THE Wellington Independent Tuesday, June 3, 1862. THE PANAMA ROUTE.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1730, 3 June 1862, Page 2

THE Wellington Independent Tuesday, June 3, 1862. THE PANAMA ROUTE.

We reprint at foot, an article on Ibis subject from the Lyttelton Times of the 25th May, from which we infer that the General Government intend to make propositions to the Assembly, with a view to the establishment of the long talked of Postal Service via Panama. It is satisfactory to find that one important Province, at any rate, is willing to conceile that Wellington is the proper port of call for the Panama steamers — a point that Melbourne long since made a sine qua non, toMr. Sewell, where he was delegated by Sir E. L. Bulwer (the then Colonial Secretary of State) to gather and transmit Home the views of the Australiau Colonies relative to the Panama service. The task which the Ministry propose to undertake will bo a most arduous one. Auckland, at the extreme north, will lay claim to the Seat of Government being made the New Zealand Port of Call ; Otago, at the extreme South, in virtue of its purse will put in a claim also ; and even Nelson, totally uufit as her harbour is for such a purpose, may possibly revive the claim she put forward, when the subject was agitated a few years back. The question will certaiuly bring a hornet's nest about the ears of the Ministry, &nd whichever port is eventually ohoseu, — Auckland, Otago, Nelson, or Wellington — they may cotint on making enemies of three disappointed Provinces. Mr. Wards lute experience in Postal matters will however, no doubt induoe him to recommend and endeavour to carry out that which is best for the whole colony, without reference to individual provinces ; seeing that he cannot I expect to reconcile their conflicting interests. | While Wellington will be ready to the utmost to promote the Panama scheme, in the expectation that her port will be made the Port of call, we are by no means sanguine that all the other Provinces will support it, when it is understood that Cook's Strait is to be made its focus. " One thing is evident, (says

the Lyttelton Times) that to succeed in obtaining what we want, local jealousies must bo sunk, and we must all be prepared to give up some of our pretensious." To this all the Provinces will say Amen— but as they are made of the sanae metal as ourselves, we should be most unreasonable to supposs that they will be prepared quietly to give up local advantages for the sake of the colony, with the outcry Wellington has just been making about the non-incorporalion of her local steamers into the general ser-

