THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 698, 18 August 1870, Page 4

THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE.

— — ' ♦ The following is condensed from an article in the Sydney Morning Herald of July 30:— The W'onga "Wonga leaves to-day with the Englisli and American mail via San Francisco, and is likely to take a heavier parcel of mail matter than has been despatched by this route on any previous trip. Hitherto correspondents have been discouraged by the high rate charged for postage, but it is announced that letters will be sent to England by this route for sixpence ; the charge for newspapers is twopence, or double the charge imposed by the English Post-office for the reverse journey. The cost either way being equal, the preference will in time be given to that which exhibits the quickest delivery. There will be no difficulty in rivalling the old-fashioned time via Southampton ; but since the competition has commenced the F. and O. Company have quickened their pace on that line and have begun to deliver the letters with unwonted celerity. It is, therefore, at present a little uncertain as to which route will win the prestige and get the bulk of the cheap letters. Another consideration is that the date of departure happens to fall about midway about two Suez mails. At the same time, the despatch by the new route has not yet attained the degree of perfection that has been promised. It may be reasonably expected that every fresh trip will! bring the organisation of the service nearer to perfection, and that the causes of delay will be successively eliminated. The colonies are at present somewhat precluded from complaint, seeing that they have not as yet been very liberal or very harmonious in the matter of subsidy. New Zealand alone has hitherto furnished the funds, and it has been uncertain whether the half-promised assistance of the two Eastern colonies was likely to become a substantial fact. Mr Cowper, however, intimated the other day to the deputation from the Chamber of Commerce that he looked upon this Government as virtually pledged, and that the withdrawal of Queensland would probably be retracted if the northern mails could be landed at Brisbane without any charge for coastwise transit. We understand that arrangements to get over this difficulty are being made, and that, unless the two Parliaments should fail to endorse the policy of the Cabinetß, the subsidies from the two Eastern colonies may be looked upon as certain. Victoria has expressed its determination pretty plainly not to extend any assistance to this postal line, and consequently the letters from Melbourne to America are made chargeable with a special rate of postage. The amount at present levied is Is 6d a letter, which is being complained of by the mercantile community there as excessive. Such a charge will, of course, be a hindrance to any correspondence by this route between Melbourne and England, except on very urgent matters of business ; but it will hardly stop the correspondence between Victoria and America, because as between these two points the route is so much shorter than the other one, that business letters must adopt it. The agent of Mr Webb, the American shipowner, did not succeed in winning acceptance for the overtures he went to make, nor indeed was it likely that he would, considering the very large demand made. The lavish subsidies it is now the fashion at Washington to grant have corrupted the morals of steamboat owners, and hare cultivated in them a habit of extortion. The colonies ace not rich enough to imitate these magnificent largesses, and those who seek for subsidies must be contented with reasonable amounts, in proportion to the service rendered. The Government of Victoria has announced that its fixed policy is to concentrate its subsidies on a large line of ocean steamers from England via. the Cape— steamers that will bring passengers, bring goods, and bring mails, and do the journey in forty- five days. But it has been rather dilatory in its efforts to bring this theory into practice. Whenever it comes into operation, Australia will have three separate mail routes connecting it with the mother country, and if Queensland carries out the Torres Straits line there will be four.