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1908. NEW ZEALAND.
OCEAN MAIL-SERVICES (FURTHER PAPERS RELATING TO). [In continuation of Paper F.-6A, presented on the 22nd November, 1907.]
Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of [lis Excellency
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INDEX. San Francisco Service—■ Vancouver Service — Incidents of Pacific Transit, &c Pages 3-8 Contracts Sydney-Vancouver. Page 24 Accounts with Oceanic Steamship Com- Nos. Contract, 1893, with Mr. James Huddart: Nos. pany .. .. .. .. 2,7 Bequest for copy .. .. .. 79 American overland transit : Payment Contract, 1899, with Messrs. Burns, on net weights .. .. .. 1 Philn and Company, Limited, also New Caledonia mails, Accounts for supply of copy .. .. .. 77, 78 carriage of .. .. .. 8, 9, 16, 18 Contract, 1907, with Union Steam Ship Resumption proposed of the J. D. Company : Request for copy .. 80, 81 Spreckels and Brothers Company's service .. .. 3,4,11,12,14 Connection at Fiji, Call at Fanning Resumption reported of the J. D. _ , ' „ _ ° „„ Spreckels and Brothers Company's Island, &C. Pages 25-30 service .. .. .. .. 5, 6, 35 Closer connection at Suva for inward Nos. Ship Subsidy Bill .. .. '.. 10, 13, 15, 17 mails .. .. .. 84, 86,88, 89, 90 Delay to mails through non-tranship-Mails by 'Weir Line. Pages 9-17 ment at Suva .. .. 82,83,85, 87,88 , ~.,.__. , T Panning Island: Call at on southward Australian mails from San Francisco Nos. w abandoning northward call .. 94,97-102 at Auckland, Transhipment of 26, 29, 80, 32-34 36 *; . inward call _ _ 98 _ 102 .., , . , d7 ' w ' : Mails from Vancouver Comparative table showing times from and Honolulu 91-3,95,96 London to New Zealand, via Suez Outward Vancouver mails : Altered time and ma San Francisco ... 47 of sailing of steamer from Auokland.. 111-115 German mails for Samoa forwarded ma San Prancisco .. .. .. 38 _ "«-.....*, -r, „-, .» Gratuities to Union Steam Ship Com- Proposed All-red Route. Pages 31-45 pany for carriage of transhipped mails Auckland Chamber of Commerce : For Nos. to Australia .. .. .. 43 speedier communication between New Guaymas a port of call .. .. 41 Zealand and United Kingdom .. 106, 107 London mails despatched ma San Fran- Great Britain-Ireland: Report on prooisco .. .. .. .. 23,27 posed cross-channel steamers .. 105(1) Outward voyage: Calling at New Zea- London-Blacksod Bay-Canada route .. 103, 105 land port .. .. .. 24,39,41 Map .. .. .. .. 105(2) Speed : Average, &c, of Weir Line Speech by Hon. C. Sifton in Canadian steamers .. .. .. .. 48, 49 Parliament: Subsidy, &c. .. .. 108 Steamer from San Francisco : First .. 19, 20-22, 25 Speech by Lord Strathcona at Royal Second 28 Colonial Institute: Advantages, dis- , Third .. 31 tances, routes, &0.. .. .. 109 Time-table.. .. .. .. 46 Speech by Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward Tonga, Calling at: Last voyage .. 46 in New Zealand Parliament .. 104 Weir Company's offer to American Post Time-table suggested, London to New Office .. .. .. .. 19,45 Zealand and Australia .. .. 103,105(3) Australia-Suez Service— Page 18 j Interprovincial Service — Pages 46-47 No. i Altered time of sailing of steamer from Nos. Orient contract services .. .. 50 Auckland with outward Vancouver mails .. .. .. .. (111-115) nr.m.. .«*_.. a„Av.~*. rt~~~.~~t.i~v. j>.~ Northern Steamship Company: Detain-Welhngton-Sydney Connection, &o illg steamers at onehunga for inward mails .. .. .. .. 110 Nos. Accounts, Settlement of .. .. 52, 53 Direct Service Page 48 Hobart-Blufl steamer: Suggested de- Chamber of Commerce, Wellington for Nos. tention at Hobart for Sydney mails 51, 56-58, 60 , tnirty _ five dava . Bervic e New ZealandMonowai : Breakdown of, Wellington to » « L d J on J .. m m Sydney .. .. .. .. 62-75 — : Keeping cable open continuously.. .. .. 66-68,70,71,75 ToPOLOBAMPO EOUTE— Pages 48-49 Weekly service, Wellington-Sydney .. 54 Wright, Mr. E. Fondi, forwards in- Nos. Wellington-Sydney steamer : Suggested formation : Cost, proposed fortnightly detention at Wellington till arrival service, consumption of fuel, subof express train .. .. .. 55,59,61,76 sidy, &c. .. .. .. .. 118-120
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SAN FRANCISCO SERVICE.
INCIDENTS OF PACIFIC TRANSIT, ETC. No. 1. The Acting Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Washington, to the Hon. the PostmasterGeneral, Wellington. Post Office Department, Office of the Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Division Sir,— of Foreign Mails, Washington, D.C., 31st July, 1907. I have the honour, by direction of the Postmaster-General, to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 10th May last [No. 4,.F.-6a, 1907], in which you suggest—on account of the interruption in the regular mail-service performed by steamers of the Oceanic Steamship Company plying between San Francisco and Auckland—that the transit from San Francisco to New York of the New Zealand closed mails for Great Britain despatched since the Ist March last bo settled for upon the basis of the actual net weights of said mails as furnished in the statements which accompanied the mails. In reply, I am to inform you that your suggestion is acceptable, to this Department, and that the adjustment of the transit charges will be made in accordance therewith. I have, &c, John W. Hollyday, Acting Second Assistant Postmaster-General. The Postmaster-General, Wellington. [Acknowledged .30th September, 1907.] [BJT. I'ayts. 07/80.]
No. 1. The Acting Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Washington, to the Hon. the PostmasterGeneral, Wellington. Post Office Department, Office of the Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Division Sir,— of Foreign Mails, Washington, D.C., 31st July, 1907. I have the honour, by direction of the Postmaster-General, to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 10th May last [No. 4,.F.-6a, 1907], in which you suggest —on account of the interruption in the regular mail-service performed by steamers of the Oceanic Steamship Company plying between San Francisco and Auckland —that the transit from San Francisco to New York of the New Zealand closed mails for Great Britain despatched since the Ist March last bo settled for upon the basis of the actual net weights of said mails as furnished in the statements which accompanied the mails. In reply, I am to inform you that your suggestion is acceptable to this Department, and that the adjustment of the transit charges will be made in accordance therewith. I have, &c., John W. Hollyday, Acting Second Assistant Postmaster-General. The Postmaster-General, Wellington. [Acknowledged 30th September, 1907.] [SJ.. I'ayts. 07/80.]
[For letter of the 11th October, 1907, from the Chamber of Commerce, Auckland, urging acceleration of mail communication between the Dominion and the United Kingdom and Europe, see No. 106.] No. 2. The Agent, Oceanic Steamship Company, Auckland, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir, — Auckland, 27th November, 1907. We are in receipt of the following request from the Oceanic Steamship Company, San Francisco, and will be glad if you will kindly furnish us with the desired information at your convenience. " Mail-money. " In going over the statements furnished by the General Post Office at Wellington in connection with the above items, we find that no allowance appears to have been made for the conveyance from Sydney to Auckland of mails from the United Kingdom, foreign countries, &c, via Suez for the year ending 31st December, 1906, as well as for closed mails from New Zealand for Honolulu, Pago Pago, Apia, and Fiji, the last settlements having been made up to the 31st December, 1905, for £193 18s. 3d., and the 31st March, 1907, for £24 12s. 2d., respectively. By last mail from the colonies we received a copy of the annual report of the Post and Telegraph Department, New Zealand, for the year 1906, in which reference is made to the San Francisco service on page 19. The statement is made therein that the total amount paid at poundage rates to the contractors for the contract year ended November, 1906, was £18,026 13s. 4d. This does not quite agree with the amounts actually paid to this company, which are shown to be £17,976 13s. 4d., as per itemized statement [not received] enclosed herewith showing an apparent discrepancy of £50. Kindly have the account checked up and favour us with a report of same at your earliest convenience. "In connection with the closing of our service, there will also be other amounts accruing to the Oceanic Steamship Company, outstanding for the conveyance of Fiji mails, also for parcels to and from Australia, Samoa, and the United States, and for mails from Sydney to Auckland, via Suez, originating in the United Kingdom, foreign countries, &c, from the Ist January up to the time our service was discontinued. "We would thank you to kindly take up these questions and advise us at your earliest convenience how soon settlements may be expected." I have, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. J. C. Spedding. [B.F. Payte. 07/88.]
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No. 3. The J. D. Spreckels and Brothers Company, San Francisco, to the Hon. the Prime Minister, Wellington. (Telegram.) San Francisco, sth December, 1907. Expect favourable action Congress. Can you indicate possible compensation for us, including Commonwealth contribution, for alternative service with Union ? Five years, each thirteen trips. Cabled Mills.
[S.F. Agr. 08/13.] _______^_____^_^_ No. 4. Mr. J. D. Spreckels, President, Oceanic Steamship Company, San Francisco, to the Hon. the Prime Minister, Wellington. Sir, — San Francisco, Cal., 6th December, 1907. We confirm our cablegram of yesterday, as follows : —[No. 3.] It seems now that the Administration have at last comprehended the importance of necessary legislation for American shipping, and, as you will note from copy of the President's message to Congress, which we enclose herewith [not received], distinct reference is made to the Australasian service. Immediately upon the convening of Congress, a Bill was introduced in the Senate along the lines as recommended by the President, and, from all that we can learn, there will probably be speedy and favourable action taken, in which event the most important of the necessities required for the restoration of our service will have been provided for. We have still to know what support can be obtained from your Government, and have yet the problem before us of dealing with the bondholders for the purpose of effecting a reorganization of the company, and of raising a very considerable sum of money in order to place our steamships in first-class condition, as it would be useless to start the service again unless we are absolutely sure that it can be performed without the difficulties which beset us in the past. About one-quarter of the outstanding bonds of the company are so widely distributed that we will not know until the Ist January who the holders are, at which time they present their interest-coupons for payment. Therefore we are unable to call a meeting and get in communication with all of the interests. We have, however, been preparing specifications for the overhauling of the steamers ; but it would be impossible for us to make a start, even though all went well, much before the Ist July, 1908. In view of the general feeling in New Zealand and Australia that the service should alternate with that of the Union Steam Ship Company—our steamers via San Francisco and the Union steamers via Vancouver —we think that the service when inaugurated should be along those lines. We have already had an expression of opinion from Mr. Mills, in which he favoured the plan, and we have likewise cabled to him, simultaneously with our message to you, asking him to see you in regard to what possible compensation could be provided by your Government, acting in conjunction with the Federal Government. Our preferences would be to deal entirely through you, and to have our own independent contract to perform thirteen voyages at stipulated dates that would provide an alternate service with the Union Steam Ship Company. Of course we understand that it would be impossible for you to reply to our cable in a definite manner. What we mostly seek is an expression from you indicating, if possible, a sum that your Government might be willing to pay. Having an assurance that we will receive liberal treatment from your Government will place us on a better footing when presenting the situation before the bondholders, and requesting them to fall in with our project for reorganization, and provide finances with which to cover our proposed plans for the expenditure of an aggregate of about £250,000. We will advise you by cable message of anything of importance that may occur to change the situation. We have, &c, Oceanic Steamship Company (John D. Spreckels, President). The Hon. the Prime Minister, Wellington. [S.F. Agr. 08/23-25.]
No. 5. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. (Telegram.) Wellington, 13th December, 1907. Newspaper reports Spreckels resuming service by " Sonoma " eleventh February. Is the report true ? [S.F. Agr. 08/6.]
No. 6. The Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) . San Francisco, 13th December, 1907. Spreckels : The report is false. [S.F. Agr. 08/7.]
