MR CREIGHTON'S MISSION TO WASHINGTON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4715, 11 June 1883, Page 4

MR CREIGHTON'S MISSION TO WASHINGTON.

(New Yorli Times, April 23.)

Mr Bobert J. Oreighton, of Baa Franouco, a pleasant faced and energetic man about 45 years of age, has come East specially commissioned by the Government of New Zealand to endeavour to make a more satisfactory arrangement than now exists for a postal B6rvioe between that oountry and the United Stales. Mr Oreighton is bow in this city, and expects to start for Washington in a day or two. He is &n Irishman by birth, and after receiving a thorough journalistic education in Great Britain he went to New Zealand in 186 1, and socn became the proprietor and editor of a newspaper there. He lived in New Zsalatd until bis removal to San Francisco, about six years ago, and was prominent in politics as well as in journalism. For soveral years he was a member of the >*ew Z;aland General Assembly, and was Provincial Secretary fn Auckland daring an important period. He is the editor of the Evening Post ia ;<an Francisco, and since Mb residence in this oountry he has been the authorised agent of tha New Zsaland Government. When asked yesterday by a Timet reporter what ho expeeled to accomplish in his present mission, he said :—

" I hope to obtain from the United States Government a guarantee that the land transportation charges upon our mail will be abolished hereafter in consideration of the free transportation by eea of the American mail. This accomplished, I shall telegraph the result to the New Z?»laud Government, and the eervioe will be continued by that country alone should New South Wales not become a party to the contract with the Paoifio Mail Company, I am in a position to give a guarantee to that effect." " What postal contract is now ia force with ffew Zealand ? " "In November,. 1875, the Governments of New Z3aland and Now (South Wales contracted with the Paoifio Mail Company to carry their Knglieh mail between Ban Francisco and Sydney for a term of eight years. Ihe contract txpires next November, and I am commissioned by the New Zealand Government to arrange for its continuance. There uro difficulties, however, in the way, but I do not think they are insurmountable." " What are those difficulties ? " " In order to answer that question, I must give you a brief history °f the poetul relations of the Australian Colonies to the United States, brcjuse cut of those hare grown very

important commercial results. About 12 years' ago Now Zealand established v dircot mail service with Great Britain by way of San Franoieco, upon the collapse of the Panama postal service, whioh ifc had previously subsidised. The boats were small and the service unsatisfactory, and the offer of Mr Webb, a Now York shipowner, was ao-. ceptad, and a contract entered into with him to ooavey the mail monthly each way between Sydney, Auckland, and San Francisco. The Webb aervice broke down utterly. Tho vc-easls were old sido- wheelers, ami they sometimes stopped short of the through voyage at Honolulu. New South Wales waa a partner with Hew Zealand in this service, and, notwithstanding its unsatisfactory lei 1 * ruination, to anxious were these British Cjlonioß to cultivate commercial relations with tbo Unitod dUUg that they entered into another conlraot with American oitizens who wore awooiatod with a Mr Hezekiah Hall, the United States Consul at Sydney. This almost immediately collapsed. In neither owe were tho contractiHg Colonies ablo to enforce the penalties for breach of contract. Tho existing contraot with the Pacific Miil Lompany waa next mado, and it has been performed with exceptional punotuality. r lho Colonies named pay an annual subsidy to the Paciflo Mail of 37a,500d015. The voyage between the terminal ports of Ban Frßneisco and Sydney is 7230 mile?, and it is performed in 28 dayt.' schedule time, but it has been accomplished much quicker. For the first year fife boats wore employed, the contraot providing for a forked service from Fiji to Sydney and Auckland, and a coastal voyage round New Zsalaud, The Bubsidy for this service was iid^bOAnlß. At tho requesl of tho Steamship Company it was modifier to the exuling ouo, which gives thirteen round trips a year with four boats. The internedints ports of call aro Houolulu and Auckland, whioh is tho receiving port of New Zealand. When this contract was made the United States Government only raude a noninal charge for oor<vejing the enclosed British and Austraiißn moil across tho Continent, but in 1876, after tho Colonies wore bound, Mr Tynor, then Postmaater General, conceived ths idea of collecting a revenuo upon this transportation, and preferred a heavy claim for arrearages to tho British Post Offi:e. This claim was reecgeiaed by tho Euglieh Poßtal Department, and Sir Edward Thornton negotiated a contract on behalf of his Government with Mr Tjner for the payment of transportation charges upon the enclosed mail to and from tho Cole nies carried by oolonially subsidised steamers, amounting in round numbers to between 90,000d01s and lOO.OOOciols a jear, which practically increased the subsidies to 472,500 dols. This was certainly not the way to' encourage foreign oommerce. Here was trade brought to American ports and distributed throughout the American centreß of manufacture without any fffort on the part of Americans, an& forthwith it is embargoed by the American Government. Ido not deny that a service waa performed for whioh there should be a consideration, but I do say that tha contracting Caloiiics gave far more than an equivalent of railroad transportation to the United States. It carried all the correspondence and printed matter originating in this country to Honolulu, the Australian Colonies, Fiji, Samoa, and the French poeseiiion in tha South Pacifio without any charge to the United States."

"What is tho extent of the American eorrespondeooa with the Australian Colonies ? "

" Figures supplied ma by the S»n Francisco Post-office chow thai during the last three mon ! hi of 1882 47,554 lettero, and 124752 newspapers, periodicals and circulars, originating in America, for Australia, JSew Zealand, and Hawaii, were carried bj the Australian mail steamers. But tho more quantity of mail matter is not al! that there is to be considered. Ibeli6ve that tho Hawaiian trade has been wholly dev»loped by the Australian subsidised stoamera, and that the reciprocity treaty would have baan of comparatively little value without tha cheep freight and tho certain and rapid postal communications provided by these vessels. 1 his postal service ba» created a new and growing market for American products. The growth of our trade with Australia since the beginning of the Pacific mail service has been romarkable, sho»ing an increase from 2,709,313 to 17,411,356, including specie imports, in 11 years. Should the mail servicenot be renewed, direct postal communication would be cut off, and, instead of sending correspondence every four weshe at the expense of the Colonies, ifc would travel by way of Europe and the Bed Sea, involving, a four months' course of post. This, I think, would be fatal to Australian trade with America, besides shutting off Australian travel from America." In conclusion, Mr Creighton said that New South Wslee domed no advantage from the Piiciflo mail service as a poßtal route. It saved two days by sending its correspondence by way of Su6z find Briudiai, and now that a railroad had been built between Melbourne end Sydney, a further saving in time waa expected. New South Wales reFused to subsidise the iacifio mail Bervice aa a postal line, but might pay a email subsidy for its commercial advantages. New Zealand would therefore be oampelled to pay the bulk of the sub«idy, and, although perfectly ready to continue tha servioo, it would not do so if tho United Scites Government continued to charge for land transportation, It was willing to carry the American nibil free, as at present, on c-n : itioa that tho United States gave free overland transportation for its enclosed mails.