THE MEMBER FOR WAIMEA ON THE SUEZ MAIL SERVICE.

Colonist, Volume XVI, Issue 1162, 22 August 1873, Page 3

THE MEMBER FOR WAIMEA ON THE SUEZ MAIL SERVICE.

Mb. J. Shkphabd : I shall refrain entirely from going into the wide question of the success or nonsuccess of the Californian service, amd the respective merits of that service and of the line by Suez, because I do not think it has much to do with the question before us. The Californian service will no doubt come to be fully discussed before the House in some form or other. We have all seen its advantages ;we have seen the trade which it brought to the country ; and there is no one, as was. said by the hon. member for Collingwood, who will deny the great exertions of, and the abilities displayed by, tho Colonial Treasurer, in endeavoring to organise these lines. If they have failed, we are all ready to admit their failure has been brought about from circumstances which he could not have forseen, and wbioh might have happened to any service on its initiation; but at present we have to deal with a very much smaller question, though one of very great interest to many members of this House. .The resolution moved by the Colonial Treasurer is one I regret I cannot support, neither can I vote for the amendment of the hon. member for Rodney (Mr. Sheehan.) In supporting the amendment of the hon. member for Collingwood, I hope I do not lay myself open to. the charge which has been made, rather unwisely, that all questions in this House are made matters of party. This is no matter of party to me, and if I say one line is better than another, it is to endeavor to secure (or the country tbe best postal service. I entirely concur in the arguments that have been urged in favor.of the line by Cook Strait, and I cannot very well perceive, if we are to have only one line, what other point could be seleoted; than the centre of the Colony. In the statements made of the relative number of letters sent from the southern and northern pnrts'of the Colony, we were told that Auckland should be left out, and ii that were done there would be a preponderance in the number of letters in favor of Otago and Canterbury. I entirely fail to see why we should omit Auckland, and in dealing with the whole of the

Colony we ought to inoludo it as well as any other Proyinoe; 40,000 letters were received by the residents of Auckland, and they would be placed at a disadvantage if the line via the Bluff were adopted. It must be remembered that the population of Auckland is much larger in proportion to the number of letters received than is the case in other parts of the Colony, aud that gives them a stronger claim for consideration. As far as I can see, there is no reaeon for leaving Auokland out of the question in deciding what part of the Colony the mails shall come to. I will now turn to the point that Auckland is to be left out of the calculation because it is expected that at some future time the Californian mail will again arrive there. I hope it will, and I would rejoice to see it done very soon, and it is to be hoped it will be sooner than some seem to expect; but when it doe's, it will not bo the only mnil coming to the Colony, and we shall still have the Suez line. The object, I think, should be rather to have a fortnightly mailone by" Suez and another by San Francisco. At any rate, in any case the Suez mail would be more justly sent to Cook Strait, so that it might be distributed from the centre instead of from the extremity of the Colony. The hon. the Colonial Treasurer found fault with the complaint made by the people of Auckland on this postal question, because in former times they had the benefit of the Californian service, and at some future time they will have it again; but the same cannot be said of Wellington, and still less of Nelson and the West Coast. By landing the mails at the Bluff a distinct aad positive injustice would be done to a large part of the community which is entitled to a fair share of consideration. in any arrangements whioh might be made. In comparing the respective advantages of the services by the Bluff and Hokitika, we were told that the West Coast mails could be sent overland from Christchuroh ; but if such an arrangement were made it would be very expensive, for the mails would be sent a long distance by coach over bad roads, and then only a portion, and not the whole, of the West Coast would be served, for all to the north of the Grey would be left out of the service unless another service were subsidised, *to carry the mail to Nelson, &c. If the mail is to be sent overland, why should it not bo sent by that means to Canterbury, for Canterbury would not get iis.letters later by that route than by the other; but, indeed, it would save time.. The reasons advanced for sending it overland from Christchuroh would be still stronger in favor of sending it overland from Hokitika. In the case of Auckland, taking the Colonial Treasurer's calculations as correct, as I have no doubt they are, the mail would take 12 days from Melbourne to Auckland ; but under Messrs. M'Meckan, Blackwood, and Co'i. offer of the Ist August, the Auckland mail would be delivered in 11 days from Melbourne via Cooks Strait, or one day earlier than via Sydney.- The time given to roach Wellington via Hokitika is nine days, then allowing two days to" Auokland; would make 11 days.; Then, if we adopted the amendment of the hon. member for Eodney, Auckland, at the expense of the' Colony,, actually loses one day. If We adopt the motion of the Colonial Treasurer, the whole of the Colony north of Canterbury would have its mails retarded, and would thereby be placed at a disadvantage; but if: we have the mails brought to the centre of the Colony, justice will, as far as possible, be done to all parts' of the Colony, both North and South.