vice, ringing in their ears. There is one point in the article below which we think needs to be noticed — the expense to us of the present mail route from England. So far as we can call to mind, New Zealand does not contribute anything. The agreement made by the Admiralty with the Coleman Company, was for ten years from 28th May, [858, determinable if desired at the expiration of seven. For ttie first four years the payment was fixed at £24,000 per an-A num, and afterward at £22,000. Of this amount £14,000, being the whole cost of conveying the mails to New Zealand was to be paid by the Imperial Treasury; the remainder being for an Inter-Provincial Mail Service, to be paid by the Colony. As there is a disposition among "old hands " who have forgotten to keep pace with the times — among some of those whose long residenoe and wealthy position has given them a large amount of influence — to ignore the advantages of steam, it is just as well that we should not run away with the idea that all the money spent iv steam is paid out of the Colonial Treasury. (From the Lyttelton " Tijees," May 24, 1862.) New Zealand has paid more for postal communication with England, and has been served worse than any other Colony of the South Seas. We have been content to send our letters as the Australian Colonies decided, and have paid whatever we were directed to pay. In proportion to the population, New Zealand has twice as much correspondence with England .as any of the Southern Colonies; but our mail bags have to travel by circuitous route, as if rapidity of communication were of no importance to us; And yet all the time that we have thus suffered it has been well known to everjone that a mail service by way of Panama would be the shortest and the best that cotild be established. Hitherto voices in favor of this route have been faint and diffident;— the question of expense was ton serious to grapple with. It is clear that sooner or later our mails must go via Panama- How long are we to wait for such a boon ? The great progress made by the Colony since 1851, when the Panama route was first serious* ly considered, would, even had not gold been , discovered iv Otago. have justified an effort to get rid of the comparatively tedious serrice via Melbourne and Suez. With the prospects now before New Zealand, no Government could safely neglect this question. We are glad to find that the Post-masier General has made it a subject of careful enquiry and consideration in his visit to the several Provinces of New Zealand and to Melbourne and Sydney. Ifh© is able to lay before the House, of Representatives, during the next session, such a scheme of postal communication as will open the Panama route for our mails, he will have fairly earned the thanks of the colony. Let us recapitulate briefly the adrautagea and prospects of this route as dwelt upon in the article which we published on Wednesday, Ist, The Panama^ route is at least 2000 miles shorter than that via Sue?, and the course of petwould be reduced from five or six to four months, with ample time at both ends for replies to let* ters. 2ndly. The expenses incurred would be fully represented by the service performed, whereas at present we pay more than the other colonies in proportion to the disadvantage of being at the end of a long chain of communication. 3rd. The West India Boyal Mail steamers are plying between Southampton and Panama, and the Pacific Company is established already on this side of the American continent ; — so that there are no great facilities for inaugurating the service without delay. 4thly. The concurrent testimony of all experienced seamen is borne to the calmness of the Pacific iv the line of route; and the certainty of the trade winds,— making the service from Panama to New Zealand one which could be well performed by screw-steamers without touching at any intermediate port. sthly. New South Wales has devoted by an Act in the Legislature £50,000 a year for ten years to open up the Panama route ; Queensland woald gladly join that colony and New Zealand for such a purpose, and Melbourne could not stand aloof ; without injuring its commerce. ,To these we may add another important '->• consideration which has been suggested lately* Important discoveries of gold-fields, richer than those at first found in that country, Lave recently been made in British Columbia. That colony is at present dependent on the American steam, ers t 9 California for the transmission of its mails but by the last accounts a determination was springing up to obtain a regular and independent service. Aud one of the reasons urged (ot assistance from the Imperial Government was that as far as Panama from England the route would be the same as that for sending mails to the Australasian colonies. What with the West India mail steamer in. connection with the Pacific Company, and the necessities of British Columbia, we may consider the expenses of , New Zealand and the Australian colonies limited to the service on this side of tne Isthmus. The Pacific Company have a large and expensive establishment iv the Bay of Panama; np doubt it would pay them to enlarge their,., operations for a comparatively moderate subsidy/ where there would be so good a chance of largo passenger traffic. From the reports of nautical men, the voyage from Panama to New Zealand would be the most economical possible for a line of screw-steamers. Aud the ease and certainty of it would be a great attraction to passengers. Even Victoria would be glad of a competition which would lower the extravagant charges now made by the Peninsular and > Ott^". ejital Company, who are revelling iv a well-stib* sidised monopoly. Such a compact and vain* able cargo as gold. would probably 6e sent bj way of Panama instead of by the Horn, *&|) the line is regularly established.

We should like yery much to know exactly ! what our postal service via Suez costs us now, and what the difference is likely to be via Panama. Even supposing foi a time we were to pay a higher price for our communication with England, we believe that apart from the great advantages of speedy directness and certainty, our money would be it paid to us by New Zealand being made the first port of call and coaling station /or the company who uuderlook the service. A stimulus would be given to tbe working of our mines, when there was a large regular market on the spot for the coal as fast as it could be delivered ; and a New Zealand port (Wellington probably) would find immediate work for"good docks and other shipping accomodation It might be found the best plan to make Wellington the terminus of the screw steamer line; strong paddle-steamers carrying thence in different directions the English mail to Sydney and to the different proviuces of the colony. One thing is evident, that to succeed in obtaining what we want local jealousies must be sunk \ and we must all be prepared to gire up some of our pretensions. No one colony can think of subsidising a line such as is proposed, far less any one province. It has been staled in Otago that tbat province would not bear of any other terminus of the Panum.i line but Port Chalmers. Such an arrangemect would suit us very well here in Canterbury, but we see very clearly tba neither the rest of New Zealand, nor Sydney, nor Queensland .could consent to such a deflection from the course most convenient for the greatest number. Otago surelj would not insist on so suicidal a pretension.

We understand that a letter Las been received by the Agents of the W.S N. Company from the Superintendent of Hawke's Bay, intimating that as the steamer "White Swan" is now under contract with the General Government to convey the English mail for that Province, via Auckland the Provincial Government would not be prepared to pay the usual subsidy, to the Wellington boats.