 7. Mr Lewis: E\arth\ Mr Seddon: That is more than three or four day-. mr?lv.

Mr Lewis: But our holiday; in Cantorbury begin about the 15'h.

Mr Seddon : But they tendoed all the same.

Mr Lf\\i<: They tendertd all the <ame, but withdrew afterward-; -one oompany did You told us th^ company that Mas prepared to go to four ports aiterwards -withdrew. You cannot expect v diipctor ■who has someuh.ifc limited interc« f s m a company to abandon all his holidays out of town to go into a matter of tho kind, and perhaps, aftor submitting an offer, find that, his head office- would noo agree to it. -It does not appear to mo that from December 23 to January ? is a reasonable time in which to allow a colonial company to communicate with its head ollice. Nor was tho matter of -aich urgent importance that mother week could not haAo been ally\v_d A further question is as co whether au'ioiif C'he knew ahead of them. Tkit is' the

principal a*-,ertion round v. lnch the iharyes oi faioui'itism he.

Mr Seddon: You may take my a nurancn. that I had no communication wi'.h anj r of them.

Mr Lewis: I will accept the Premier's assertion tint ho had no communication, with any of thorn. Sir J. G. Ward: Nor had 7.

llrLewh: Very well. Now. the Premier told us that on>r> company was prepared to go to four ports, and I think there was afe least one company that was prepared to do the work foi nothing — \a ithout a subsidy, provided it got a fair proportion of the Government back trade. I do not know whether the negotiations under that head were satisfactory, or what the terms were. bii : t at all e\ents tho-e were tho ground 1 * on which the people have formed an opinion, that other companies were not given a ia.lv chance. A fortnight does not appear to be a reasonable iim© in which to aslc busines* mcii who are «epantod by the distance between England and New Zealand to con-iiilt 6'aeh other and make arrangements to justify thnn in submitting a tender tho terms of which could !■« regarded as ab-o-lutely final or the mo-t satisfactory that could be arrived at.

Mr Lewis has been looking- .up the newspapers regarding the calling for tenders for the service, and he finds that the Sr-fc advertisement in the Christchurch paper si was on December 26 (Boxing Day), andl not the 23rd. Further, the ad\ertisement; invited firms to state the clas« of ships, the period of the contract, the part* to be ■visited, rates of freight, intervals between trip», ; ukl «uh«idy required. If tho Govern-lu-ent had defined, conditions it would have been easier for firms to tender with equal eh an ees.

An Invoreargill business man has promised a donation ot £50 to tho local Temperance Reform Council towaid* the expon es of tho no-license campaign of iilx* via*.