CONVEYANCE OF IMMIGRANTS AND CARGO BY DIRECT STEAM LINE TO THE COLONY (FURTHER CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO).

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1883 Session I, F-04

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1883. NEW ZEALAND.

CONVEYANCE OF IMMIGRANTS AND CARGO BY DIRECT STEAM LINE TO THE COLONY (FURTHER CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

No. 1. Messrs. Levin and Co. to the Hon. the Minister of Immigration. Sir,— Wellington, 19th July, 1883. We have the honour to inform you that by the Suez mail, which arrived yesterday, we received advices from the head office of the Shaw-Savill and Albion Company (Limited), confirming the information, which has already reached by cable, that the company has arranged for building steamers for the New Zealand trade. They state that they are prepared to undertake the conveyance of Government passengers and freight both by steamers and sailing vessels ; and we therefore trust that any arrangement which may be come to by the Government in this connection will leave such carrying open to competition, so that the company we represent may have the opportunity of tendering for the whole or a portion of the Government freight. We think it only right to add —judging from the information before us, and from the fact that the steamers are specially designed and constructed for this trade by Messrs. Denny Brothers, of Dumbarton—that the Shaw-Savill and Albion Company will be in a position to carry emigrants and cargo at rates that will bear favourable comparison with those which the Government are now paying or have hitherto paid. We have, &c, Levin and Co., Agents for the Shaw-Savill and Albion Company (Limited). The Hon. the Minister of Immigration, Wellington.

No. 2. The Hon. the Minister of Immigration to Messrs. Levin and Co. Gentlemen, — Wellington, 20th July, 1883. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday, which has just now been put into my hands, in which you state the purport of advices received from the head office of the Shaw-Savill and Albion Company (Limited), to the effect that the company has arranged for building steamers for the New Zealand trade, and are prepared to undertake the conveyance of Government passengers and freight both by steamers and sailing vessels; and express the hope that any arrangement which may be made by the Government in this connection will leave such carrying open to competition, so that the company you represent may have an opportunity of tendering for the whole or a portion of the Government freight. In reply, I have to state that the matter is now under the consideration of the Government, and the question will shortly be brought before Parliament, when the Government will be prepared to indicate th^course which they will adopt. I have, &c, Messrs. Levin and Co., Wellington. Wm. Eolleston.

No. 3. The New Zealand Shipping Company (Limited) to the Hon. the Premier. Sir,— Wellington, 20th July, 1883. We have the honour td" jremind you that, in a letter addressed to you on the Bth August, 1882 (F.-4a, 1882), the.New Zealand Shipping Company offered to undertake the establishment of a direct steam service from England to and from New Zealand, on conditions therein stated in full. Since that date you are aware that the New Zealand Shipping Company have commenced the service by employing, in the first place, the best steam-vessels they could procure that were suitable for the service, and at the same time they contracted for the building of three first-class steam-

