The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1874.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1806, 16 October 1874, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1874.

The breakdown in the San Francisco mail line—unfortunate as ifc was for this colony &d Ncrrl South Wales-^is likely be remedied. Yesterday, at an tour too late for making use of it, we were favored by the Postmaster of the Thames with information communicated to him by telegram that arrangements had been made to continue the service,, and also that a steamer would call at Auckland on or about the 30th instant from Sydney en route for : San Francisco to carry the outward mails> Whatever arrangements have been made* it is to be hoped that they are of such a nature that passengers will be able to place. reliance on the management, in order to obviate the discreditable business which has characterised tho proceedings of the late contractors. Passengers from Sydney and Auckland Vere- recently placed 'in a most awkward fix. Having taken through passages from the colonies they found on arrival at 'Frisco that the agents of the broken down service declined to endorse their tickets, and they were placed in the position of having .to pay their own railway fares and engage fresh "passages for Great Britain or remain in thacity of the Pacific Slopes.. This state of things has brought discredit on the line

and elicited indignant protests from passengers who have been duped, The London Press has teemed with lottcrs on the subject; and no wonder. After being mulcted, in a certain sum to cover their passage through to England, passengers rfound that on arrival in 'Frisco the agents declined to endorse their passage iickets, and the misguided passengers had to prosecute their, journey at their own expense. The Governments of New South Wales and New Zealand have strong legal claims on the contracting firm, and the utmost farthing of penalty for breach of contract should' be exacted —a portion of which should, in the interests of justice, be expended in recouping those deluded passengers who, having paid-the price of through passages, found themselves in the unfortunate position of having to engage means of transit to complete their journey. The colonies which unitedly inaugurated th« service; are morally!bound to indemnity the pas-' passengors who were so egregiously sold. Even supposing that the contractors' bonds are worthless, it would be better for the colonial governments to recoup the extra payments made by passengers than to endanger the popularity of the route by allowing the disgrace to attach to the line which has resulted from the: defalcations of the contracting firm. The Government will have learned a lesson by this time which should guide them in any future contracts. The mail service via San, Francisco must be placed on such a footing: that no: possibility of default may occur,.either in the carrying of the mails or the bona fide completion of engagements with passengers. Unless this be done the San Francisco mail route will suffer, in public esteem, and will only be taken advantage of by persons who use it as a convenience. Instead of becoming a great public convenience the service will be looked upon merely as a means of communication outside the facilities offered by those high contracting parties (such as the P. and O. Company) whose position offers some guarantee of genuineness.