THE COLONIST. Published Daily—Morning. Nelson, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 1906. THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE.

Colonist, Volume XLVIX, Issue 11771, 30 October 1906, Page 2

THE COLONIST. Published Daily — Morning. Nelson, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 1906. THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE.

On Friday last the House of Representatives adopted the resolutions submitted by Sir Joeph Ward, as Postmaster-General, with respect to the San Francisco and Vancouver services. The first of these resolutions was to authorise the Government to enter into a further extension of the contract with the J. D. Spreckles and Bros. Company for the renewal of the San Francisco «mail service for a period up to three years as from November 10th next, subject to the conditions that the payment is not to be less than £15,000 a year or more than £20,000: that the Post-master-General shall be authorised to negotiate that all payments by the Australian Commonwealth to the service shall be paid over to this Colony in which case the maximum payment to the contractors may be increased to £25,000 per annum; that larger and better steamers are to be employed within two years, or the Postmaster-General may determine the contract on giving six months notice! The second resolution empowers the Governmeiit to enter into a three years' contract for a service by way of Vancouver, the payment not to exceed £20,000 a year; that the vessels shall be first-class passenger steamers of a minimum tonnage of 6000 tons, that the time shall not exceed eighteen days between Vancouver and a New Zealand port; that the terms and conditions of contract be as nearly similar to those of the San Francisco service as possible. Under che_ conditions attached to the authorisation contained in the second resolution the probabilities are that the resolution might as well have been unpassed. It is not to be denied that the San Francisco service has much to recommend it in that it is the most speedy route at present available. In 1905 the average time within which mails were delivered by this service was from Auckland to London 30.39 days, and from London to Auckland 31.06 days, the shortest time within whicn. mails were delivered having been 29 days. The service, however, has not been conducted fo well as we were led to anticipate, and frequent/*delays have occurred, as an instance we may refer to the mail which arrived in Auckland yesterday, and which, was

just a week behind time. A -mo re sarious objection from an Imperial point oi view is tha^ und'^r tb'e ' United State's Navigation Laws a I OHliib ship cannot engage in the service, and the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand has been driven off this route. Nor is this the only restriction, for even British officers JUrty not be employed In this. Service, in th§ e(3urs*o oi thVdiscus- , Sion* Mr Mass'ey declared that the New Zealand Navigation Laws are far more drastic than those of the United States, V»'ut lihe Statement in thid connection is preposterous, for New Zealand is subsidising a Foreign line, and enabling its chips to come and go, though Englishmen are not included in their crews, and the United States makes restrictions that New Zoaliud placidly accepts. The speeches made by the late Mr Seddon and by Sir Joseph Ward three years ago, when the San Francisco contract was last l'eftewed have been tepublished in a State paper. Both deal appreciatively with tht 5 friendliness of the United States,and from ia sentimental point of view urge the rtehewal of the contract. That is all very well, and as between j outsiders the United States as a nation certainly stands nearer to the British Empire than any other, but those of our own house fchnu'd receive consideration before any outsider. We can appreciate American friendliness without subsidising Americans to run British ships off the sea. Judging from the comparatively few complaints made as o the delays in the transmission of the mails by way of San Francisco, it wculd not [appear that the most 'speedy service is of the only consideration and where expedition is essential the cable is available. The San Francisco service has not done much in the way of opening up trade, and a slower service mi?ht well benefit the producers of ..the Colony very much more than the San Francisco service does; "That consideration of a subject of such importance should be deferred till the dying hours of a session is bad in every way, and the Government is greatly to blame for having held so important a matter back. The discussion was altogether unsatisfactory, and bad there been time for reflection several of the speakers would hardly have made the utterances they did. The contract should have been regarded as a business one, and the best interests of the producers ought to have been carefully weighed. Unfortunately it is now too late to* do anything, but the Government should understand that any further attempt to rush through a contract binding the Colony for three years will certainly arouse widespread iudignation.