The Star. FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 1907, THE OCEAN MAILS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8831, 18 January 1907, Page 2

The Star. FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 1907, THE OCEAN MAILS.

The unpunctuality which has marked the San Francisco mail service during the past year shows no signs of abating. The last outward mail from JJerer Zealand reached San Francisco nearly six days behind the advertised time,Y and the inward mail ■whichjshould have been delivered in Christchurch yesterday has no* r yet arrived at Auckland. The most annoying feature! of these delay* t is that we have no guarantee that tbey^ will cease. The contractors have repeatedly promised reforms, which they have not carried out, and in view of ' recent developments it is extremely; improbable that they will be in a position to place the service on a satisfactory footing, at leaefc,. for some iim« to come. Their promises seem to hiave been built chiefly on the prospect of an increased subsidy from the United States Government. But a cable mea* ! &$& % pubii^hed', ; . jihis morning indicates thjit; r tibe';Shipping Subsidy Bill, which provided for ran increased payment tor the Oceanic Company, has been defeated in the American House of Re* preeentatives, and with She defeat th« company's prospect of obtaining further State assistance has vanished. What; the' company's^ next* move will- be remains to be seen, but it can. hardly expect to meet -with further forbearance from the New Zealand Government, Promises are all very well, so long aj there "' is any] : : immediate prospect of/ their being fulfilled^ but when their, fulfilment, bebpmes .remote, if not abf r solutely impossible, they no longer deserve the slightest consideration. Tha New Zealand public have become weary of the vagaries of their principal mail service, and though the Government has been more tolerant", there are signs that its patience is exhausted. Ita threats and warnings have had n6 effect, and in the face of the rejection, of the Shipping Subsidy Bill we doub% :if "any action it may take will ever be instrumental in improving 1 the present service. The time has come whejs either we must have a new service by? way of San Francisco, or we rouat look for another mail route. Th« rival merits of the Vancouver, the Australian and the Mexican routes har» been referred to m often lately that they must.be familiar to everybody whotakea any interest in the question. Each) offers certain advantages-, the .Austral lian and the Vancouver owing to tb« fact that they are "beaten paths" 62 ocean » traffic, and the Mexican routa because it is the shortest. Unfortunately, it may be too early yet to; persuade a shipping company to try tha somewhat daring experiment of a direct service between New Zealand and a Mexican port, but it should be com* '• paratively easy, to arrange for a quick-*.' er".' despatch of mails by way of Australia, and, in spite -of its previous failures, we believe that the Government can find a means of securing direct participation in the present Vancouver service. The failure of tfe» Oceanic Company to obtain an increa^ ed subsidy from America is opportune, in view of Sir Joseph Ward's approach* ing visit to England. The Premkfr must now realise that it is useless tcr roly any longer- 'on the present Saijl Francisco sery|j(^, v and that he will have to take advantage of his visit to Lon- # don to arrange for an efficient eubsti* tute.