REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON STEAM POSTAL SERVICE.

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1863 Session I, F-01

F.— No. 1.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON STEAM POSTAL SERVICE.

PRESENTED TO THE HOUSE Ist DECEMBER, AND ORDERED TO BE PRINTED.

AUCKLAND.

1863

F.—No. 1,

The Select Committee appointed to enquire into and report upon the Steam Postal Service of the Colony, report as follows : — I. The Committee understand the outstanding Steam Contracts to be as follows— 1. The contract made between the Admiralty and Messrs. Pearson, Coleman and Co., on the 1st November, 1858, under which the Home Government now has to pay £13,000 a-year for the Inter-colonial Service, and the Colonial Government £9,000 a-year for the InterProvincial Service. This Contract, now carried on by the l.C.E.M. Company, commenced on the 1st November, 1858, and continues in force till the 31st October, 1868, but is terminable by twelvemonths' notice on the 31st October, 1865. Thejservice done by this Contract includes one trip a month from Sydney to New Zealand, and one trip a month from Manukau to the Bluff, calling at intermediate ports. 2. A Contract between the Colonial Government and the I.C.R.M. Company for a service from Auckland to Port Chalmers by the East Coast, calling at all the intermediate ports, for .£7,000 a-year, commencing 6th April, 1863, and terminating 6th April, 1864. 3. A Contract with the I.C.R.M. Company for a monthly trip between Sydney and Nelson for £6,000 a-year. This contract is terminable by notice on either side 4. A Contract with Messrs. McMeekan and Blackwood for two boats to run monthly between Melbourne and Dunedin, calling at the Bluff, for £17,000 a-year. This Contract is terminable by six months' notice on the 10th November, 1864. 5. A Contract with the New Zealand Steam Navigation Company for a boat to run monthly from Wellington to Mauukau, by Picton, Nelson, and Taranaki, for £2,400 a-year. This Contract ends December 31st, 1863. 6. A Contract with the same Company to run a boat between Wellington and Manukau, calling at Raglan, Taranaki, and Wanganui, for £200 per trip. This contract was made on the 18th July, 1863, for three months, and is now terminable at any time after one months' notice. 7. A Contract with the same Company for a monthly trip from Wellington to Auckland, by Napier, for £1,800 a year. This Contract terminates on the 31st December, 1863. Of this sum the Hawke's Bay Government was to contribute £500 a-year and the Auckland Provincial Government £300, but the Provincial Council of the latter having rejected the vote, the liability falls on the General Government. 8. A Contract with the same Company for a bi-monthly service between Wellington and Port Chalmers, calling at Lyttelton, for £1,500. This terminates on the 31st March, 1864. The Committee proceed to consider the questions of the Inter-colonial Service and the Interprovincial Service separately. With respect to the Inter-provincial Service, the Committee recommend that the whole service should be remodelled and all existing contracts brought to a conclusion by notice or by arrangement as soon as possible : — That there should be a weekly communication between 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, Taranaki, and Manukau ; provided such a service can be performed for the sum of not more than £40,000. The Committee deem it indispensable 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 at 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 of the service at stated intervals. The Committee have appended a Time Table, indicating the manner in which they think this service can be performed, together with a Memorandum explanatory of the Table.

REPORT OF THB SELECT COMMITTEE ON STEAM POSTAL SERVICE.

F.—No. I

The Committee are of opinion that all Contracts for Steam Services should, as a general rule be made only after public tender ; but they conceive it to be of importance that the Service nowrecommended should be commenced as soon as possible ; and they perceive that, owing to the fact that a number of Contracts are still outstanding, it can only be commenced by arrangements with the existing contractors. But the Committee are of opinion that all such arrangements should be made for as short a time as possible, so as to allow of the services being put up to public tender at the earliest possible period. The Committee have resolved that it is desirable that a Post Office Inspector for the Colony should be appointed. With respect to the Inter-colonial Service, the Committee have had before them an extract from a private letter from Mr. Ward to Mr. Dillon Bell, by which it appears that Mr. Ward is about to enter into &, Contract for a Service from Panama to New Zealand, at a cost to the Colony of £60,000 a-year ; and that he proposes to reduce this expense within the amount voted in the " Panama Route Postal Act, 1862," (£30,000 a-year,) by abandoning all the existing Inter-Colonial Services and making use of the contributions, both Imperial and Colonial, now paid for them. Mr. Ward appears to have received no instructions from the Government "with reference to the establishment of the line beyond those supplied by the Act above quoted. It is for the House to say whether Mr. Ward will, in completing this arrangement, exceed his powers, and what course it is desirable to pursue under the circumstances, but your Committee do not feel themselves in a position to make any recommendations as to the Inter-colonial services pending further advices from Mr. Ward. James Edward FitzGeeald, Chairman.

