The Star. THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1808.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 13, 28 May 1868, Page 2

The Star. THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1808.

Ww very much db^bt 1 jrWt' rpa()pr.B arti gonernlly awaro of tho enoriaouo

mm of mtfney mmuftllyj]s»fc by tsliia. colony uftln tho postal flcrtf oca P For thoir bbnbfliwo pro'ppabto run through a tow of,; tho '•principal itomo. iftrMt ju\4!.for<nsisl' #(VM<? (sW'm^aidy to the Ptentv m\Mf<soYM<s £00,000 tiyohr. THd'n como»:tho miiw of £ 12,000 for tlio cnrria>>o of mails botwoon Aua. tralia and Now Zealand, and ;818,600 lor distributing them botwoon the seroral provincofl. T hone charges aro borno by tbo ftonoral Gouornmonl;,,and with other itomn of various character and amount 1 make a total — oxohuuvfl of tho telegraph servied —of £180,000 ft yoa>\ And fur thj» price, it may bo »aid that our foroign corrospondoncc! is brought to and takon away from Lyttolton, - ; Bui; this in only a part; of what wo' hiivo to pay for our correspondence ; Tlio collection and distribution of mailo throughout; tho province ha« to bo provided for, and tbi» inland aorvice oohlb ub jS 18,000 a year. If wo oatimafco tho aliara borno by Canterburyof (;ho General Government 1 oxpoudifcuro for 'tho Post-office upon tho batiitv of population, wo ahnll And that tbo; province pays about £2.1,000 a year for tho carriugo of foreign maile, and .0,1,8,000 more for an mlnnd dolivoryy or a total of £30,000. And to thin munfc bo addod tho additional taxation! paid by tho public in tho shape of po&tngo «tampß, And tho chiof part of ihia largo ojcponßO in duo to tho fact that wo very naturally inaiat upon haying our letters carried m quickly an potable, From tho moinont the post loaves London, or Molbourno, or Sydney, for Lyttolton, it ia carried as fust ao ntoain power will propol it, or rather m faat as wo can i/ftord to havo it carried. For •peed, lip to tho uttnoHt limit that can bo obtained, moans monoy. Wo pay jfiGG,OOO a year to luivo our mails cavriod aoro«« the Pacific at a Bpcod of ton knots an! hour. And it ie thiu rato of apood that wo pay for. If we wore eontontod with flvo, or six, or woven knots an hour, wo might got tlio work dono for leas than half tho tiiunnyi liufc tlmro aro oicol* lont ronaonH for iaponding tho monoy in tho way wo nro doing. Tho world ia moving vory fftflt 1 , «n<l tho oouiifcryj whi«h k ftfttittflod to do without tolo" J griiplw and offioiont poatal Borvicoa must bo con ton t to fall out of tbo rnulw and bo forgotten., Wo aro wi«o in Hpciuling m<;noy on the ftorvices up to » certain pointy , ; ;• • Bub, if it in wiso to lioavy subaidioa to mail Htoamoi'«,in oivler that dvi* mailtt nhftll bo brought from tho enda of tho parth with tho utrnqat diHpatob', surely it is oxcoaaivoly fooliah to loavo thorn uncared, for wiion aC last they liavo arrived. Quo ov tho other mußt be ft gt'ievoiw mitifcake. Either wo> aro wart : ng our monoy in thoao contly oooan Horvieoa, or wo aro committing a 1 frightful blundai 1 in not 1 expediting th« /loiivory of our lettora when once they lutvo arrivtid, Tho t doiivory of tho Bnglinh mailjuat arrivod i« an oiamplo of what wo mo«n, and of what ha.H\o«jurwul boforoiXTiio Suo» mail arrived in [jyttelton on Friday laat at about LO a.jn. I'ho diataneo botwoon Lyt,«lt<m mul O\m^<i\n\v<i\[y <n<j««U('<»<l liy jtimti, itt half an liour. Tho mail was iJolivorod in Oliriutchuroh at about 'half-past two p.m. Tho Panama mail ■'arrivod in Wellington at half-past twelve on Tuesday. The Oanterbury, .portion did not roaoh Lyttolton till B p.m. oh Thursday.' This waa bad Jjuough, but tho Airedale vrao 'detained by tho weather; Arrived in |Lyttulton, tho mail waa dotainod for twolvo houra'moro, and' not forwardod to Olirifltchuroh till J,O a.m. this, day. Tluh ia a vory miatako on thoi part of » tlio Etooutivo.' Of oourao,. thoro '- wiliv, bo 1 plenty of (^(Mihch, ,bu|) in ft) matter of m much importanco as tho despatch of inailtt no nxouuoa whatoror' sliould bo admitted, oxoopl thorn that nro beyond raan'« <wntrol : ----DitoWri!W«« of-'ihitt kind ninountfl to a grjevoua vrauto of tbo publio money. ' ; . iiL fi „