THB SUEZ MAIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 1889, 23 March 1874, Page 3

THB SUEZ MAIL.

NEW ZEALAND ITEMS. (From the European Mail of Jan 23.) The William Davie has just sailed with about 300 emigrants for Otago ; the Wenningfcon, wifch 400, for Wellington ; the Dorette, wifch about 200, for Auckland. A marriage has been arranged between Mr Charles Dalrymple, M.P., for Buteshire, brother of the Right Hon. Sir James Fergusson, Bart., Governor of New Zealand, and Miss Hunter Blair, second daughter of Sir Edward Hunter Blair, Bart. New Zealand 4£ per cent, five-thirty debentures, representing £370,0 CD, were disposed of on Jan. 16, by the agents for New Zealand Government loans, at the offioe of the Crown agents for the colonies. The total amount offered was £500,000, and it is understood fchafc the remaining £130,000 will be allotted to further applicants in the order in which they may apply, at the upset price of 98. Apropos of the new mail service via San Francisco, it may be as well to notice that the New York papers publish the prospectus of a Mammoth scheme for the formation of a ste unship company whose vessels will ply between England and various ports in the United States, fche sailings being daily throughout the year. The company proposes to build, on tbe Delaware River, and of American material, a fleet of 45 first-class steamships of 4030 tons each, which will have accommodation for ICO cabin passengers, 1000 emigrants, and 2500 tons cargo. The estimated cost of these vessels is about 36,000,000dols. ; and ifc is proposed to issue bonds payable in 20 years at 6 per cent, interest, the Government to guarantee the bonds and pay the interest half-yearly in consideration of tbe mails being carried without subsidy to and from Liverpool for 20 years. In order to make the company a thoroughly national one ifc is suggested that the sailings from the States Bhould be alternately throughout the week from the four northern ports of Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, by which arrangement all the principal shipping centres will be secured in the interest of the company. The scheme is said fco be pufc forward by em'nent and practical capitalists, who have the means to carry out the undertaking. " Anglo- Australasian" says: — Afc length emigration to New Zealand is assuming quite vasb proportions, and a lean for £500,000, 4£ per cent, bonds afc the price of £98, has been brought on the market by fche Crown Agents for the colonies to defray its cost. Every available ship has been taken up for the conveyance, at the rate of from 2030 to 2500 emigrants per month, to New Zealand, and all free passagej. What chance have New South Wales and South Australia to obtain emigrants on the assisted principle, in the face of such a movement to New Zealand? People are wondering why such pressure is manifested to send such numbers to that colony in bo short a space of time. The £500,000 will soon be absorbed, and old Tawhaio will have to do the hospitable, for he cannot be allowed to sulk for ever in one of the finest districts of New Zealand, and " taboo " his territory against the intrusion of the settler. As time weara on the land must be unlocked, and when that day comes we shall hear no more of murderers finding an asylum and shelter inTawhaio's sacred territory. All these stately ships, now spreading their sails for New Zealand, carry with them a message to the old king and his fanatic followers which he will do well to ponder on before it is too late. But, not to pursue this subject further, I may state that, owing to the scarcity of ships available for the other colonies, freights have risen very considerably, and I understand Mr Dutton has in vain been trying to get a ship on anything like reasonable ternis for quite a month past for his next batch of emigrants for South Australia. lam told thafc he is now in treaty for, Messrs Anderson, Anderson and Co.'a splendid new Bhip Hesperus, which has just arrived in dook from Glasgow, where she was builfc specially for fche Adelaide trade in place of the loßt Yatala. The agitation which is now going on among the agricultural unions tends to favour emigration, and it is a sign of the times that, instead of betaking themselves to Canada and the United States, very large numbers of agricultural laborers are now proceeding to Australia and New Zealand. This change is due on fche one hand fco the increased facilities and easier terms offered by some of our AgentsGeneral, and on fche other, fco fche wide and general dissemination of information bearing upon the resources of our colonies among the indus rial classes. The Agents-General of the several colonies importing labour have done good work in this respect, and some credit is due to the Editor of the Australian and Hew Zealand Gazette for the trouble he takes in illustrating the growing wealth of Australia and New Zealand by the means of statistics supplied by the colonial Blue-books. The new feeling, then, whioh has sprung up in favour of Australia and New Zealand is one on which the colonists are to be congratulated, because it is manifestly to their interest, as well as to the interest of the mother country, that if agricultural laborers will emigrate, fchey should go whero they can help on the prosperity of the British Empire, rather than t o America to swell the resources of the United States. Tc those who may object to the importation of this labour, we may state that Canada iB bidding high for it, and that the attention of Mr Arch and his compatriots is divided between Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. As many know, Mr Aroh made a tour of Canada, and made himself tolerably familiar with the re sources of that country, and with the terms upon which emigrants would be received. He had, however, no such information at hand with regard to Australia and New Zealand, but since his return from Canada he has been very diligent in his inquiries in regard to the chances which these countries can offer fco his constituents, and we believe we are right in stating that the inquiries he has made has satisfied him that Australia and New Zealand are in no way inferior to Canada as fields for

labour. The secretaries of several working men's clubs, too, have been making inquiries of the Agent-General in regard to emigration, and from what we can gather the main question with them is the question of expense. If the colonies interested in labour could see their way clear to make the terms easy, there seems to be an impression that they might successfully compete with Canada for that which is in the market.