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No. 7. The Secretary, General • Post Office, Wellington, to the Agent, Oceanic Steamship Company, Auckland. Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, 17th December, 1907. I have the honour to refer to your letter of the 27th ultimo, with respect to the payment of moneys to the Oceanic Steamship Company for the conveyance of San Francisco and other mails, &c, up to the time of the cessation of the service. In reply, I have to inform you, — (1.) The Australian - New Zealand transit account for £126 18s. lOd. for the year 1906 was rendered on the 6th September last and acknowledged by you on the 9th idem. (2.) The account of £38 Os. lid. for the " Sierra's " voyage of the Ist April, 1907, was rendered as follows : (a) £24 14s. 4d. on the 12th April, and (6) the balance of £13 6s. 7d. on the 29th idem. The account of £163 17s. 7d. for the " Sonoma's " voyage of the 18th April last was rendered on the 29th idem. These accounts included all closed mails carried by those steamers. No mails were subsequently forwarded from New Zealand by the vessels of the Oceanic Company. (3.) The total amount paid at poundage rates by this Department to the Oceanic Company for the contract year ended November, 1906, was, as stated in the company's letter to you, £17,976 13s. 4d. The entry of £18,026 13s. 4d. in the departmental annual report was due to a clerical error in this office. (4.) As regards the conveyance of Fijian mails during 1907,1 beg to inform you that when inquiries now in hand about the routes by which certain mails were forwarded are completed, the account will be rendered. And, — • (5.) The parcel-post accounts for 1907 and the Australian - New Zealand transit account for the same year will be made out early in 1908, when the necessary data are available. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. J. C. Spedding, Esq., Post-office Box 462, Auckland. [S.F. Payts. 07/96.]
No. 8. The Agent, Oceanic Steamship Company, Auckland, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir, — Customs Street, Auckland, 18th December, 1907. We enclose herewith extract from letter received by us from Messrs. the Oceanic Steamship Company in reference to mail-money for the San Francisco service. Asking your kind attention to same. We have,\&c, The Australian Mail Line, (J. C. Spedding, Agent). The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. [S.F. Payts. 07/100.] 7
Enclosure in No. 8. Extract from Letter received from The Oceanic Steamship Company. Mail-money. We note that you have collected mail-money due for the period closing the 31st December, 1906, as follows : — £ s. d. Sydney to Auckland, foreign mails via Suez .. .. .. 126 18 10 Australia to Samoa and Hawaiian Islands .. .. .. 32 6 0 Fijian mails .. .. .. .. .. .. 38 18 2 While on the subject permit us to refer to a letter addressed to Messrs. Henderson and Macfarlane, by Mr. W. Gray, Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, under date of the 18th November, 1902 [No. 60, F.-6, 1903], with reference to settlement due this company for the conveyance of mails from New Caledonia. We do not appear to have ever received any remuneration for this service since the Ist January, 1901, unless the weight has been included in the settlements by the New Zealand Government. All mails from Auckland, as you are probably aware, have been carried on a poundage basis during the period from the Ist January, 1901, and up to the close of the service. The amount involved is perhaps trifling, but in order to clear up our records we would like to have an expression as to how the settlements have been made, and, if not, whether we may still expect payment from this quarter.
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No. 9. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Agent, Oceanic Steamship Company, Auckland. Siß,— General Post Office, Wellington, 31st December, 1907. honour jtojfrefer to your letter of the 18th instant, covering one from the Oceanic about payment for the carriage|of mails from New Caledonia by the San Francisco steamers, and to explain that this Department is not concerned, as the matter of the payment is one for direct settlement between the Oceanic Steamship Company and the New Caledonia Post Office. The position is set out in the attached copy of the letters of the 17th September, and 18th November. 1902, from this office to Messrs. Henderson and Macfarlane, Auckland. I have, &c, W. R. Morris, for Secretary. J. C. Spedding, Esq., Post-office Box 462, Auckland. [S.F. Payts. 07/105.]
Enclosure 1 in No. 9. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Agents for New Zealand, Oceanic Steamship Company, Auckland. Sib,— General Post Office, Wellington, 17th September, 1902. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 9th instant on the subject of payment for the carriage of mails from the Australian States, Tasmania, and Fiji by the San Francisco steamers during the period Ist July, 1901, to 30th June, 1902. In reply, I have to invite your attention to my letter of the 22nd July, 1901 [No. 2, F.-6, 1902], in which Messrs. the Spreckels and Brothers Company were advised that from the Ist idem your company would make their own arrangements with the States concerned, including Tasmania, for the conveyance of Australian mails. The New Caledonia Post Office will also make payment to your company direct for the carriage of its mails. My letter of the 11th June last [No. 89, F.-6,1902] intimated that this Department proposed to make payment annually of the amount due to your company for the conveyance of Fijian correspondence, and so soon as a complete year's payments have been received from Suva a statement will be rendered showing the amount payable to the Oceanic Steamship Company. I have, &c, W. Gray, Secretary. Messrs. Henderson and Macfarlane, General Agents for New Zealand for the Oceanic Steamship Company, Auckland.
Enclosure 2 in No. 9. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Agents for New Zealand, Oceanic Steamship Company, Auckland. Gentlemen,— General Post Office, Wellington, 18th November, 1902. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 3rd instant [No. 53, F.-6, 1903], on the subject of the payment Jfor the carriage of mails from New Caledonia by the San Francisco steamers, and, in reply, beg to inform you that, New {Caledonia having settled annual accounts with this Department to the 31st December, 1900, on the basis fixed by the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union, the date of payment to your company by the Administration in question should be as from the Ist January, 1901. This account your company will, of course, have settled directly by New Caledonia As to the carriage of mails for Fiji, claimgjhasjjnow been made by this Department for the June and September quarters of the present year. As soon as payment owing for the full year up to the 30th June, 1902, is received, the amount will be handed over. This should be in a few weeks now. I have, &c, W. Gray. Secretary. Messrs. Henderson and Macfarlane, General Agents for New Zealand for the Oceanic Steamship Company, Auckland.
No. 10. [News Extract, sth February, 1908.] American Mail Subsidies. Proposed Increases. (Telegram.) . New York, 4th February, 1908. The Senate's Committee on Commerce has reported favourably on a Bill introduced with the object of increasing mail subsidies for steamers trading between the United States and the Philippines and Australasia. [S.F. Agr. 08/21 A]
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No. 11. The Hon. the Postmaster-General to J. D. Spreckels and Brothers Company, San Francisco. (Telegram.) Wellington, 6th February, 1908. Your telegram fifth December. Cannot offer subsidy pending test effectiveness proposed service. [S.F. Agr. 08/17.]
No. 12. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to J. D. Spreckels and Brothers Company, San Francisco. Gentlemen, —■ Bth February, 1908. I have the honour, by direction, to acknowledge the receipt of your cable message of the sth December last, which read [No. 3], and to confirm the Postmaster-General's telegram of the 6th instant as follows [No. 11]. In view of this Dominion's experiences, the Minister is not prepared to take any interest in oi responsibility for any|jrenewed service of your company until the condition and effectiveness of the service are proved by the actual running of the steamers. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. Messrs. the J. D. Spreckels and Brothers Company, San Francisco. [S.F. Agr. 08/18.]
No. 13. [News Extract, 26th February, 1908.] Ship Subsidy Bill. (Telegram.) New York, 25th February, 1908. The Ship Subsidy Bill introduced in the United States Senate by Senator Gallinger, authorises the payment of 16s. a mile for the outward voyage to second-class vessels running to Australasia and the Philippines. This is virtually the same rate as is at present applicable to first-class vessels. [S.F. Agr. 08/32.]
No. 14. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the J. D. Spreckels and Brothers Company, San Francisco. Gentlemen, — General Post Office, Wellington, 23rd March, 1908. I have the honour, by direction, to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th December last, quoting and confirming your telegram of the sth idem, asking what subsidy this Government would be prepared to pay in the event of the San Francisco mail-service being resumed under the conditions detailed in your letter. The Postmaster-General's telegram of reply of the 6th ultimo is confirmed in my letter of the Bth idem ; and I amjjjdesired tojjjsay|that after consideration of your letter the Minister sees no reason for varying the decision. The question of a Commonwealth subsidy the Minister, with your company, regards as subordinate to the main question of support by this Dominion, and as not therefore requiring to be discussed at the present time. "No official communication has been received from Sir James Mills on this subject; but any received would not affect the principle of callingjjfor a trial before asking Parliament to vote a subsidy. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. Messrs. the J. D. Spreckelsjjandjjßrothers Company, SamjFrancisco. [S.F. Agr. 08/40.]
No. 15. [News Extract, 15th May, 1908.] American Postal Subvention Bill. Auckland, 14th May, 1908. The Postal Subvention Bill passed a few weeks ago by the United States Senate authorises the Post-master-General to pay to mail-carrying vessels sailing to South America and the Orient on voyages of not less than 4,000 miles, and making from sixteen to twenty knots, $4 a mile outward voyage; and those making from fourteen to sixteen knots $2 a mile. The American papers state that the Bill was passed without division, but that if a division had been called for the " Noes " would not have equalled more than one-fourth of the Senate. The practical effect of the Bill will be to subsidise a line of mail-steamers running from San Francisco and touching at Auckland.: BThe Bill passed the Senate, but on each occasion it has been thrown out by the House of Representatives. It remains to be seen whether it will meet with a similar fate from that Chamber on this occasion. [H. 1.8., p. 310.]
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No. 16. , The Agent, Australian Mail Line, Auckland, to the Chief Postmaster, Auckland. Auckland, 21st May, 1908. g IR Australian Mail Line. We enclose herewith copy of a letter received by us from the Oceanic Steamship Company of San Francisco relating to mail-moneys apparently due on mails carried from New Caledonia. " We shall be pleased if you can give us any information whether this money has been paid or is still to be collected. Asking for an early reply, I have, &c, (For J. C. Spedding, Agent), The Chief Postmaster, Auckland. L. Beedey. [S.F. Payts. 08/31.]
Enclosure in No. 16. The J. D. Spreckels and Brothers Company, San Francisco, to Mr. J. C. Spedding, Auckland. Sir,— San Francisco, 23rd April, 1908. We have before us your esteemed favour of the 21st January, 1908, with reference to correspondence in regard to the mails from New Caledonia, and enclosing a copy of letter received from the Secretary of the Post Office, Dominion of New Zealand, dated 17th September, 1902 [No. 44, F.-6, 1903], in which we note " the Caledonia Post Office would also make payment to your company direct for the carriage of these mails." We regret the necessity which again compels us to take up the question with you, as it does not quite dispose of the matter, and respectfully refer you to our letter of the sth November, 1907, and our statement that we have never received remuneration for this service since the Ist January, 1901, unless the weights have been included in the settlements by the New Zealand Government—all mails from New Zealand having been paid on the poundage basis during the period from the Ist January, 1901, up to the close of the service. It would appear in reading the letter from the Secretary of the Post Office that the weight of the New Caledonia mails was not included in the settlements by the New Zealand Government, and in order that we may clear up our records, we would thank you to kindly take up the matter with the proper official in New Caledonia, so that we may definitely dispose of this account. The amount involved is perhaps a trifling one ; but we would like very much to definitely dispose of the matter. Thanking you in advance for your kind attention|to this|request. Wejjhave, &c, J. D. Spreckels and Brothers Company. Mr. J. C. Spedding, Auckland. [S.F. Payts. 08/30.]
No. 17. {[News Extract, 25th May, 1908.] Subsidised Mails. (Telegram.) New York, 22nd May. A conference of the two Houses at Washington, relating to the Post Office subsidy, accepted the Senate's amendment providing for a subsidy to carry mails to Japan, China, Australia (? Australasia), South America, and the Philippines, vessels of the second-class to be paid at the same rate as those of the first-class. (Telegram.) New York, 23rd May. The United States House of Representatives rejected the mail-subsidy as agreed on by the Conference. [S.F. Mis. 08/48.]
No. 18. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to Mr. J. C. Spedding, Auckland. Sir— General Post Office, Wellington, 12th June, 1908. I have the honour to refer to your letterjjjof the 21st ultimo, covering copy of one from the Oceanic Steamship Company, with respect to payment for thejcarriage of mailsjfrom New Caledonia by the San Francisco steamers. As explained in my letter to you of the 31st December last [No. 9], which covered copies of letters of 17th September [No. 44, F.--6, 1903] and 18th November, 1902 [No. 60, F.-6, 1903], from this office to Messrs. Henderson and Macfarlane, Auckland, this Department is not concerned, as the matter of the payment is one for direct settlement between the Oceanic Steamship Company and the New Caledonia Post Office. It is suggested that you place yourself in communication with the Director of Posts, Noumea. . I have, &c, J. C. Spedding, Esq., Post Office Box 462, Auckland. D. Robertson, Secretary. [S.F. I'ayts. 08/34.J
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MAILS BY WEIR LINE.
