THE AUSTRALIAN STEAM LINE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 700, 20 August 1870, Page 4

THE AUSTRALIAN STEAM LINE.

. {From the Honolulu Advertiser, July 23.) The day before the sailing of the Bteamer Ajax, the following telegram was received from Senator Cole . — " The Australian Steamship Bill will pass Congress this session. Press of business only prevents immediate action." As Congress was to have adjourned on the 15th inst., ifc is now probably a law. It has been amended to require but thirty days notice instead of sixty, and to fix the subsidy at 300,000d015. On tbe motion to bring the Bill up for action before tbe adjournment of Congress, the vote in the Senate stood 31 in its favour to 9 against, which indicates the feeling regarding it in that body. Tbis is all that has transpired concerning it in Congress. Our next mail, due by the bark Comet about the 10th of August, will undoubtedly report its passage. The reduction of the American subsidy to 300,000d015., renders it more probable that the colonieß will unite on some plan to raise a similar sum. As the New Zealand Legislature is understood to have authorised a subsidy of £30,000, a similar amount from either Victoria, New South Wales or Queensland, will secure the establishment of the line at once. But the great difficulty now is the jealousy existing between the several colonies regarding the terminus of the line. There are fonr rivals, each wishing the terminus at Auckland, Wellington, Sydney and Melbourne. Tbis of course cannot be. The Alta of San Francisco, suggests an arrangement which is not only feasible, but seems to be most sensible yet suggested from any quarter. We clip so much of the article as bears on the question : — '" Taking our start from San Francisco and presuming that Honolulu will still continue to be touched at and used as a coaling station, nearly onethird of the total distance will there be accomplished. From thence it is proposed to touch at the Fiji Islands and again coal and connect with a branch steamer to take on the New Zealand portion of the passengers, mails, &c. The distance from Fiji to Auckland is about 1140 miles, or fully 200 miles less than from Sydney to Auckland, or from Melbourne to Wellington. The advantages of this plan are, tbat tbe steamers for Australia will not be taken out of their way, whilst New Zealand will be served as speedily and as efficiently as if they were. It is difficult to see wbat objection New Zealand can have to this proposal. It seems to meet every possible claim that she can set up. Her mails would be as speedily conveyed as if the San Francisco steamer went round by her ports. If an expenditure in the colony of the contractor's money be desired by the New Zealanders, that would certainly be better accomplished by a first class steamer all to themselves which would suffice to carry their mails to all their ports, from tbe North to the South, than by having a more hasty call at one port from the through steamer. Whatever may be said' to the contrary, there are no practical difficulties io the way of making a safe coaling station of Fiji. Very accurate surveys of the harbours ofthat" group have before now been made by the United States Government, and the charts are before us. On the western side of the group there are no islands to interfere with navigation .day or night, and on that side a suitable harbour exists.' Calling there would be the making of Fiji, which at. this moment is one of the mpßt promising plaees in the Pacific. It would also be of immense importance to moßt of the other groups in Southern Polynesia ; inasmuch as a central depot wquld thus be formed, from whence they could obtain their supplies, mails, etc. To tbe isolated residents of thoße islands, tbis advantage is not to be overestimated. From Fiji the steamer would proceed on her voyage, and., passing by the Isle of Pines she would there drop the mail for New Caledonia. This island is almost in the direcfc line of track, and may be> safely called at day or night, which is hot ihe case with New Dale donia. From thence she would proceed to Mpreton Island and leave the Queensland rqail;..then on to .Sydney, landing passengers and mails, and concluding her voyage at Melbourne. South Australia and Tasmania Would

in that case be supplied as hitherto by means of coasting steamers. An examination of the map will show that the route thus indicated is as nearly a direct line as can be followed. The distances are as follows-: — From San Francisco to Honolulu... 2oßo miles. „ Honolulu to Fiji 2830 „ „ Fiji to Isle of Pines 720 „ „ lale of Pines to Moreton Island 309 „ „ Moreton Island to Sydney* 390 „ „ Sydney to Melbourne ... 530 „ Total from San Francisco to Melbourne 6959 „ Total from San Francisco to Auckland 6050 „ Such steamers as will occupy the route may safely be relied upon to average 12 miles per hour over such a favourable ocean as the Pacific. Thus the whole distance from San Francisco to Melbourne will be accomplished in 24 days ; to Sydney in 22, and to Auckland in 21 days. English news telegraphed from Brisbane as it is at present from Adelaide to the other Australian colonies would not be more than 21 days old. The average time occupied from San Francisco to England is at present from 15 to 16 days. Taking the latter period as the basis of our calculations, and adding two days for coaling, etc., the total from Melbourne to Liverpool is but 42 days. If Tasmania and Adelaide complain that they will be the last to receive their letters, ifc surely ought to satisfy them that their mails will, arrive in several days less time than at present by the Suez route." If the Colonial Governments will unite on this, which seems to be a really feasible plan, and sustain it with grants equal to the American subsidy, the whole enterprise will succeed. Of course it is as yet uncertain who will obtain the American subsidy, but it will be either the North Pacific Transportation Company or Mr "Webb. The present disjointed arrangement of connecting at Honolulu with small steamers, will probably not last more than three months longer, and it is doubtful whether the New Zealand Government will pay even what it offered to Mr Hall, as none of his vessels have taken the mails through to England in the time agreed on. The proposed branch line from Fiji to Auckland would of itself possess great value in connecting tbat group with New Zealand, and tending to increase her commerce with it, as Fiji will become a terminus for the branch line. Tbis should not be overlooked. The branch line would be established of course by the Company which owns the through line, and thus its permanency would be secured. It is certain that the present arrangement, via Auckland, will never receive the hearty support of the Australian colonies, and probably not of the American Government. We presume that tbo Hawaiian Government will hold itself ready to encourage by subsidy or otherwise any line which connects our group with the Australian colonies and San Francisco. The amount which has been voted by tbe Legislature, £25,000 a year, is all that the most sanguine can ask from it, and the least that we can do is to aid any line which performs the Bervice in a satisfactory manner.