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EEPORT OF SELECT COMMITTEE

P.—No. 1

APPENDIX I. MEMORANDUM o>- the proposed ixter-phovincial mail steam service. The following Tables are framed to give twice a week communication between the principal Provinces, and once a week to every Province. By them, one steamer would proceed every Saturday from Otago to Manukau, and one every Wednesday from Otago to Auckland. The Southland communication would be once a week, and the time is so arranged that the mails to Southland from the North will be conveyed on without an hour's delay at Otago. But as the steamer, on her return to Otago, will have to wait there four days, the mail from Southland will be transhipped to the other bi-weekly steamer. The times at all the ports are so arranged that intei-vals of three or four days occur between the dates of arrival and the dates of departure of the respective steamers. Margins are left at either end of the line to make up for any losses of time on. the passage, and to enable the time of starting to be strictly kept. On the passage the times have been purposely fixed with the view of allowing as little delay as possible in the conveyance of the mails. Still sufficient time is allowed to enable a vessel that may be late at one port to make it upon the voyage. Each steamer will have a distinct sendee, so that a break-down of any one will only involve the loss of that particular bi-weekly service ; and the permanent disabling of any one steamer would involve the loss of one bi-weekly service out of eight, the whole service requiring eight steamers. As there will always by the Time Tables be one vessel waiting in Otago ready for the next trip, it will be unnecessary to make special provision for the English mail carriage, as in case of the mail arriving between Wednesday and Saturday, there would be no difficulty in hurrying on the next steamer a day or so before its time. The trade at present would probably not justify the employment of large steamers for the entire service. Two large and six small steamers would probably be sufficient for all purposes for some time to come. This would facilitate re-arrangements with the existing contractors—the Intercolonial and the Wellington Steam Navigation Companies. The regularity of intervals between the arrivals and departures of the different boats would be a great advantage to the contractors over the present arrangements. The Raglan and Wanganui services would have to be done separately, in the same way as in the Middle Island, with Oamaru, Thnaru, and Akaroa.

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ON STEAM POSTAL SERVICE.

TIME TABLE of Stj leaving Otago e EAMBB8 TO MANUKAU, I'EKY SaTUKDAY. time tabl: LEAVIXft OP STE 'TAGO EV. :amees to Auckland, ery Wednesday. Otago Ly ttelton Do Wellington ... Do. Marlborough... Do. Nelson Do. Taranaki Do. Manukau Do. Taranaki Do. Nelson Do. Marlborough... Do. Wellington ... Do. Ly ttelton Do. Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Saturday. Sunday. Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. Do. Friday. . Do. Saturday (1 week). Do. Sunday. Thursday. Friday. Saturday (2 weeks). Sunday. Monday. Do. Do. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. Friday. Saturday (3 weeks). Do. (4 weeks). Otago Lyttelton Do. Wellington ... Do.' Napier Do. Auckland Do. Napier Do. Wellington ... Vo. Lvttelton "Do. Otago Do. Southland Do. Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Arrive Leave Wednesday. Thursday. Friday. Saturday. Sunday. Monday. Tuesday (1 week). Thursday. Monday. Wednesday (2 weeks) Thursday. Friday. Saturday. Sunday. Monday. Tuesday. Do. Wednesday (3 weeks) Thursday. Friday. Wednesday (4 weeks) Otago Do. Otago Do.

F—No. l

ANALYSIS OF ABOVE TIME TABLES.

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REPORT OF SELECT COMMITTEE

Sout: [land to Auckland and Manukau. LEAVE EVEEY AEEIVE EVEET Southland Thursday Otago Wednesday, Saturday Friday. Lyttelton Monday, Friday Thursday, Sunday. Wellington Wednesday, Sunday : Tuesday, Saturday. Marlborougk ... Thursday Thursday. kelson ... Friday Friday. Napier Thursday Wednesday. Taranaki Saturday Saturday. Thursday. Auckland Manukau i Sunday. i ,and and Manukau to Southland. Auck LEAVE EVEET AEEIVE EVEET Monday AEEIVE EVERT Auckland Manukau Thursday Friday. Taranaki Saturday Friday. Nelson ... Monday Sunday. Sunday. Marlborougk ... Monday Monday. Monday. Napier ... Thursday Wednesday. Wednesday. Wellington Wednesday, Saturday Tuesday, Friday. Tuesday, Friday. Lyttelton Monday, Friday Thursday, Sunday. Thursday, Sunday. Dtago Tuesday Tuesday, Saturday. Tuesday, Saturday. Southland Wednesday. Wednesday.