No. 19. The Acting Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Washington, to the Hon. the Post-master-General, Wellington. Post Office Department, Office of the Second Assistant Postmaster-General, g IE _ Division of Foreign Mails, Washington, D.C., Ist August, 1907. Referring to this Department's letter of the 26th April last [not printed], relative to the despatch of parcel-post mails for New Zealand during the interruption of the mail-service between San Francisco and Auckland by means of the steamers of the Oceanic Steamship Company, I have the honour by direction of the Postmaster-General, to inform you that the services of the steamers ot the Australian Mail Line scheduled to sail on the 30th of the current month (August), and every twentyeight days thereafter from San Francisco for Auckland and Sydney, have been tendered to this Department for the conveyance of mails for New Zealand and Australia, and that the tender has been accepted, the time occupied in the voyage from San Francisco to Auckland and Sydney being about twenty-fave and thirty-one days respectively. . The first despatch under the new arrangement will be per the steamer Foreric, scheduled to sail on the 30th instant. I have &c, John W. Hollyday, Acting Second Assistant Postmaster-General. The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. CP '°' 07/ " B<3)] [Acknowledged 14th October, 1907.]
No. 20. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. (Telegram.) Wellington, 29th August, 1907. When did " Foreric " leave ? What mails ? [S.F. Agr. 07/154.]
No. 21. The Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) San Francisco > 29tn August, 1907. Will leave for your port 30th August. American mails only. [S.F. Agr. 07/155.1
No. 22. The Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. SIR _ Resident Agency for New Zealand, San Francisco, 30th August, 1907. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your cable of the 29th instant, to which I replied under same date, both of which I beg to confirm. . . , Upon receipt of your cable I communicated with the steamship agents located m this city, and also communicated with the Postal Department here, and ascertained that all American mails would go forward to-day, but no advices had been received indicating that any European mails were coming thl ° in ascertaining the time occupied in the transit of this communication, and shall be pleased if you will kindly inform me of the date of receipt by you. I hear the first vessel is going out with a fair freight-list for a first trip ; and probably from a cargo point of view the line will be a success, but from a mail-service standpoint it may not be a great success. l ' I have, &c, H. Stephenson Smith, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Resident Agent. [S.F. Agr. 07/161.] . '
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No. 23. The Secretary, General Post Office, London, to the Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Sir, — General Post Office, London, 6th September, 1907. The United States Post Office has informed the Postmaster-General that arrangements have been made for a four-weekly service between San Francisco and Auckland and Sydney by the steamships of the Australian Mail Line, commencing on the 30th August. The Postmaster-General proposes to take advantage of the new service for the transmission of correspondence from this country for New Zealand. Mails for Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Wellington, and Wellington (forward), will accordingly be despatched hence on the 14th of this month and on every fourth Saturday thereafter. The mails will be due at Auckland about thirty-eight days after despatch from London. They will contain correspondence which reaches London after the despatch of the mails for New Zealand by the Suez route on the previous evening, in addition to correspondence specially superscribed by the senders for transmission by way of San Francisco. The Postmaster-General will be much obliged if you will be so good as to issue the necessary instructions for the due disposal of the mails. I am, &c, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. E. W. Farnall. [S.F. Agr. 07/163.]
No. 24. The Chief Postmaster, Auckland, to the Inspector of Post-offices, Wellington. (Telegram.) Auckland, 7th September, 1907. American mail via San Francisco : Agents state that the steamers leave Sydney for Sari Francisco direct, not touching at a New Zealand port. They also state that they are in communication with the company with a view of inducing them to make Auckland a port of call on the outward trip to San Francisco. [S.F. Agr. 07/158.]
No. 25. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 14th October, 1907. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 30th August last, notifying that American mails for New Zealand would go forward on that day by the " Foreric," the first vessel of the Australian Mail Line (Messrs. Andrew Weir and Sons) to leave San Francisco for Auckland. In reply, I have to inform you that the " Foreric " arrived at Auckland at 5 p.m. on the 28th ultimo, the Wellington portion of the mails reaching here on the 30th idem. The Washington Office advises that the steamers of the Australian Mail Line have been tendered to the Post Office Department of the United States for the conveyance of mails for New Zealand and Australia, and that the tender has been accepted, the time from San Francisco to Auckland to be about twenty-five days. It is not understood what is meant by " tender "in this case, but it is presumed that only Postal Union transit rates are paid. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. H. Stephenson Smith, Esq., Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. [S.F. Agr. 07/162.]
No. 26. The Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir, — Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, 19th October, 1907. I have the honour to inform you the following is copy of a memorandum dated the 30th ultimo, received at the General Post Office, Sydney, from the Chief Postmaster, Auckland, N.Z., namely : — " American mails for Australian States, totalling 229 bags, were transhipped from the ' Foreric ' to the ' Waikare,' at Auckland, this day. Gratuity payable Sydney." 2. With regard to the statement therein that gratuity is payable at Sydney, I beg to point out to you that this Administration is not liable for the payment of gratuity in connection with the sea transit of such mails. I have, &c, Robt. T. Scott, Secretary. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. [S.F. Payts. 07/84.]
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No. 27. The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington, to the Secretary, General Post Office, London. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 23rd October, 1907. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th ultimo, notifying that your office had arranged to take advantage of the steamships of the Australian Mail Line running between San Francisco and Auckland for the transmission of correspondence from the United Kingdom for New Zealand. Also, that the mails, which would be forwarded from your office on the 14th September, and on every fourth Saturday thereafter, would contain correspondence which reached London after the despatch of the mails for New Zealand by the Suez route on the previous evening, in addition to correspondence specially superscribed by the senders for transmission by way of San Francisco. . In reply, I have to inform you that the necessary instructions for the due disposal of the mails have been issued to New Zealand offices. I have, &c, D. Robertson, The Secretary, General Post Office, London. For the Postmaster-General. [S.F. Agr. 07/169.]
No. 28. The Chief Postmaster, Auckland, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Auckland, 28th October, 1907. The " Yeddo " left San Francisco at 4.50 p.m. on September 27th, and arrived Auckland at 4.25 p.m. on October 27th, her actual steaming-time being 29 days 18 hours 1 minute 16 seconds. She experienced generally fine weather with exception of three days when strong head winds and seas were encountered. [Note. —This was the second steamer of the Weir line.] [S.F. Agr. 07/171.]
No. 29. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 7th November, 1907. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 19th ultimo, intimating that your Administration was not liable for the payment of gratuities on American mails ex " Foreric," transhipped at Auckland on the 30th September last. As you are aware, under the Postal Union Convention, the United States Post Office is responsible for the transit cost of its mails to their destination. The mails referred to were transhipped at Auckland to accelerate their despatch. It is an open question whether the United States Post Office would recognise any claim made in respect of such transhipment ; but in any case it is considered that such a claim should be made by your office, as the matter of the transit cost of mails from the United States to Australia does not concern New Zealand. I should be obliged if you would inform me whether it is desired that m future mails for Australia arriving at Auckland by the steamers from San Francisco should be left on board those vessels instead of being transhipped into faster boats, or steamers sailing earlier. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne. iS.F. Payts. 07/91.]
No. 30. The Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. g m _ Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, 21st November, 1907. With reference to your letter of the 7th instant, relative to the question of payment of gratuities on American mails ex " Foreric," transhipped at Auckland on the 30th September last, I have the honour to inform you the matter in question is one regarding which this Administration cannc accept responsibility, and to suggest that your office communicate with the Washington office m regard thereto * have ' &C- ' Robt. T. Scott, Secretary. The Secretary, General Post 'Office, Wellington, N.Z. [S.F. Payts. 07/90.]
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No. 31. The Chief Postmaster, Auckland, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Auckland, 22nd November, 1907. Steamer " Aeon " from San Francisco arrived in port about 8 a.m. [Note. —This was the third steamer of the Weir line.] [S.F. Agr. 07/190.]
No. 32. The Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Commonwealth of Australia, Postmaster-General's Department, Sir, — General Post Office, Sydney, 3rd December, 1907. With reference to the memorandum, dated the 26th October last (from the Chief Postmaster, Auckland), [not printed], concerning the transhipping of mails from the s.s. " Yeddo " to the s.s. " Mokoia," and the gratuities claimed thereon, I have the honour to inform you that the matter is one regarding which this Department cannot accept responsibility. As suggested in connection with a similar case submitted by you on the 9th October last, you should communicate with the Washington Office about same. I have, &c, E. J. Young, Deputy Postmaster-General. The Secretary, General Post- Office, Wellington, N.Z. [S.F. Payts. 07/98.] _^^^_^^^_____^^^^_
No. 33. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Superintendent of Foreign Mails, Washington. Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, 10th December, 1907. I have the honour to inform you that on the 30th September last United States mails were transhipped at Auckland from the " Foreric " to another vessel for a quicker despatch to Australia. The question of payment of gratuity for the Auckland-Sydney transport, of course, arose, and I applied to the Postmaster-General's Department in Melbourne for payment of the gratuity. I attach copy of my letter of the 7th November, and of that from the Secretary to the Postmaster-General's Department of the 21st November, from which you will learn that this office represented that the question of the liability for payment of the gratuities is one for settlement between that Department and your own, and also that the Postmaster-General's Department repudiates the liability and declines to communicate with you as to a settlement. In these circumstances I write you direct. Undoubtedly the benefit accruing to your mails by the transhipment has earned the gratuity, and I shall be glad to hear that you consent to discharge the obligation without delay. The gratuity, which is not known at this office, is payable to the Union Steam Ship Company (Limited), Dunedin. The total sea distance from San Francisco to Sydney, via Auckland, is 7,205 miles, the Auckland-to-Sydney distance 1,277 miles. I shall be glad to know whether it is desired that future similar transhipments of mail for Australia shall be made when it is certain that time would be gained thereby. I have, &c, W. R. Morris, for Secretary. The Superintendent of Foreign Mails, Post Office Department, Washington, D.C. [S.F. Payts. 07/92.]
No. 34. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Superintendent of Foreign Mails, Washington. Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, 18th December, 1907. I have the honour to refer to the letter from this office of the 10th instant about the transhipment at Auckland on the 30th September last of United States mails from the s.s. " Foreric " to another vessel to secure a quicker despatch to Australia, and to inform you that a transhipment was made at Auckland on the 28th October of mails for Australia received from San Francisco by the s.s. " Yeddo." As in the former case, the question of payment of gratuity for the Auckland-Sydney transport was taken up by this Department; but, as will be seen from the attached copy of letter, dated the 3rd instant, from the Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney, the Australian Administration repudiates any liability, and suggests that the matter be represented to your office. I shall be glad to hear that the payment of the amount due is authorised by you. The gratuity is payable to the Union Steam Ship Company as before. Your reply to my last letter will settle the question of continuing to tranship these mails. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The Superintendent of Foreign Mails, Post Office Department, Washington, D.C. LSJ". Payts. 07/99.] |
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No. 35. The Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir, — Resident Agency for New Zealand, San Francisco, 19th December, 1907. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 14th October last. I note the long trips taken by the two first Weir ships. The record certainly is not reassuring as an outlet for mails, although the cargoes are running extremely heavy. The " Boveric," leaving this week, is claimed to be a faster vessel, so I hope better results will be obtained. As regards a subsidy to this line from the United States, the agents in this city inform me that the report is without any foundation ; they are simply running upon the Postal Union rates. I am in receipt of your cable reading as follows [No. s], to which I cabled you on the 13th [No. 6]. I interviewed Messrs. Spreckels and Co., and they state that there is absolutely no foundation for this report. Nothing has been done in the matter, and they do not expect to do anything in this direction in the near future. I do not think anything can be done with the Spreckels steamers that will be of any benefit, unless new boilers and possibly new machinery are installed, which would be quite an expensive undertaking that the outlook at present does not justify. The only hope would appear to be in the establishment of a fast service via Vancouver until the conditions regarding the United States contribution are in a more satisfactory condition. I have, &c, H. Stephenson Smith, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Resident Agent. [S.F. Agr. 08/10.]
No. 36. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Superintendent of Foreign Mails, Washington. Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, 9th January, 1908. In reference to my letters of the 10th and 18th ultimo, respecting the transhipment at Auckland of United States mails for Australia ex the " Foreric " and " Yeddo " : I have now the honour to inform you that on the 24th ultimo the mails for Australia ex the " Quito " were transferred at Auckland and sent to their destination by way of Wellington. The mails left Wellington for Sydney on the 27th ultimo, while the " Quito " did not leave Auckland until the 28th idem. I have, &c, W. R. Morris, for Secretary. The Superintendent of Foreign Mails, Post Office Department, Washington, D.C. [*.!•'. I'ayts. 08/5.]