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vessels, of the gross register tonnage of 4,000 tons each, with a guaranteed sea-going speed of twelve knots. These vessels are being built by Messrs. Elder and Co., of Glasgow, and their name is sufficient guarantee that they will be of the very highest class. The Chairman and Managing Director of the company is in England, and will see that they are fitted out in every way suitably for the work they have to perform, including refrigerating machinery. All three boats are well advanced. The first is to be launched by the end of August, and they should all be ready to leave for New Zealand within six months from the present time. In the meantime the chartered vessels have arrived in the colony; the first, the "British King," in 49 days 14 hours, including all detentions ; the second, the " British Queen," in 48 days 5 hours; and the third, the " lonic," in the remarkably short time of 43 days 22 hours, or 43 days 6 hours steaming time. The "British .King " and " British Queen" have reached home in 47 and 46 days respectively. The " Catalonia," now on the passage, is expected here in the course of next week. The " British King" left the Cape of Good Hope, on her second voyage to the colony, on the twenty-second day out from England. The " Doric," the other chartered vessel, is laid on to sail on the 28th instant for Auckland as the first port of call, and is a sister ship to the " lonic." The company were induced to take early action in this matter owing to the House of Eepresentatives having passed, on the 28th August, 1882, a resolution, which is printed in full in the parliamentary paper E.-2, 1883 ; and we thought that, although the offer contained in our letter of the Bth August last, above quoted, was not accepted by your Government, still, as soon as it could be shown that a really good line of steamers was established, there would be no difficulty in coming to a fair arrangement with the Government within the limits of the resolution of the House of Eepresentatives above referred to, and the more so when the service was established by a local company such as the New Zealand Shipping Company. We think it must be admitted that the service this company has established is far superior in every way to that contemplated when the resolution was passed by the House of Eepresentatives last year. It has been established in the face of very great difficulties, and obviously there will still be many more difficulties to overcome before the service is thoroughly organized. We now approach the Government with a view of ascertaining whether they are prepared to enter into a contract with this company for either of the following services : (1) A service once a calendar month each way not exceeding fifty days from London to and from New Zealand. Each vessel to visit at least two of the following ports in the colony, i.e., Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Port Chalmers, at the option of the company ; or (2) a service once every four weeks each way, to be arranged so as to leave England and the colony to alternate with the sailing dates of the mail steamers by San Erancisco, the service to be performed in forty-five days each way. By this proposal the colony would have a fortnightly steam mail service of its own, and a very large saving would be made by the colony, owing to its mails going direct instead of by way of Australia, and only having to pay the company Id. per letter instead of the whole postage. We consider that such a service as either of the above should be for a period of at least five years; but, in deference to the expressed opinion of Parliament last year, we are prepared to undertake either to continue the present service, or to adopt the alternative one above suggested for a period of three years. In the event of the Government wishing to adopt the four-weekly service to alternate with that by San Francisco, there would be thirteen voyages each way; and this company would require a subsidy of £20,000, together with all the emigrants and cargo the Government may have to send to the colony during the currency of the contract. In the event of the Government being content with the service as at present established, namely, for twelve voyages each way, we ask that we shall receive all the emigrants and cargo the Government may have to send to the colony during the currency of the contract, the emigrants to be carried on the conditions and at the rates specified in the amended regulations handed to us by the Hon. the Minister of Immigration, namely, £16 per statute-adult and £9 10s. for children between twelve months and twelve years old, infants free ; and, in the case of emigrants that it may be arranged shall come by sailing-ships, the rates of passage-money to be £14 7s. 6d. per adult, and £8 7s. 6d. for children ; and all cargo on the same terms as those now in force for Government material. We are sure that the Government will notice with much gratification that, although the service was only commenced in February last, already a regular stream of emigration has set in by the company's steamers, by steerage passengers paying their own way. We hope the Government may see their way to accept one of the above proposals, and that their decision may be come to at an early date, in order that we may make such arrangements as will insure a continuance of the service without any break. We have, &c, H. P. Murray-Aynsley, Deputy-ChairmSh, ■£, Edward Eichardson, Director, The Hon. the Premier. For the New Zealand Shipping Company.

No. 4. The Hon. the Premier to the New Zealand Shipping Company (Limited). Gentlemen, — Government Offices, Wellington, 23rd July, 1883. I have the- honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 20th instant in reference to the steam service between England and New Zealand now carried on by the New Zealand Shipping Company (Limited). 2. You propose that the Government shall enter into a contract, for three years, for one of the alternative services you specify

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3. The Government are not prepared to enter into any contract for a term exceeding one year without first inviting public tenders ; but, in consideration of the enterprise shown by your company in establishing a very efficient steam service, the Government —subject to the approval of Parliament—feel justified in granting the company certain exclusive advantages for a limited time, viz., for one year from the Ist November next. 4. On condition, therefore, that the company is prepared to carry out the first alternative service proposed by you, the Government will undertake as follows : (a.) To send all Government emigrants from England to New Zealand in the company's steamships, if the company so desires ; and if the steamships cannot conveniently carry all, then the remainder to be sent by the company's sailing-ships, provided the company is prepared to take them as from time to time required. (&.) To pay passage-money as follows: By steamships, £16 per statute-adult and £9 10s. for children between twelve months and twelve years old ; infants, free. By sailing-ships, as at present, £14 7s. 6d. and £8 7s. 6d. respectively, (c.) To send all Government cargo by the company's steamships or sailing-ships on the same terms as those now in force for Government material, (d.) The details of the arrangement in reference to emigrants to be generally those which have been already arranged between yourselves and the Minister of Immigration, (c.) To pay postage at the rate of Id. per letter. I have, &c, H. P. Murray-Aynsley, Esq., and Pbbd. Whitakee. The Hon. E. Eichardson, C.M.G.

No. 5. The Hon. the Premier to the Agent-General. Agent-General for New Zealand, London. Your June letter to Immigration Department received. Question immigrants, freight, before Parliament. Don't bind beyond existing engagement until further advised. Whitaker, Wellington, July 24.

No. 6. The Agent-General to the Premier. Premier, New Zealand. Your yesterday's, Immigration. Eeady give effect whatever Parliament decides. Bell, London, 25th.