F.—No. 1

APPENDIX II. TABLE SHOWING THE TONNAGE, AVERAGE SPEED, AND HOURLY CONSUMPTION OF FUEL OF SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL STEAMERS UNDER CONTRACT TO THE COLONIAL GOVERNMENT.

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ON STEAM POSTAL SERVICE.

I Tonnage Horse Power. Ijg, Average S § . Speed. Sf^ g ! I - l^rS I all 2s"atne of Boat. Ueal. ! Knots. Cwt. s. d. "Phoebe" 416 120 ; 150 9f 20 2-05 8 1J "Lord Ashley" 296 90 ! 130 9| 17 1-79 6 4 "Auckland" ... 533 150 200 9 15 i-ee 8 2-J "Airedale" ... 286 80 120 8 13 1-62 8 1* " Prince Alfred" 704 180 | 230 I 9^ 23 2-42 4 4 ■"Aldinga" (The two followin g are merely appr | oximate) 290 150 200 10| 30 7 6 2-85 8 H " Wonga Wonga" ... 61 20 25 •95 5 10J

F.-No. 1.

APPENDIX III. TABLE OF DISTANCE BETWEEN VARIOUS PORTS ON THE POSTAL ROUTES.

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REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE.

Miles. )istance from tt ... ... »» •■• - ■ ■ I* ■•• ... si ... ... Sydney j» >t 11 Melbourne !1 to Auckland to Manukau to Nelson to The Bluff Harbour ... to Auckland to Manukau 1315 1200 1180 1100 1650 1440 ., ... ... )) ... ... I) ... ... IS •'• •" II .. , ... If •• • ... ,, ... ... mchorage to Anchorage ... ii ... ... 11 ii Auckland ii Napier Manukau ii to kelson to Bluff to Dunedin to Napier to Port Chalmers (direct) to Canterbury ... to Wellington ... to Raglan to Taranaki 1410 1203 133=5 350 SOS 670 200 70 140 Taranaki to Nelson 142 >y French Pass )i stance from Sy French Pass Hstance from SI Nelson Wanganui Picton Jfelsoa Wellington Canterbury Ota bo to Wangantti to Picton to "Wellington ... to Wellington ... to Wellington (direct) ... to Canterbury ... to Otago to Southland 100 87 98 50 112 170 200 130

F.—No. 1

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ON STEAM POSTAL SERVICE.

APPENDIX IV. MEMORANDUM showing peoposei* obdibaxt tow. cost of postal sebvice3 foe the TEAK 1863-4. Conveyance of Mates bt Sea— £ s. d. £ s. d. Contribution to Main Line ... ... ... ... ... 12,000 0 0 Inter-Colonial ... ... ... ... ... ... 23,000 0 0 Inter-Provincial (as recommended in Report) ... ... ... 40,000 0 0 75,000 0 0 General Expenditure— Salaries 1,580 0 0 Contingencies ... ... ... ... ... ... 1,000 0 0 2,580 0 0 Pbovixcial Expenditure—Salaries and Inlaad Mail Service... ... ... 77,580 0 0 Auckland 5,710 0 0 Taranaki 323 4 0 "Wellington 2,506 0 0 Hawkc's Bay 1,852 0 o Nelson 1,622 0 0 Marlborougb. ... 1,309 0 0 Canterbury ... ... ... ... ... ... 7,407 0 0 Otao-o ... . ... ... ... 32,285 0 0 Southland 6,695 0 0 59,709 4 0 Total 137,289 4 0 Estimated Revenue '. 40,000 0 0 Nett Cost of Postal Service _ 97,289 4 0 Pjjoposed Mail Service by Panama ... ... ... ... ... 60,000 0 0 Total 157,289 4 0 Amount saved by the Services proposed to be abandoned by Mr. Ward — Contribution to Main Line ... ... ... ... ... 12,000 0 0 Inter-Colonial Services 23,000 0 0 Contribution of Imperial Government to New Zealand Line ... 13,000 0 0 48,000 0 0 Kett Cost if Mr. Ward's proposal is sanctioned ... ... £109,289 4 0 £109,289 4 0

F.—No. 1

APPENDIX V. EXTEACT FEOM LETTER FHOJI THE HOKOUBABLE MB. CBOSBT WABD TO THE HONORABLE MB. DILLON BELL.