No. 37. The Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Washington, to the Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Post Office Department, Office of the Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Division of Sir, — Foreign Mails, Washington, D.C, 31st January, 1908. By direction of the Postmaster-General, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letters of the 10th and 18th ultimo, stating that the mails for Australia, despatched from San Francisco per the steamers " Foreric " and " Yeddo " which arrived at Auckland on the 30th September and the 28th October last, respectively, were transhipped on those dates to vessels of the Union Steam Ship Company for quicker despatch to Sydney ; the distance from Auckland to Sydney being 1,277 miles. You ask this Department to compensate the Union Steam Ship Company for the conveyance of the mails in question from Auckland to Sydney ; and inquire whether it is desired that mails received in future be likewise transhipped, with a view to expedite the delivery of the mails for Australia. It is taken for granted that the delivery of the mails at Sydney was materially expedited by being transhipped at Auckland, although you do not state the number of days gained thereby ; and in that view, this Department is willing to bear the expense involved, at the rate fixed by the Universal Postal Convention of Rome for maritime transits. You state that the distance from Auckland to Sydney is 1,277 miles. Article 4of the Rome Convention provides for a rate of 4 francs per kilogram of letters and post-cards, and 50 centimes per kilogram of other articles, to be paid for maritime transits not exceeding 1,500 nautical miles. I have to request, therefore, that you will compensate the Union Steam Ship Company, at the rates named, for its services in conveying from Auckland to Sydney the mails for Australia despatched from San Francisco by the steamers " Foreric " and " Yeddo " on the 30th August and 27th September last; and claim credit therefor in the general account between the two Departments. The weights of the mails in question, as of record in this Department, are as follows : — Steamer " Foreric " : Letters and post-cards, 289,474 grams ; other articles, 5,295,216 grams. Steamer " Yeddo " : Letters and post-cards, 327,512 grams ; other articles, 6,687,931 grams. I have, &c, J. T. McCleary, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Second Assistant Postmaster-General. [S.F. Payts. 08/10.]
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No. 38. The Secretary of State, Imperial Post Office, Berlin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. [Translation.] Sir,— Imperial Post Office, Berlin, W. 66, 14th February, 1908. It has been arranged between the German Imperial Postal Administration and the Australian Mail Line that the steamers of this company, which run with four-weekly intervals between San Francisco and Australia, on the journey there and back regularly call at Apia (Samoa), conmencing with the journey from San Francisco on the 13th March. Since better opportunity of conveyance offers itself, via New York - San Francisco, from Germany to Samoa than via Suez-Sydney-Auckland, the mails hitherto despatched via Brindisi by ships of the P. and 0. Company, and via Naples by ships of the Orient Royal Mail Line, and of the North German Lloyd by the railway travelling post-offices Munich-Kufstein, Frankfurt-Karlsruhe-Basel, and Frankfurt-Strassburg-Basel, for Apia, have been abolished. Be good enough to inform those of your offices that were concerned in the transmission. By order of the Secretary of State. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. [P.O. 08/1456.] [Acknowledged 15th April, 1908.]
No. 39. [Newt extract, 24th February, 1908.] The Frisco Service. Auckland Port of Call on Return Trip. Auckland, 24th February, 1908. For some time past the management of the present San Francisco direct service have been considering the question of making a New Zealand port of call on the route Sydney to San Francisco, as well as from the California port westward. It has now been decided to call at Auckland and Apia on the return trips, the s.s. " Foreric " being the pioneer steamer to load here, leaving Auckland on or about the 21st March. In this way New Zealand shippers will not only be able to ship direct, but they will also be able to avail themselves of the service for cargo to Apia, and also to Tonga, should sufficient inducement offer. On the trip from San Francisco to Auckland the steamers will make Apia and Tonga ports of call, and the management feel confident that their steamers, which all fly the British flag, will, with the revision of the time-table, become of much greater service to oversea and island merchants. [P.O. 08/228.]
No. 40. The Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Washington, to the Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Post Office Department, Office of the Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Division of Sir,— Foreign Mails, Washington, D.C, 27th February, 1908. By direction of the Postmaster-General, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 9th ultimo, in which you state that the mails for Australia despatched (November 23, 1907) from San Francisco per the steamer " Quito " were transferred at Auckland and conveyed to Sydney by another steamer. In reply, you are referred to this Department's reply, under date of the 31st ultimo, and to your letters of the 10th and 18th December last; and requested to compensate the steamer for the conveyance from Auckland to Sydney in the manner indicated in said reply, in connection with the mails transferrred from the steamers " Foreric " and " Yeddo." The weights of the mails despatched per the " Quito " were—letters, 372,193 grams ; other articles, 7,230,257 grams. In view of the increased cost involved in the transhipment at Auckland, attention is invited to this Department's request that the mails for Australia be not transhipped at Auckland unless their delivery will thereby be materially expedited. I have, &c, J. T. McCleary, Second Assistant Postmaster-General. The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. [S.F. Payts. 08/25 .]
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No. 41. The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington, to the Hon. the Postmaster-General, Washington. (Telegram.) Wellington, 26th March, 1908. " Foreric " from Auckland to-day carries mails to Guaymas. Assume you will arrange transportation to United States. [Note. —This is the first occasion on which steamers of the Weir line called at Auckland on the voyage to San Francisco.] [P.O. 08/456 (3).]
No. 42. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Washington. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, Bth April, 1908. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 31st January last with respect to the transhipment at Auckland of United States mails for Australia from the " Foreric " and " Yeddo " respectively on the 30th September and 28th October last. In reply, I have to inform you that the delivery of the mails at Sydney was materially expedited by their transhipment at Auckland. On the authority conveyed in your letter, credit is being taken in the general account with your Department for the sum of £120 7s. 3d., which will be paid to the Union Steam Ship Company for its-service. According to this Department's reading of Article IV, section 3, last paragraph, of the Rome Convention, as the mails had already been conveyed from San Francisco to Auckland, the long-sea distance rate of 8 francs per kilogram for letters and post-cards, and 1 franc per kilogram for other articles, should be applied for the entire sea transit of the mails. The proportionate amount therefore due the Union Steam Ship Company for the Auckland-Sydney conveyance is at the rate of 1 franc 42 centimes per kilogram for letters and post-cards and 18 centimes per kilogram for other articles. Were the rate quoted by you adopted—viz., 4 francs per kilogram for letters and post-cards and 50 centimes per kilogram for other articles—the amount payable to the Union Steam Ship Company would be £335 13s. lid. instead of £120 7s. 3d. It is considered, however, that Article IV, paragraph 3, section 26, of the Rome Convention referring to maritime transits not exceeding 1,500 nautical miles performed by the same line of vessels does not apply to the present case, seeing that the transit was performed by vessels of two different lines—viz., the Weir Line and the Union Steam Ship Company. It is assumed that you desire that such transhipments shall continue to be made when the transmission of the mails will be materially expedited thereby. I should therefore be glad if you would arrange for the necessary weight-statements to be sent to this office for each mail, so that claim may be made in due course for the Auckland-Sydney or Wellington-Sydney transit, as the case may be. The statements are required in respect of the mails indicated on the attached sheet. As explained in my letter of the 9th January last, the " Quito's " mail had to be sent to Australia by way of Auckland and Wellington. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Division of Foreign Mails, Post Office Department, Washington, D.C. [S.F. Payts. 08/23.]
Enclosure in No. 42. Statement showing Date of Arrival at Auckland and Transhipment of American Mails from San Francisco.
Number of Date of Arrival at Auckland. Name of Steamer. Bags. Hampers. Particulars. Name of Steamer transhipped to Route. 1907. Nov. 22 .. Aeon 286 2 Prom San Pranoiscoand New York London to Sydney Prom San Prancisco and New York London to Sydney 1907. Mokoia, Nov. 25 Direct from Auckland to Sydney. Deo. 24 .. Quito 2 268 i (1.) Takapuna, Dec. 25 (2.) Marama (at Wellington), Deo. 27 1908. Zcalandia, Jan 13 (1.) Via Wellington. (2.) Wellington to Sydney. 1908. Jan 12 .. 4 Boveric .. 301 3 Prom San Prancisco and New York London to Sydney To Noumea Prom San Prancisco and New York Prom London To Noumea Prom San Prancisco and New York Prom London to Sydney To Noumea. Direct from Auckland to Sydney. Feb. 17 .. Foreric .. 2 2 270 4 Mokoia, Feb. 17 Direct from Auckland to Sydney. Mar. 9 .. Yeddo .. 2 2 282 i Zealandia, Maroh 9 Direct from Auckland to Sydney. 2 2 [S.F. y-ts. 08, 28'
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f No. 43. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. g IR _ General Post Office, Wellington, 27th April, 1908. I have the honour to inform you that this Department is in communication with the Washington Post Office respecting payment due to your company for the transport from Auckland or Wellington to Sydney of United States mails transferred from the Weir Line of steamers at Auckland. When the weight-statements are received, and other matters settled, payment will be arranged. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin. [S.F. Payts. 08/26.]
No. 44. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Washington. SIR _ General Post Office, Wellington, 29th April, 1908. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 27th February last authorising payment for the transport from Wellington to Sydney of United States mails for Australia transhipped from the " Quito " at Auckland on the 24th December, 1907. Before paying for the service I await your reply to my letter of the Bth instant, in which I expressed the opinion that under Article IV, section 3, of the Rome Convention, the rate should be 1 franc 42 centimes per kilogram for letters and post-cards, and 18 centimes per kilogram for other articles, instead of 4 francs per kilogram for letters and post-cards, and 50 centimes per kilogram for other articles, the 68 ITote 6 that mafis from your country for Australia are not to be transhipped at Auckland unless their delivery will be materially expedited, and have arranged accordingly. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Washington, D.C. [S.F. Payts. 08/27.]
No. 45. The Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Washington, to the Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Post Office Department, Office of the Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Division of g IR _ Foreign Mails, Washington, D.C, 11th May, 1908. By direction of the Postmaster-General, I have the honour to acknowledge ths receipt of your letter under date of the 24th March [not printed], in which—with reference to this Department's letter of the Ist August last [No. 19]— you ask to be furnished with a copy of the contract between this Department and the Australian Mail Line for the conveyance of mails from the United States to New Zealand and Australia. . . . In reply I have to inform you that no formal contract was entered into for the service in question. The Australian Mail Line tendered its services, and they were accepted; the compensation offered by this Department being 5 francs a kilogram of letters and post-cards, and 50 centimes a kilogram of other articles, calculated on the net weight of the mails conveyed, as ascertained by the Postmaster who makes up a mail. , Since the Ist October, 1907, the rate for the conveyance of letters and post-cards has been 4 trancs per kilogram. l haye > &c -> _ „, „ _ 1 6 J. T. McCleary, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Second Assistant Postmaster-General. [P.O. 07/998(3).]
No. 46. The Chief Postmaster, Auckland, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Minute.) Auckland, 14th May, 1908. The agents for this line of steamers [Australian Mail Line] are unable to supply dates to the end of 1908. The time-table enclosed [dated April, 1908, not printed] is the only information concerning the matter they have in their possession. The " Aeon," which left this port on the 11th instant for San Francisco, is the last of these steamers which will call at Tonga. [S.F. Agr. 08/56.]
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No. 47. General Post Office, 18th May, 1908. Comparative Table showing Dates of Departure of Mails from London via San Francisco and Brindisi. and Dates of Arrival in Wellington.
Mails are despatched from London on the day following the despatch of the Orient (Naples) mail. The comparison, therefore, is with the following P. and 0. (Brindisi) mail. These mails were received via Auckland, and would arrive there approximately two days before arrival in Wellington in each case. [P.O. 08/456.]
No. 48. The Agent, Australian Mail Line, Auckland, to the Chief Postmaster, Auckland. Customs Street, Auckland, 29th May, 1908. Sir, — Australian Mail Line. Will you kindly note that the s.s. " Inveric " will leave this port for San Francisco, via Apia (mail only), on Monday, the Ist June. As all of the vessels at present in the running, with the exception of the " Foreric," have an average sea-speed of 11.6 knots per hour, we are asked by our head office to advise you that the trip up to San Francisco should be done in some twenty-three days at the outside. This should, if the fast overland connection is made, land the mails at a British-point,in, say, thirty-six days. I am, &c., (For|J. C. Spedding, Agent), The Chief Postmaster, Auckland. L. Beedey. [P.O. 08/228(12).]
