The Wellington Independent "NOTHING EXTENUATE. SKT DOWN AUGHT IN MALICK." SATURDAY MORNING, 19th DECEMBER. THE NEW STEAM SEEVICE.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1998, 19 December 1863, Page 3

The Wellington Independent "NOTHING EXTENUATE. SKT DOWN AUGHT IN MALICK." SATURDAY MORNING, 19th DECEMBER. THE NEW STEAM SEEVICE.

Some two or three of the provinces are just now heralding forth their own praises and bespattering their neighbours in a truly vigorous manner. Auckland in the North, and Otago in the South, if their own statements are to be believed, possess between them every element of material prosperity without alloy, while Canterbury and all the provinces in Cook's Strait have run to the length of their tether, and will be or are comparatively insignificant. We not only find no fault with Auckland and Otago for making the most of their advantages, but consider, them setting an example which other provinces might emulate ; the only quarrel which we feel inclined to pick with them, is because of their efforts unworthily to depreciate provinces, which, even if they are (for the sake of argument) less favoraed by nature, nevertheless possess many elements of present and future prosperity. The Auckland press appears to be very much tickled at the name which the Cross has given to the Cook's Strait Provinces — they may be the belly, we are told, but Auckland or Otago can alone become the head. Do our contemporaries forget the fable which was so long ago written for the instruction of such malcontents. The head, and arms, and feet, be as independent in theory as they might, yet their refusal to minister to the wants of the belly only recoiled on themselves, and in going out of their way to starve it, they found that their own strength was proportionately diminished. We willingly accord that Auckland has many advantages, and that when she gets quiet possession of the territory now occupied by 'force of arms, they will be so materially increased as to give abundant scope to the capital and enterprise, which her want of country has hitherto compelled to lie to a great extent dormant. Gold must make Otago important all the while it lasts, and certainly lay the foundation for continued importance even should her auriferous deposits become eventually worked, out. But while admitting all this, we by no means feel disposed to hide our own advantages, and if Wellington has not the gold which Otago has, and the extended country which Auckland wilj have when the native ownership is extinct, she has at least a harbour whose extent and position afford ample compensation for whatever of mediocrity, in other respects, our neighbours may charge us with. Auokland delights to picture what she will be when she gets the Waikato, we might fairly do the same with regard to what Wellington will be when she gets the Manawatu and the Seventy Mile Bush : meanwhile, leaving the advantages in posse for those in esse, we may surely congratulate ourselves and the colony on that of our great central harbor, even if we keep silence on the many other advantageswhichweundoubtedly possess. Whether we turn our harbor to the best account may perhaps be questioned ; but undoubtedly the operations oftheN.Z.S.N. Co. have done much towards showing its value. Gradually Wellington has been acquiring for itself the character of being the natural centre for steam, and the manner in which this has become tacitly admitted by the colony is exemplified in theuewmailproposals, recommended by a Committee of the House of Representatives and approved by the Government. Although every year the £team services have been altered, the requirements of the times will necessitate continued alteration and extension ; and for a long time to come, whenever the Assembly meets, it will in effect have again to agree to the firstofthefiveresolutionspassedonthe7thinst: — " That the whole existing postal steam service" should be remodelled and all existing contracts brought to a conclusion by notice or by arrangement as soon as possible." By the present service we have an average weekly communication with both North and South. The steamers leave oftener, but the clashing of dates practically reduces the six departures North and the five South to a weekly mail communication. We need not stop to enquire how much of this circumstances have forced the Government to undertake on tlieir own responsibility during the past year. The session of 1862 provided liberally for steam communication between the provinces, but the Government were obliged within a very few months afterwards to quicken it. ■ Now the Assembly has recommended , j 2. " That there should be a weekly communication beiwecn Southland and Otago ; a bi-weekly communication between Otago, Canterbury, and Wellington ; a weekly communication between Wellington, Napier, and Auckland : and a weekly communication between Wellington, Picton, Nelson, Taraoaki, and Manukau ; provided such a service can be performed for the sum of not more than £40,000" ITroiii Wellington, therefore, there will in 'a few months be two mail steamers a week to the North and two a week to the South. Thus Wellington becomes the centre from which the mail service radiates, and the port is beginning to answer the ends, if not for which nature designed it, at any rate for those which induced its selection, when all the colony was open to Colonel Wakefield to chose from. The third resolution is a decided improvement on present arrangements — 3. "That the boats should be required to sail on stated days of the week from each port, and that regular intervals should intervene between

the arrivals and the departures of the steamers a each port; the time table allowing for delay in any one passage being made up within as short a time as possible so as to maintain the regularity ot the service at stated intervals." Instead of the steamers time tables being continually disarranged in consequence of the laudable desire to prevent the scandal ! of Sunday work, the object of the above resolution is to give, as far as the weather will permit, a regularity that may be easily remembered. Thus the mail steamers to the JSTorth would be fixed to leave here say every Monday and Thursday, and those to the South every Tuesday and Friday — manifestly a most convenient alteration. In the Committee there was mueli discussion as to how far local companies should have the pre-eminence in contracts ; but the inability of the colony to do without foreign capital, independently of the grave objections which inevitably ought to prevent every attempt at monopoly, induced a decision to throw the service open to thorough competition. With a viewtothis and to the speedy establishment of the new service, the following resolution was agreed to : — 4. That all contracts for steam services should as a general rule, be made only after public tender ; but they conceive it to bo of importance that the service now recommended should be commenced as soon as possible ; and as owing to tho fact that a number of contracts are still outstanding, it can only be commenced by arrangements with the existing contractors ; the committee are > of opinion that all such arrangements should be made for as short a time &s possible, so as to allow of the services being put up to public tender at the earliest possible period. Some very important alterations are promised in reference to the keeping open the mails until the latest possible moment, and in order that the whole service may be looked well after and kept up to the mark, it was also agreed — 6. " That it is desinble that a Post Office inspector for the Colony should be appointed." The advantages which are thus beginning to accrue to this port deserve to be fostered in every possible way. Eight boats will be required for the service proposed, and to maintain our position in connexion therewith, more facilities for repairing them will be required than we have at present. Independently of the wants of the boats to be en. gaged in tke Panama Service, for which we hope this may be made a port of call, there is now every reason why another day should not be lost in reference to the erection of the long talked of patent slip. The Bill for securing a 20acresiteinEvans'Bayhaspassed the Assembly, andifthe JS". Z. S.N. Company intend erecting a slip under the offer of a guarantee which the Provincial Government has made, the sooner they do it the better. Other provinces are under the delusion thatwe are moving heaven and earth to get hold of the Panama terminus, and that our Chamber of Commerce has prepared and sent Home every requisite information for the guidance of Directors in England. They give us credit for a great many things, but they little know how supine the "Welllington people really have been in the Panama matter. We hope we may not have to say the same six months hence, in reference to a patent slip : long before then we trjast that the initiatory steps that have one by one been taken, will have resolved themselves into conclusive action, and that Wellington may speedily look ferward with certainty to a patent slip adding the top-stone to the many advantages which her port presents.