I have mentioned before, that as soon as the Government had given us our conge, and politely declined to aid our project, I had a private offer to run a line of boats from Panama to New Zealand for £100,000 a year. I declined this at once as too high. Then they named £80,000. I said that even for this they must go to the Colonies and obtain the assent of New South Wales. I thought this was worth my entering upon, and I went to London. There I reduced their terms to £70,000, with our guarantee for £55,000 and a condition that we should have a claim on any subsidy granted by New South Wales to the extent of £15,000 a year to recoup us. At the same time, I enquired at the Post Office and Treasury sufficiently to be satisfied that they would hand us over at least the major part of the postages receivable in this country, which cannot amount to less than £10,000 for New Zealand alone. You see this would reduce the amount guaranteed by New Zealand to £30,000 a year, the amount of our grant. I then said I would not object to going further with the negociations, provided they could prove that the vessels were calculated to do what they proposed— namely, run the distance from Panama to New Zealand in thirty days ; also, provided the Promoters would name to me respectable person? as those composing the Company, and ready to undertake the contract. At the same time I employed a man on whom I could thoroughly depend to investigate the character of the ships, both from general sources and from the information to be supplied by the Promoters of the undertaking. Now these ships are the well-known old general screw steamers, of which "Argo," "Jason," "Croesus," "Golden Fleece" were best known, and "Queen of the South," " Hydaspes," " Lady Joeelyn," and others are now the mainstay. They are but auxiliary ships, and having been lately employed on the Calcutta service—of which that part between Southampton and the Cape corresponds fairly with, though inferior to the distance, winds, ifec, between Panama and New Zealand —we had some room to judge from their logs of past voyages what they conld do in that proposed. They have not been quite furtunate on their previous services. But if there is a line on which they may be successful it is that now proposed, as all sailors concur in declaring. The first examination was not favorable. They might be considered equal to eight knots per hour, but eight and a half are wanted to do the distance in thirty days. On the other hand, their sailing qualities, their power of carrying coal in the lower hold sufficient for the whole voyage, their excellent accommodation for passengers, &c, &c, were so evident that it was very desirable to get them on the line, if the objections of speed could be overcome. We are now employed in making a careful analysis of the logs of former voyages, to see whether it was from saving coal and trusting to canvas, alone that their voyages were lengthened out. Meanwhile I have had no evidence of the personnel of the Company, and lam not quite satisfied. Therefore it is very gratifying to have an alternative tender, which comes from our old friends the Inter-colonial Company. This Company really stand very well now, are able to buy and build vessels, and seem to me determined to do their work well and thoroughly. Some of their Directors are very good men. However, overtures of amalgamation have come from the Sydney Company—properly speaking, the Australasian—who we know are powerful enough. The agents of the latter assure me that the offer is bond fide, and that the Panama contract would help it to perfection. The tender is to run a ten knots' (say a twenty-six days') service from Panama to New Zealand for £60,000 a year. The tender was at first privately made through the Secretary ; it has now been confirmed by the Board, and waits only the approval of a special meeting. Now, you see that deducting £10,000 for postages as before, then £13,000 as the Imperial grant to the existing service, which I have applied to have transferred to Panama (if the contractors consent), only £37,000 is left, and it is very odd if we cannot get from the other Colonies as much as will make up the difference, and something over. I think on the whole that this is far the best offer: undoubtedly so, financially. But lam bound to confess a prejudice for the large ships of the first offer, inasmuch as we have reason to expect an immense immigration from the Canadas and the States. Well, as the last is in my opinion likely to be the accepted tender, I may say that I propose to put an end altogether to the old contract,—do without all Inter-colonial services, —arrange the Inter-provincial services so as to suit the Panama line and dates, —and run the latter through to Sydney, provided New South Wales contributes. Putting down the cost of the Panama service at £37,000, we have against i-t—Otago and Melbourne, £12,000; Cook's Straits and Sydney, £6,000; and contribution to Ocean line (at present rates), not less than £15,000. Therefore, supposing no Colony helped, and that we added to the Inter-provincial services, so as to cost £20,000, instead of £15,000, we should only pay £9,000 more for our Panama whistle than we do for the present one. And as to the Inter-colonial service, it is odd if the commercial advantages to the eastward don't compensate for their loss. The postal service is of caurse greatly benefited. I think, reserving to our Government the right to fix the date of commencement of this arrangement out there, I shall be quite safe in concluding the Contract, and I meau to do it. There seems plenty of reason to suppose that on the terms mentioned above we can have Panama and keep up our Australian connections without pecuniary injury. You understand that the New South Wales Agent does nothing in this matter, so I take the guarantee on myself. I hope next mail will take an official letter giving the results of what I can only now put as probabilities— very probable, but still not realised.

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