No. 49. The Chief Postmaster, Auckland, to the Agent, Australian Mail Line, Auckland. Sir, — Chief Post-office, Auckland, 2nd June, 1908. I have to acknowledge your letter of the 29th|ultimo advising that the trip from Auckland to San Francisco should be made in twenty-three days ; but I would like to point out that, as the " Inveric " was some six days and a half from Sydney to Auckland, it appears unlikely she will do the trip from Auckland to San Francisco in twenty-three days. Ini|any case, unless a connection was certain at San Francisco and New York, there would be a large risk of delay to United Kingdom correspondence sent via San Francisco under present arrangements. However, I will forward your letter to my Head Office for consideration. I am, &c, F. D. HOLDSWORTH, J. C. Spedding, Esq., Agent for Australian Mail Line, Auckland. Chief Postmaster. [P.O. 08/228 (12).]
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Mails left London. Route. Mails arrived Wellington. Remarks. 1907. November 9 „ 15 San Francisco Brindisi ... San Francisco Brindisi ... 1907. ... December 25 23 1908. ... January 14 ... ' „ ' 21 :::1 Loss of 2 days via S.F. December 7 . 13 1908. January 4 ■ 10 February 1 7 „ 29 March 6 28 April 3 25 May 1 San Francisco Brindisi ... San Francisco Brindisi ... San Francisco Brindisi "... San Francisco Brindisi ... San Francisco Brindisi ... ... | Februarv 15 „ 18 ... March 10 „ 16 ... April 15 13 ... May 11 ... „ 11 ... June 15 ... „ 8 :::l :::} Gain of 7 days via S.F. Gain of 3 days via S.F. Gain of 6 days via S.F. Loss of 2 days via S.F. Arrived same day. Loss of 7 days via S.F.
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AUSTKALIA-SUEZ SEKVICES.
No. 50. The Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Commonwealth of Australia, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, Sir,— sth December, 1907. I have the honour to forward herewith, for your information, three copies of an agreement [not printed] entered into between the Postmaster-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Orient Steam Navigation Company (Limited), and the Law Guarantee and Trust Society (Limited), for the conveyance of mails between Great Britain and Australia ; also three copies of an agreement [not printed] between the Commonwealth, the Navigation Company (Limited), and the Law Guarantee and Trust Society (Limited), for the interim carriage of Australian mails until the 31st January, 1910. I have, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Robt. T. Scott, Secretary. [Suoz Conn. 07/272.]
WELLINGTON-SYDNEY CONNECTION, ETC.
No. 51. The General Manager, The Australasian T. and G. Mutual Life Assurance Society, Melbourne, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Head Office, the Australasian T. and G. Mutual Life Assurance Society (Limited), Sir,— Melbourne, 9th August, 1907. I have to thank you for your welcome intimation [not printed] of the improved mail-service between Wellington and Sydney. It will be thoroughly appreciated by this society. Perhaps you will allow me to point out that a great improvement could be made at little cost in the mail-service between Melbourne and the Bluff. It sometimes happens that the mail from here, dated Wednesday, is leaving Hobart for the Bluff when the overland train from Launceston to Hobart is in sight of the harbour, with|Melbourne mails dated Thursday. This one day, probably both ways, would no doubt make a considerable difference to the business-people of Melbourne and merchants in the southern end of New Zealand. it********* I have, &c, J. McK. Henry, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. General Manager. [Suez Conn. 07/184.]
No. 52. The Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir, — Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, 9th August, 1907. With reference to your letter of the 18th May, 1906 [No. 146, F.-6, 1907], covering a statement of New Zealand mails despatched by the Orient line of steamers during the year 1905, and by the P. ana O. packets during January of the same year, in respect of which an amount of £567 ss. lOd. was credited by your office to the Commonwealth through Money-order Account in the June quarter, 1906, which amount included a sum of £29 15s. sd. on account of certain mails from New Zealand conveyed by French packets during the dislocation of the Orient service in the early part of 1905, I have the honour to inform you that, in view of Detailed Regulation No. 31 of the Postal Union Convention, France is not entitled to payment in connection with this matter. The sum referred to has therefore been recredited to New Zealand, and I glad if you will kindly cause credit to be claimed therefor through the Money-order Account. I j |. tf j' 1 have, &c. The Secretary, General Post Office,. £J '■ Robt. T. Scott, Secretary. . [Suez Conn. 07/192.] [Acknowledged on the sth September, 1907.]
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No. 53. The Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. g IE _ Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, 9th August, 1907. With reference to your letter of the 18th May, 1906 [No. 146, F.-6, 1907] covering a statement of New Zealand mails despatched by the Orient line of steamers during the year 1905, and by the P. and 0. packets during January of the same year, in respect of which an amount of £507 os. luci. was credited by your office to the Commonwealth through Money-order Account lfi the June quarter, 1906, which amount included a sum of £40 12s. 6d. on account of certain mails from New Zealand conveyed by German packets during the dislocation of the Orient service in the early part of 1905 I have the honour to inform you that, in view of Detailed Regulation No. 31 of the Postal Union Convention, Germany is not entitled to payment in connection with this matter. The sum referred to has therefore been recredited to New Zealand, and I shall be glad if you will kindly cause credit to be claimed therefor through Money-order Account. I have, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Robt. T. Scott, Secretary. [Suez Conn. 07/193.] ~..,"« i i rvAsr n [Acknowledged on the sth September, 1907.] *
No. 54. The Secretary, Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Wellington, to the Hon. the Postmaster-General. S IR ,_ Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Wellington, 16th August, 1907. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 10th instant [not printed] in reference to the arrangement for weekly steamers connecting with the Suez mail via Sydney, and 1 am instructed to convey to you the thanks of the Chamber for securing this useful facility for the mercantile community. „ . ********** [See No. 116.] I have, &c, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. S. Carroll, Secretary. [P.O. 07/1017 (I).J
No. 55. The Secretary, Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Auckland, to the Hon. the Postmaster-General. Sir,— Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Swanson Street, Auckland, 19th August, 1907. Under present arrangements letters from here for the Suez mail have to be posted on Wed-nesday-to catch the steamer leaving Wellington for Sydney on Friday evening. This steamer, we understand, is timed to sail at 6 p.m., some hour and a quarter before the arrival of the mail-tram from New Plymouth, consequently all mails carried by that train lie in Wellington for practically twentyfour hours. I am directed by my Council to inquire if it could not be arranged that the departure ot the steamer from Wellington be delayed to allow of the mails arriving by the Friday's express to be put on board, thereby giving all places between here and Wellington an additional day in which to post their correspondence. . , . a , . . We are informed that the delay would not interfere with the steamers arriving m Sydney in ample time to catch the train for Melbourne. .. j, I have, &c, The Hon. the Postmaster-General,"; A. J. Denniston, Secretary. [Suez Conn. 07/197.]
No. 56. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, T. and G. Mutual Life Assurance Society, Melbourne. g IR _ General Post Office, Wellington, 26th August, 1907. I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 9th instant, suggesting an improvement in the mail-service between Melbourne and Bluff. I am inquiring whether an improvement in the direction indicated by you is practicable, and will let you know the result. . „ J***** * * * * * I have, &c, J. McK. Henry.fEsq., General Manager, T. and G. D. Robertson, Secretary. Mutual Life Assurance Society (Limited), Melbourne. [Sue* Conn. 07/195.]/
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No. 57. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 26th August,|l9o7. I have the honour inform you that Mr. J. McK. Henry, General Manager of the T. and G. Mutual Life Assurance Society (Limited), Melbourne, has written to this office suggesting that an improvement could be made in the mail-service between Melbourne and Bluff. Mr. Henry states that it sometimes happens that Wednesday's mail from Melbourne is leaving Hobart for Bluff when the overland train from Launceston is in sight of the harbour with Thursday's Melbourne mails. I should be obliged if you would inform me whether any improvement in the direction indicated by Mr. Henry is practicable. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin. [Suez Conn. 07/196.J
No. 58. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir, — Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin, 30th August, 1907. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 26th instant, covering the statement made by Mr. J. McK. Henry that it sometimes happens that Wednesday's mail from Melbourne is leaving Hobart for Bluff when the overland train from Launceston is in sight of the harbour with Thursday's Melbourne mails. In order to maintain the Friday sailing from Wellington to Sydney, it is important that our steamers should leave Hobart as early as possible on Fridays to insure clearing the Bluff on Mondays, and the General Manager for Tasmania has special instructions from us to give effect to this, if necessary shutting out cargo which has been booked but cannot be worked in time to permit of the departure of the steamer at an hour which would enable her to rely on catching the tide at the Bluff. On looking up the record of departures from Hobart to the Bluff for a period of three months, the times read as follows :— "Warrimoo" .. May 24, 11a.m. " Maheno" .. July 12, 4 p.m. " Moeraki" .. „ 31, Lp.m. " Monowai" .. „ 26, 11 a.m. "Maheno" .. June .7, noon. "Warrimoo" .. August 2, 11 a.m. "Monowai" .. „ 21,11 a.m. "Moeraki" .. 9, Ip.m. " Warrimoo" „ 28, 5 p.m. " Tarawera" .. „ 16, 3 p.m. " Moeraki " .. July 5, 1 p.m. We would point out that the mail-train from Launceston leaves at 3 p.m. daily, and is time-tabled to arrive in Hobart at 8.33 p.m., and as the above fist shows that the latest departure for the period referred to was made at 5 p.m. (which was exceptional), we are somewhat at a loss to understand Mr! Henry's statement, and presume he is not fully seised of the correct facts of the case. I have, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington D. A. Aiken, for General Manager. [Suez Conn. 07/204.]
No. 59. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. General Post Office, Wellington, 2nd September, 1907. Sir, — Wellington-Sydney Mail-service. The Auckland Chamber of Commerce has represented that it would be a considerable convenience if the steamer left Wellington after the arrival of Friday's mail-train from the north, thus giving all places between Auckland and Wellington an additional day in which to post their correspondence. It would not, of course, be safe to adopt the suggestion in the case of some of the steamers; but I should be glad to know whether it would be practicable to arrange an 8 p.m. sailing on the dates on which vessels of the " Maheno " and " Moeraki " class are scheduled to carry the mails. At the same time, perhaps you could conveniently give me an indication of the class of steamers likely to be employed on the Wellington-Sydney route during the summer months. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin. [Suez Conn. 07/202.]
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No. 60. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, T. and G. Mutual Life Assurance Society, Melbourne. Sir, — '. ' General Post Office, Wellington, sth September, 1907. W]Referring|to my letter of the 26th ultimo, in reply to yours of the 9th idem suggesting an improvement in the mail-service between Melbourne and Bluff I beg to inform you that the matter was brought under the notice of the Union Steam Ship Company, a copy of whose reply I attach hereto for your information. Apparently, can be done at present in the matter. I have, &c, J. McK. Henry, Bsq., l 'General*Manager,':*- D. Robertson, Secretary. T. and G. Mutual Life Assurance Society (Limited), Melbourne. [Suez Conn. 07/213.]
No. 61. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin, 10th September, 1907. Sir, — Wellington-Sydney Mail-service. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your favour of the 2nd instant, advising that the Auckland Chamber of Commerce" has represented that it would be a considerable convenience if the steamer for Sydney left Wellington after the arrival of the Friday mail-train from the north, and asking whether it would be practicable to arrange an 8 p.m. sailing for the faster steamers. While we are anxious to meet the wishes of the Department in every possible way, we beg to point out that an 8 p.m. sailing, even in the case of the faster steamers, would be liable to jeopardize the connection in case of bad weather, and, as the hour of sailing of the slower boats employed in the running could not be extended, the regularity of the service would be impaired. We would suggest for your consideration that it is advisable to adhere to the present hour of sailing—viz., 4 p.m. I have, &c, I). A. * Aiken, for General Manager. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. [Suez Conn. 07/221.]
No. 62. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Dunedin, 11th September, 1907. Sorry to report " Monowai " missed connection yesterday. Our advices sent from Sydney last night were that she had not arrived, and that a heavy was blowing, which apparently accounted for the delay. [Suez Conn. 07/218.]