No. 7. Messrs. Levin and Co. to the Hon. the Minister of Immigration. Sir,— Wellington, 25th July, 1883. We have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 20th instant, No. 156, and to state that we have received telegraphic advice from the Shaw-Savill and Albion Company (Limited) to the effect that they are prepared to place three steamers on the service between London and New Zealand, in the event of the Government agreeing to divide the carriage of the emigrants and cargo equally between their line and that of the New Zealand Shipping Company. In such case the Shaw-Savill and Albion Company (Limited) would despatch their first steamer from London in September, and would carry on the service without any subsidy from the Government. We are also to inform you that, as the steam service would relieve the pressure on their sailing vessels, they would undertake to increase this year the number of sailing ships fitted with refrigerating apparatus to eight, thus insuring the thorough development of this trade, which is so material to the prosperity of the country. We have, &c, Levin and Co., Agents for the Shaw-Savill and Albion Company (Limited). The Hon. the Minister of Immigration, Wellington.

No. 8. The New Zealand Shipping Company (Limited) to the Hon. the Premier. Sir,— Wellington, 25th July, 1883. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 23rd instant in reply to our letter to you of the 20th instant on the subject of the direct steam service, wherein you state, after quoting our proposal to the Government to enter into a contract with this company for three years, that "the Government are not prepared to enter into any contract for a term exceeding one year without first inviting public tenders ; but, in consideration of the enterprise shown by your company in establishing a very efficient steam service, the Government, subject to the approval of Parliament, feel justified in granting the company certain exclusive advantages for a limited time, namely, for one year from the Ist November next." I regret that the Government only see their way to accept the proposal contained in our letter of the 20th instant for a period of one year.

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I now beg to accept the offer contained in your letter of the 23rd July above quoted, subject to the conditions expressed in the fourth paragraph of the same. I trust that the Government will bring this matter before Parliament, as proposed by it, and will not offer any opposition to the extension of the term from one to three years should Parliament agree to recommend it. I have, &c, Edward Eichardson, Director, For the New Zealand Shipping Company (Limited). The Hon. the Premier, Wellington.

No. 9. The Hon. the Minister of Immigration to Messrs Levin and Co. Gentlemen, — Government Offices, Wellington, 26th July, 1883. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 25th instant, submitting, on behalf of the Shaw-Savill and Albion Shipping Company (Limited), an offer to start at once a line of direct steamers between London and New Zealand ports. 2. Before that letter was received, the Government had made temporary arrangements for the conveyance of emigrants and cargo from England, which arrangements will, as soon as is possible, be laid before Parliament, so that the whole question may be discussed. 3. The papers on the subject will be at once printed, and copies shall be sent to you without delay. I have, &c, Messrs. Levin and Co, Wellington. Wm. Eoleeston.

No. 10. Messrs. Levin and Co. to the Hon. the Minister of Immigration. Sir,— Wellington, 30th July, 1883. We have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 26th July, informing us that the Government had made temporary arrangements for the conveyance of emigrants and cargo from England, and which will, as soon as possible, be laid before Parliament, so that the whole question may be discussed. We trust that the above arrangement will be such as to permit this company sharing the Government carriage equally with any other company, as apparently you have decided against the suggestion made in our letter of the 19th July that the work should be submitted to competition. In the letter last mentioned we took leave to say that we believed this company would be in a position to carry emigrants and cargo at rates which would bear favourable comparison with those the Government are now paying, or have hitherto paid; and we have now the honour to state that the pioneer steamer of a regular monthly service leaves England in September, and that the company is prepared to contract for one year for the whole or one-half of the Government service by steamers, taking emigrants at 30s. per adult and cargo at ss. per ton less than is paid under the present contract by steamers. This company's service will be so conducted as to meet the wants of the leading ports of the colony, and to give each a fair share of the benefits to be derived from regular steam communication with Great Britain. We should add that this company, while ready and able to undertake the whole of the Government carrying business, seeks no monopoly, and is content to share such business with the New Zealand Shipping Company as heretofore. We venture to ask you to give the above proposal your favourable consideration. We have, &c, Levin and Co., Agents for the Shaw-Savill and Albion Company (Limited). The Hon. the Minister of Immigration, Wellington.

No. 11. The Hon. the Minister of Immigration to Messrs. Levin and Co. Gentlemen, — Wellington, 31st July, 1883. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday's date, stating that you are willing to contract for the conveyance for one year of the whole or one-half of the Government immigrants and cargo. In reply, I have to inform you that your letter will be laid before Parliament with the other correspondence on. the subject. I have, &c, W. Eoeleston, Messrs. Levin and Co., Wellington. Minister of Immigration.

Authority: Gb§kge Didsbuby, Government Printer, Wellington.—lBB3.