No. 63. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney. . (Telegram.) lth September, 1907. When did " Monowai " arrive ? What caused delay;? [Suez Conn. 07/219.]
No. 64. The Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Sydney, 11th September, 1907. " Monowai " not yet sighted. [Suez Conn. 07/220.]
No. 65. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Dunedin, 12th September, 1907. As no sign " Monowai " six this fear she must have broken down, and we are therefore making arrangements send out steamers to look for her. [Suez Conn. 07/220.]
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No. 66. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Superintendent, Eastern Extension Telegraph Company, Wakapuaka. (Telegram.) Wellington, 14th September, 1907. As there is much anxiety about "*Monowai," would be obliged if you could arrange to have cable open continuously night and day until news comes. Kindly reply urgent. [Suez Conn. 07/229.J
No. 67. The Superintendent, Eastern Extension Telegraph Company, Wakapuaka, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Wakapuaka, 14th September, 1907. Have arranged to keep open night and day for the present. [Suez Conn. 07/229.]
No. 68. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Officers in Charge, Telegraph Offices, Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Napier, Wakapuaka, Wellington. (Telegram.) Wellington, 14th September, 1907. Your office to remain open continuously night and day until news comes through about " Monowai." LSuez Conn. 07/225.]
No. 69. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, I I Wellington. "(Telegram.) Dunedin, 14th September, 1907. We i are arranging for "Manuka" to route Wellington to look for ," Monowai" ; also "<Warrimoo!t" leaving Lyttelton to-day for Newcastle direct. If does not turn up by Monday will probably arrange " Mokoia " leaving Auckland to Can youjget report re weather, experienced last few days at Norfolk Island [Suez Conn. 07/229.]
No. 70. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Comi ~ pany, Dunedin. 1 (Telegram.) Wellington, 14th September, 1907. We 'are arranging to keep Wakapuaka-Sydney cable and in colony open continuously night and day until some news comes through about " Monowai." [Suez Conn. 07/229.J
No. 71. The Superintendent, Pacific Cable-station, Doubtless Bay, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, (Telegram.) Doubtless Bay, 14th September, 1907. Have advised Union Company, Dunedin, Heavy seas at Norfolk all week, and strong winds from N.W. to S.W. Will arrange to keep open continuously. [Suez Coon. 07/229.]
No. 72. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. (Telegram.) ■ Wellington, 15th September, 1907. Very pleased to hear that " Monowai " reported. LSuez Conn. 07/230.J
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No. 73. [News Extract, 16th September, 1907.] Sydney, 15th September, 1907. The Union Company's steamer " Monowai," which left Wellington, New Zealand, on Friday, 6th September, and has been overdue at Sydney since last here this morning, in tow of the " Mokoia." At 3 o'clock last Tuesday morning the " Monowai " broke her rudder-shaft, and at 4 a.m. on Thursday she was picked up by the " Mokoia " —all well. [Suez Conn. 07/236.]
No. 74. The Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Sydney, 17th September, 1907. " Miowera " arrived eleven-thirty seventeenth. Also " Monowai " mails go by " Mongolia " this day. [Suez Conn. 07/233.1 ______^^_^^__^^^^_
No. 75. The General Manager, Union- Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company, of New Zealand (Limited), Sir,— Dunedin, 17th September, 1907. I have to thank you for the consideration and courtesy extended us in keeping telegraphoffices open during the last few days when we have had the " Monowai" and " Warrimoo "on hand. It was not only a convenience, but a very great advantage, to be able to get our messages through so promptly, and during the night as well as the day. Your officials at all the branches involved were most attentive, and also their work ;| if we could single out those who did most for us, I think the local office and the officers in charge at Cape Farewell should be specially mentioned. I have, &c, C. HOLDSWORTH, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. General Manager. [Suez Conn. 07/238. |
No. 76. The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington, to the Secretary, Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Auckland. Sir,— General Post Offico,tWellington, 30th September, 1907. I have the honour to refer to your letter of the 19th ultimo suggesting that the sailing-time of the steamers leaving Wellington on Fridays for Sydney should be fixed at 8 p.m. to enable the mail from the north by Friday's express train to be despatched. In reply, I beg to inform you that the matter under the notice of the Union Steam Ship Company, asking whether it would be practicable to arrange an 8 p.m. sailing on the dates on which vessels of the " Maheno " and " Moeraki " class were scheduled to carry the mails. I have received an answer to the effect that, while the company is anxious to meet the wishes of the Department in every possible way, it pointed out that an 8 p.m. sailing,*;even in the case of the faster steamers,would be liable to jeopardize the connection in event of bad and that as the hour of sailing of the slower boats employed in the running could extended, the regularity of the service would be all the circumstances, therefore, I think it desirable that the present hour of sailing —namely, 4 p.m.—should be adhered to. I have, j J. G. Ward, Postmaster-General. The Seoretary. Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Auckland. | Acknowledged 11th October, 1907.] [Suez Conn. 07/232.] f i
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VANCOUVER SERVICE.
SYDNEY-VANCOUVER CONTRACT. No. 77. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 30th December, 1907. I have the honour to request that you will, if possible, supply me with two copies each of the contract entered into in 1899 between your Department and Messrs. Burns, Philp, and Co. (Limited), for the conveyance of mails between Sydney and Vancouver, and of the one for the samejservice signed by the Canadian Government in that year. I have, &c, The Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney. W. R. Morris, for Secretary. [Van. Misc. 08/6.]
No. 77. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 30th December, 1907. I have the honour to request that you will, if possible, supply me with two copies each of the contract entered into in 1899 between your Department and Messrs. Burns, Philp, and Co. (Limited), for the conveyance of mails between Sydney and Vancouver, and of the one for the samejservice signed by the Canadian Government in that year. I have, &c, The Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney. W. R. Morris, for Secretary. [Van. Misc. 08/6.]
No. 78. The Deputy Postmaster-General, Sydney, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Commonwealth of Australia, Postmaster-General's Department, Sir, — General Post Office, Sydney, 11th January, 1908. In response to your communication of the 30th ultimo, I have the honour to enclose you herewith two copies of the contract [not printed] entered into in 1899 between this Department and Messrs. Burns, Philp, and Co. (Limited). Not having copies of the one for the same service signed by the Canadian Government I regret not being able to comply with in that particular. I have, &c, E. J. Young, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Deputy Postmaster-General. [Van. Conn. 08/15.]
No. 79. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Deputy Postmaster-General, Ottawa. Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, 31st January, 1908. I have the honour to request that you will, if possible, supply me with two copies of the contract entered into between the Canadian Government and Mr. James Huddart for the conveyance of mails between Sydney and Vancouver for a term of ten years from 1893, and of a the same number of any later contract. I have, &c, The Deputy Postmaster-General, Ottawa. D. Robertson, Secretary. [Van. Conn. 08/18.]
No. 80. The- Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, Ist April, 1908. I have the honour to refer to your letter of the 28th June last [not printed], and shall be glad toTiear that it is now convenient to furnishj'this office withj the copies asked the new contract for the',Vancouver mail-service. | v _ L _j ! pi;l have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne. [Van. Misc. 08/29.]
No. 81. The Secretary, Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir, — Postmaster-General's Department, Melbourne, 13th April, 1908. With reference to your letter of the Ist instant, further respecting your desire to be furnished with copies of the new contract in connection with the Vancouver mail-service, I have the honour to inform you it is regretted office is|not yet position to supply you with of the contract referred to. I have, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Robt. T. Scott, Secretary. . Van. Misc. 08/36.S
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CONNECTION AT FIJI: CALL AT FANNING ISLAND, ETC.
No. 82. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Colonial Postmaster, Suva. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 23rd September, 1907. I have the honour to inform you that the inward Vancouver mails, which arrived at Suva by the " Manuka " on the 2nd instant, and were taken on to Brisbane, did not reach Auckland until the 19th idem. The " Mokoia," which conveyed the mails from Sydney, was due in Auckland on the 15th September, but was delayed on account of having to return to Sydney towing the disabled steamer " Monowai." It appears, however, that had the mails been transhipped to the " Wanaka," which left Suva on the 6th instant, they would have reached Auckland on the 12th idem. It is alleged that the " Wanaka " is not running to a time-table, and this, no doubt, influenced you in sending the mails on to Brisbane. In order that you may be in a position to determine as early as possible the best mode of despatching the transhipped Vancouver mails to New Zealand, perhaps you could see your way to arrange with the local office of the Union Steam Ship Company that it shall furnish you regularly with particulars of the movements of the " Wanaka " and the company's other vessels. I also will write the head office of the company in New Zealand. I should mention that complaint of the delay on the mails under notice was made in the Auckland and Wellington newspapers. I have, &c, The Colonial Postmaster, Suva. D. Robertson, Secretary. [Van. Conn. 07/54.]
No. 83. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. Si R ,_ General Post Office, Wellington, 23rd September, 1907. I have the honour to refer to the very serious delay which occurred to the inward Vancouver mails received at Auckland on the 19th instant, through their being sent forward from Suva to Brisbane instead of direct to Auckland by the " Wanaka." I enclose copy of a letter which I have addressed to the Colonial Postmaster, Suva, on the matter, which explains the situation and probably accounts for the action of the Colonial Postmaster.' Perhaps you will see your way to make the arrangements indicated therein for giving the Colonial Postmaster the best information possible at the latest date possible, to enable him to determine the proper route of the Vancouver mails. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin. [Van. Conn. 07/55.]
No. 84. House of Representatives, 25th September, 1907. 1. Mr. Massey to ask the Postmaster-General, Whether he will expedite matters in connection with the mails from Great Britain to New Zealand via Vancouver, by arranging for a steamer to be at Suva in time to take over the mails upon arrival there, and bring them on to Auckland without delay ? _ Right Hon. Sir J. G. Ward.—There are not at present any mails received from Great Britain via Vancouver unless letters happen to be specially addressed by that route. In view, however, of the importance of the American mails, inquiries are being made whether the Union Company can arrange to make a closer connection from Suva to New Zealand. The outward steamer from New Zealand to Suva connects closely with the outward Vancouver mail. [Van. Conn. 07/53.] _^__^____^_^__^^__
No. 85. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), g IR _ Dunedin, 27th September, 1907. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 23rd instant, and in reply I may state that our Suva manager will be pleased at all times to furnish the Chief Postmaster at that port with the latest information regarding the movements of non-time-table steamers, and we have written by the outgoing mail to the above effect. I have, &c, D. A. Aiken, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. For General Manager. [Van. Conn. 07/57.1
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No. 86. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Com pany, Dunedin. Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, 2nd October, 1907. In reference to a question recently asked in the House of Representatives about a close connection with the Vancouver steamer at Suva, I have the honour to inquire whether it would be possible to arrange a closer connection for the inward Vancouver mail with your company's steamer from Suva to New Zealand, and, if so, what would be the lowest terms asked for such a connection. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin. [Van. Conn. 07/58.]
No. 87. The Colonial Postmaster, General Post Office, Suva, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir, — General Post Office, Suva, 9th October, 1907. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter [No. 82 ] with reference to the New Zealand portion of the Vancouver mails, that arrived at Suva on the Ist ultimo, being carried on to Brisbane by the " Manuka " instead of being transhipped to the " Wanaka " for Auckland direct. 2. In reply, I beg to inform you that when the " Manuka " passed through Suva this Department had no notice whatever, from the agent, of the " Wanaka's " movements, and it was not until the 4th September that the Department was notified of the vessel's sailing for Auckland. I then made it my business to interview the company's manager, and pointed out to him that the mails should have certainly been sent forward by the " Wanaka," and he promised me that he would in future see that this Department received due notice of the movements of the company's irregular steamers. I have, &c, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. H. St. Julian, Colonial Postmaster. [Van. Conn. 07/62.]
No. 88. House of Representatives, 16th October, 1907. 11. Mr. Baume to ask the Postmaster-General, Whether his attention has been directed to the statements made in the subjoined letters, published in the New Zealand Herald of the 28th August, 1907, and the 12th September, 1907 ; and will he endeavour to have the evils complained of removed ? Note : The letters are as follows :— " All-red Route. —Sir, —After all the excitement, agitation, &c, re the above, what do we find —viz., that the present treatment of the Vancouver mail-services is a faree — e.g., the Vancouver steamer reached Suva last month on the 9th ; we received our letters on the 22nd instant. This month the steamer arrived at Suva on the 6th ; we got our letters on the 20th—fourteen days in transit this month and thirteen days last month. Now, in all conscience, why should this be thus when four or five days is the run from Suva here ? Could it not be arranged for one of the Union Steam Ship Company's boats to be at Suva in time to take over the mails and bring them on direct to Auckland, instead of all this delay ? I throw out this suggestion in the hope that the Chamber of Commerce or some one more able than myself will take the matter up. —28th August, 1907. —Mailman." " All-red Route, Vancouver Mail-service.—Sir, —You were good enough to insert a letter from me signed ' Mailman' in your issue of the 28th ultimo upon the above subject. I notice in your issue of this morning (September 6) that the mails from Vancouver and the United States will be due at Auckland from Sydney on the 15th instant, which means the following day before letters are delivered. Now, seeing the Vancouver steamer ' Manuka ' reached Suva on the 2nd instant, and that the ' Atua ' is due here on the 10th, why in the name of conscience were the mails taken on to Sydney, instead of being sent here per ' Atua ' ? Even had this been done, there would be a delay of four or five days, but now it will be thirteen or fourteen days. What is the good of all our agitation in trying to obtain a fast Vancouver service if we are to be treated in this manner ?—l2th September, 1907. — Mailman." Right Hon. Sir J. G. Ward. —Referring to the letter published in the New Zealand Herald of the 28th August, I am making inquiries with a view to seeing whether the Union Company can arrange to make a closer connection from Suva to New Zealand. As regards the September arrival, the " Atua " was time-tabled to leave Suva four days before the arrival of the Vancouver steamer, but a non-time-table steamer, the " Wanaka," left for Auckland four days after the Vancouver mails reached Suva. During the sugar season several vessels of the Union Company do not run to a fixed time-table, and probably the Postmaster at Suva was not aware when the Vancouver steamer of the '2nd September arrived there that a better despatch for the New Zealand mails would offer than that by way of Sydney. In order that the Postmaster, Suva, may in future be in a position to determine as early as possible the best mode of despatching the transhipped Vancouver mails to New Zealand, arrangements have been made for the local office of the Union Steam Ship Company to furnish him regularly with particulars of the movements of the company's vessels. [Van. Conn. 07/80.]
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No. 89. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Sir,— Dunedin, 18th October, 1907. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your favour of the 2nd instant, asking on what terms we could arrange for a closer connection at Suva with the inward Vancouver steamer. I am afraid that this could only be done by means of an extra boat to be employed in this work alone, which would necessitate payment of a subsidy —probably much in excess of the Department's views. At present, as you know, our Fiji steamer leaves Auckland with the outward Vancouver mail to connect direct with the mail-steamer at Suva. She arrives at Suva on Monday, connecting with the outward mail-steamer, which leaves the following day. She then visits the fruit ports to take in her outward cargo, and leaves on the following Thursday on her return trip to Auckland. The inward mail from Vancouver does not arrive until nineteen days after. If, on the other hand, the Fiji steamer made the connection with the mail from Vancouver, she would require to leave Auckland six days earlier than she does now, to connect with the outward mail, which would mean that her outward mails would lie in Suva a week. I need hardly say that we would be only too pleased to study the convenience of the Post Office, and if by consent any change were made in the Canadian and New South Wales connections we would endeavour to arrange so that the inward and outward mail-steamers would arrive and leave Suva at shorter intervals than the present time-table permits. I have, &c, T. W. Whitson, The Secretary, General Post* Office, Wellington. For General Manager. [Van. Conn. 07/07.] _^_^^_
No. 90. The Hon. the Postmaster-General to Mr. F. E. Baume, M.H.R., Wellington. Sir _ General Post Office, Wellington, 31st October, 1907. Referring to my reply to your question in the House of the 16th instant, on the subject of the close connection for the inward Vancouver mail from Suva to Auckland, I have the honour to inform you that a subsidy is at present paid to the Union Steam Ship Company for the Fijian service. This is an old-standing arrangement, and was originally made for trade purposes. It is, however, now regarded as a subsidy for the close connection between Auckland and Suva for the outward Vancouver mail. On inquiry I find that the only means of arranging a close connection inward would be to employ an extra steamer for that work alone. This would necessitate a heavy subsidy, and the close connection would be of value for American mails only. While these are important it is not considered that they are sufficiently so to warrant the expenditure of a large sum of money on a close connection. Correspondence is still proceeding about a fast service direct from New Zealand. I have, &c, J. G. Ward, Postmaster-General. F. E. Baume, Esq., M.H.R., Parliament Buildings, Wellington. [Van. Conn. 07/84.J
No. 91. The Sbobetaby, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Postmaster, Honolulu. S IR _ General Post Office, Wellington, 10th January, 1908. I have the honour to inform you that in future the Auckland office will make up and despatch to your office a closed mail for Fanning Island, for conveyance to destination by the steamers of the Canadian-Australian line. I shall be glad if you will arrange for the mail to be sent on in due course. The Postmaster, Fanning Island, notifies that the last call to be made at the island on the northward voyage will be that of the " Aorangi" on the 2nd proximo, and that, commencing with the, departure of the " Moana " from Vancouver on the 27th March, the steamers will call at Fanning Island every eight weeks on the southward voyage. I have, &c, The Postmaster, Honolulu. W. R. Morris, for Secretary. [O.lt. 1852-08/ I.]
No. 92. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Postmaster, Honolulu. y IR _ General Post Office, Wellington, 12th February, 1908. I have the honour to refer to the letter of the 10th ultimo from this office about the despatch of closed mails for Fanning Island from Auckland to Honolulu, for conveyance to destination by the steamers of the Canadian-Australian Line ; and to say that the Postmaster, Fanning Island, has since represented [not printed] that it would be a decided convenience to the residents if it could be arranged for your office to make up direct mails for the island in place of the correspondence being sent forward on Sydney and Suva as at present. This I assume you were preparing to do ; but in any case, I shall be glad if you can see your way to give effect to the Postmaster's request. I have, cfec, The Postmaster, Honolulu. D- Robertson, Secretary. [O.R. 1852-08/ I.]
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No. 93. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Postmaster, Vancouver. Sir— General Post Office, Wellington, 12th February, 1908. I have the honour to inform you that the Postmaster, Fanning Island, represents that it would be a decided convenience to the residents if it could be arranged for your office to make up direct mails for the island in place of the correspondence being sent forward on Sydney and Suva as at present. The Postmaster recently notified that the last call to be made at Fanning Island on the northward voyage by the steamers of the Canadian-Australian Line would be that of the " Aorangi " on the 2nd instant, and that, commencing with the departure of the " Moana " from Vancouver on the 27th proximo, the steamers would call at the island every eight weeks on the southward voyage. I shall be glad if you can see your way to give effect to the Postmaster's request. I have, &c, The Postmaster, Vancouver, B.C. D. Robertson, Secretary. [O.R. 1862-08/ I.]
No. 94. The Right Hon. the Secretary of State for the Colonies to His Excellency the Governor. My Lord,— Downing Street, 13th March, 1908. I have the honour to transmit to you for the information of your Ministers .... the papers noted in the subjoined schedule on the subject of steamship communication with Fanning Island. I have, &c, The Officer administering the Government of New Zealand. Elgin.
Enclosure 1 in No. 94. The Chairman, Pacific Cable Board, London, to the Under-Secretary of State, Colonial Office, London. Sir, — The Pacific Cable Board, Queen Anne's Chambers, London, S.W., 10th March, 1908. Under an arrangement entered into between the Pacific Cable Board and the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand, as owners of the Canadian-Australian Royal Mail Line, the steamers of the line, since October, 1904, have called at Fanning Island once every eight weeks — i.e., on every alternate run —on the northward voyage from Sydney to Vancouver City. The arrangement was made subject to the approval of the Postal authorities of the Governments interested, and was liable to cancellation after one month's notice by either side. On the 28th December last the Board received notice from the head office of the company in Dunedin, New Zealand, that in future they proposed to call at Fanning Island on the southward voyage, commencing with the s.s. " Moana " leaving Vancouver on the 27th March. The arrangements for the victualling and relief of the Board's establishments at Fanning Island were duly made on the above understanding ; but on the 4th March the Board received notice by cable from its representative in Australia that the Commonwealth Government had objected to change of calls at Fanning Island, while the Union Steam Ship Company state that it is impossible for them to call on northward trip and maintain times stipulated in the contract. The Board's representative has been asked to ascertain from the Commonwealth Government the grounds on which the objection has been taken, but no reply has yet been received, and the subject is one that may require some little time in settlement. It will probably be impossible to get the matter arranged in the ordinary course in time for the sailing of the " Moana " on the 27th instant, and as the cable service will be very seriously inconvenienced if the " Moana " does not call at Fanning on its approaching voyage, the Board finds it necessary to approach His Majesty's Government with the hope that it may be possible to ask the Canadian and Commonwealth Governments, by cable, if the call of the mail-steamers at Fanning Island on the southward voyage may provisionally be sanctioned for the voyages commencing at Vancouver on the 27th March and on the 22nd May next, so as to afford the necessary time for considering the matter. The call at Fanning Island involves about one hundred and fifty-one miles of extra steaming as compared with the direct course. The stay of the steamers at the island is limited to six hours, and usually lasts only two to four hours. The total delay due to the call is therefore only about twelve hours, and, so far as the Board is aware, this small delay on the long voyage between Sydney and Vancouver has been the cause of no inconvenience. It is immaterial to the Board whether the call at Fanning Island is on the northward or southward voyage, but the only practicable alternative to the call of the mail-steamers once in eight weeks would involve the purchase or charter of an auxiliary-screw schooner to ply between Fanning and Honolulu, and from the inquiries that have been made, such a
Date. Date. Description. 1908. [arch 10th .. [archil lth (telegram) From Pacific Cable Board. To Governors-General, Canada and Australia. % [O.R. 1852.]
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service would be not only unsatisfactory, but very costly. Without periodical calls at Fanning Island to relieve the staff and to supply them with fresh provisions, postal communication, &c, it would not be possible for the Board to maintain the station efficiently, or without great hardship to the staff on the island. I am, &c, The Under-Secretary of State, Colonial Office, London, S.W. W. H. Mercer, for Chairman.
Enclosure 2 in No. 94. The Right Hon.. the Secretary of State for the Colonies to Their Excellencies the GovernorsGeneral of Canada and Australia. (Telegram.) London, 11th March, 1908. Pacific Cable Board state that they understand that Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand is experiencing difficulty in obtaining permission to make call at Fanning Island on alternative southward voyages from Vancouver to Sydney under contract with your Government. Board represent that this only convenient means of communication with the island and that any other procedure will involve great cost, while total delay caused could not exceed twelve hours. They ask that permission be given for calls on voyages of steamers leaving Vancouver 27th March and 22nd May in order that matter may be fully considered and, if necessary, other arrangements made. I trust your Ministers will find it possible to give request favourable consideration.
No. 95. The Acting-Postmaster, Vancouver, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir— Post Office, Vancouver, 8.C., 11th March, 1908. I have your letter of the 12th ultimo, and beg to inform you that we have been authorised to make up direct mails for Fanning Island, and forward same, commencing by the steamer " Moana " on the 27th instant, and every second steamer thereafter. I have, &c, Francis E. Harrison, Acting-Postmaster. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. [O.K. 1852-08/I.J
No. 96. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Chief Postmaster, Auckland. (Memorandum.) General Post Office, Wellington, 21st April, 1908. Direct Mails from Vancouver to Fanning Island. The Postmaster at Vancouver, under date of the 11th ultimo, stated that he would forward direct mails to Fanning Island by the steamer " Moana " on the 27th idem, and by every second steamer thereafter. Please note, and inform the Postmaster, Fanning Island. The Chief Postmaster, Auckland. D. Robertson, Secretary. [O.R. 1852-08/ I.]
No. 97. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. (Telegram.) Wellington, 14th May, 1908. Is there at the present time any difficulty subsisting between your company and the Commonwealth Government in the matter of the southward call at Fanning Island ? [O.R. 1852.J
No. 98. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Dunedin, 14th May, 1908. The accelerated time-table Vancouver steamers necessitated our abandoning northward calls Fanning. We offered to let alternate steamers call coming south, provided Pacific Cable Board secured consent of contracting Governments. We have just received cablegram from our Sydney manager intimating consent now given. " Aorangi," leaving Vancouver 22nd May, will call Fanning if Cable Board wish. [O.R. 1852.]
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No. 99.
The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Sir,— Dunedin, 15th May, 1908. I have to confirm receipt of your telegram of yesterday, and despatch of our reply. These calls at Fanning Island are not profitable to the service, the small payment received barely covering the cost of deviation. When the contract time between Brisbane and Vancouver was twentytwo days and a half we found it easier to make the calls going north, but when the time-table was accelerated this year the position of Fanning rendered it more convenient to call coming South. The Commonwealth Government at first declined to sanction the change so we had to leave it to the Pacific Cable Board to get the assent of the contracting Governments otherwise we would have to abandon the calls altogether, which would be a great inconvenience to the Board. Canada assented some time ago, and on Wednesday our Sydney manager cabled to us that he had just received intimation that the Commonwealth Postmaster-General had withdrawn the restrictions which he had previously laid on the southward calls. The arrangement now is that, beginning with the " Aorangi," leaving Vancouver on 22nd current, which will call if the Pacific Cable Board wish it, the calls will be made by alternate steamers from Vancouver. We are now waiting to hear whether the Pacific Cable Board require the " Aorangi "to call, our uncertainty on the point arising from the lateness of notice that she would be at liberty to do so. I have, &c, R. McK. McLennan, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. For General Manager. [ O.R. 1852.]
No. 100! The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Superintendent, Pacific Cable Station, Doubtless Bay. (Telegram.) Wellington, 16th May, 1908. Mr. Holdsworth, of the Union Company, telegraphs that he has just received information from his Sydney manager intimating that the consent of the contracting Governments had been given to the calling of the Vancouver steamer at Fanning Island on the southward voyage, and saying that " Aorangi," leaving Vancouver on the 22nd May, would call if Board wished. Let me know as early as possible whether Board does so wish. [O.R. 1852.]
No. 101. The Superintendent, Pacific Cable Station, Doubtless Hay, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. (Telegram.) Doubtless Bay, 16th May, 1908. Inspecting officer, Sydney, replies that "Mr. Jackson, the Union manager here, informed me on the 12th instant that he was arranging for the ' Aorangi' to call on this voyage, all obstacles having been removed. The Board desires this call to be made, and every second one as before." [O.R. 1852.]
No. 102. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. Sir — General Post Office, Wellington, 18th May, 1908. I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 15th instant on the subject of the calling of your steamers at Fanning Island. I am just in receipt of a telegram from the Superintendent, Pacific Cable Station, Doubtless Bay, informing me that the Board's inspecting officer at Sydney has been informed by your manager there that arrangements were being made for the " Aorangi" to call on the present voyage, all obstacles having been removed. The Pacific Cable Board desires this call to be made, and every alternate steamer to call as before. Further arrangements will, I presume, be made between your company and the Board direct. My inquiry was prompted by a representation from the Pacific Cable Board, which was apparently a circular letter to the partners in the Pacific cable. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin. [ O.R. 1852.]
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THE PROPOSED ALL-RED ROUTE.
No. 103. The High Commissioner to the Hon. the Prime Minister. Sir, — Westminister Chambers, 13 Victoria Street, London, S.W., 21st .June, 1907. I beg to enclose herewith a printed notice relating to an Imperial route from Great Britain to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. The statement appears to have been issued with a special view to benefiting Ireland in connection with such a service. I have, &c, W. P. Reeves. The Hon. the Prime Minister, Wellington. [Van. Conn. 07/46.] - Enclosure in No. 103. The demand for closer relations and improved communications between the distant parts of the British Empire is the question of to-day, and each important step in that direction will be welcomed by all who desire to see the consolidation of Greater Britain Some of those who for years have been considering how the rapidly increasing traffic between Great Britain, Canada, and the oversea colonies can be best developed so as to benefit all have come to the conclusion that this can be effectively attained by the following project, whilst at the same time helping Ireland, across which it is proposed to bring a large amount of both passenger and high-class-goods traffic at present passing from and to Canada through the United States. The proposals embraced in the project are as below :— No. 1.—The establishment of a service between Halifax (Nova Scotia) and Blacksod Bay (on the west coast of Ireland) of a line of first-class steamships capable of crossing the Atlantic in three days and a half, at an average speed of twenty-five knots per hour. No. 2.—The establishment of ferries between the east coast of Ireland and the west coast of Scotland and England by means of steamships so constructed as to be capable of conveying passengers and goods trains entire from port to port without disturbing passengers or unloading trucks. No. 3.—The construction of such railways in Ireland as may be necessary, in conjunction with ■existing lines, to provide for an express passenger service between Blacksod Bay and the east coast at a speed of not less than fifty miles per hour. The railways in Ireland would be constructed on a mixed English and Irish gauge, and would connect with the Midland, Great Western, the Great Southern and Western, the Sligo and Leitrim, and Great Northern Railways. The distance between Blacksod and Halifax is 2,113 miles, and with twenty-five-knot steamers the trip would be made in three days and a half. The distance between Blacksod and London, 551 miles, would be covered in fourteen hours, and between Halifax and Montreal in eighteen to twenty hours, so that mails could be conveyed from the Post Office in London to the Post Office in Montreal in less than 5 days, from London to Chicago in less than 6 days, and London to the Pacific Coast in 9 days. With proper steamers on the Pacific Ocean it would be possible to deliver the mails in Japan in 17 days, to Hong Kong in about 22 days, to Sydney, Australia, in 26 days, and Auckland, New Zealand, in 25 days. The increased importance of the trade with Japan calls for much better postal and transport facilities than are now available, while it is still more important to get in as close touch as possible with Australia and New Zealand. The growing intercourse between Canada and northern Europe, and the increasing emigration to Canada from Belgian, German, and Scandinavian ports, call for improved facilities in this direction. The establishment of an efficient through train service between the ports on the west coast of Scotland and England, and the ports of Newcastle, Hull, Grimsby, and Harwich, which are connected by numerous lines of steamers with the Continental ports, would divert a large portion of the passenger traffic now going by German liners to New York. The shortness of the ocean passage would certainly be a great inducement to all classes of passengers to select this route. It is hardly necessary to point out the advantages to Scotland and the North of England of the establishment of this route. Although there are ports in Canada nearer to Ireland than Halifax, it is thought best to make that the Canadian port, as it can be reached at all seasons of the year without the slightest trouble from ice. The largest vessels can come alongside the wharves at any stage of the tide, and it is the great eastern terminus of the Canadian transcontinental lines. The Intercolonial Railway (the Government line) extends to that port; the Canadian Pacific also reaches it by running a short distance over the Intercolonial; the Grand Trunk Pacific will reach it in the same way ; and the Canadian Northern, the third transcontinental line, will also have similar facilities. These three lines are all seeking to bring settlers into the country ; during this season Canada has been receiving 1,000 settlers per day, but that number is likely to be doubled or even trebled within a very few years, and it is necessary to provide the requisite transportation facilities for them.
- Enclosure in No. 103. The demand for closer relations and improved communications between the distant parts of the British Empire is the question of to-day, and each important step in that direction will be welcomed by all who desire to see the consolidation of Greater Britain Some of those who for years have been considering how the rapidly increasing traffic between Great Britain, Canada, and the oversea colonies can be best developed so as to benefit all have come to the conclusion that this can be effectively attained by the following project, whilst at the same time helping Ireland, across which it is proposed to bring a large amount of both passenger and high-class-goods traffic at present passing from and to Canada through the United States. The proposals embraced in the project are as below : — No. I.—The establishment of a service between Halifax (Nova Scotia) and Blacksod Bay (on the west coast of Ireland) of a line of first-class steamships capable of crossing the Atlantic in three days and a half, at an average speed of twenty-five knots per hour. No. 2.—The establishment of ferries between the east coast of Ireland and the west coast of Scotland and England by means of steamships so constructed as to be capable of conveying passengers and goods trains entire from port to port without disturbing passengers or unloading trucks. No. 3. —The construction of such railways in Ireland as may be necessary, in conjunction with ■existing lines, to provide for an express passenger service between Blacksod Bay and the east coast at a speed of not less than fifty miles per hour. The railways in Ireland would be constructed on a mixed English and Irish gauge, and would connect with the Midland, Great Western, the Great Southern and Western, the Sligo and Leitrim, and Great Northern Railways. The distance between Blacksod and Halifax is 2,113 miles, and with twenty-five-knot steamers the trip would be made in three days and a half. The distance between Blacksod and London, 551 miles, would be covered in fourteen hours, and between Halifax and Montreal in eighteen to twenty hours, so that mails could be conveyed from the Post Office in London to the Post Office in Montreal in less than 5 days, from London to Chicago in less than 6 days, and London to the Pacific Coast in 9 days. With proper steamers on the Pacific Ocean it would be possible to deliver the mails in Japan in 17 days, to Hong Kong in about 22 days, to Sydney, Australia, in 26 days, and Auckland, New Zealand, in 25 days. The increased importance of the trade with Japan calls for much better postal and transport facilities than are now available, while it is still more important to get in as close touch as possible with Australia and New Zealand. The growing intercourse between Canada and northern Europe, and the increasing emigration to Canada from Belgian, German, and Scandinavian ports, call for improved facilities in this direction. The establishment of an efficient through train service between the ports on the west coast of Scotland and England, and the ports of Newcastle, Hull, Grimsby, arid Harwich, which are connected by numerous lines of steamers with the Continental ports, would divert a large portion of the passenger traffic now going by German liners to New York. The shortness of the ocean passage would certainly be a great inducement to all classes of passengers to select this route. It is hardly necessary to point out the advantages to Scotland and the North of England of the establishment of this route. Although there are ports in Canada nearer to Ireland than Halifax, it is thought best to make that the Canadian port, as it can be reached at all seasons of the year without the slightest trouble from ice. The largest vessels can come alongside the wharves at any stage of the tide, and it is the great eastern terminus of the Canadian transcontinental lines. The Intercolonial Railway (the Government line) extends to that port; the Canadian Pacific also reaches it by running a short distance over the Intercolonial; the Grand Trunk Pacific will reach it in the same way ; and the Canadian Northern, the third transcontinental line, will also have similar facilities. These three lines are all seeking to bring settlers into the country ; during this season Canada has been receiving 1,000 settlers per day, but that number is likely to be doubled or even trebled within a very few years, and it is necessary to provide the requisite transportation facilities for them.
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At present a goodly proportion of the passenger-lists of Canadian passenger-steamers is made up of travellers to and from the United States, the route being the shortest. With a proper service of really fast steamers the best class of passengers from the northern and western states of America would be likely to choose a route which would bring them to this country in one to three days less time than would be taken via New York. Great advantages would accrue to Ireland by making it a link in a great through line, by the development of its tourist traffic by the construction of this railway and ferries. These facilities ol intercourse would also introduce English and Canadian enterprise and capital to Ireland to the mutual advantage of each country. The provision of the necessary accommodation at the Irish ports, and the construction ot the railway-connections, would take between two and three years, during which time the necessary steamers can be constructed. . ~ Blacksod Bay is a natural harbour of great capacity, and completely sheltered, haying a wide entrance from the ocean and deep water with good anchorage. The largest steamers will be able to reach the landing-piers at all stages of the tide. The carriage of full trains on ferry-steamers is no experiment, as it has been done successtully for years on more exposed waters than the Irish Channel. The transfer of the trams to and from the steamers takes only a few minutes. In addition to a direct service to the Scotch coast, loaded trucks could also be transferred on ferry-steamers to Heysham, to connect with the Midland system ; to Barrow, Fleetwood, and Liverpool, to connect with the London and North-Western, Lancashire and Yorkshire, and Great Central Railways, as well as between Dublin and Holyhead. A Bill granting the necessary powers for the works required in Ireland is now going through 1 arliament, and negotiations are in progress with the Government of Canada with reference to the subsidy for carriage of mails. All-red Line to New Zealand and Australia. Approximate Time-table. Atlantic Ocean, 25 knots. Pacific Ocean, 18 and 21 knots. Leave London, June Ist, Saturday, 7 p.m. Arrive Blacksod, „ 2nd, 9 a.m.; leave 10 a.m. Halifax, „ sth, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; leave 10 p.m. "„ Vancouver, „ 9th, 10 p.m.; leave midnight. 18 Knot". 21 Knots - Arrive Honolulu, June 15th, 10 a.m. ; leave 4 p.m. Arrive June 14th, 4 p.m.; leave 10 p.m. Suva 21st, midnight; leave 6 a.m., 22nd. „ 20th, 9 a.m.; leave 3 p.m. " Auckland, ',', 24th, 10 p.m.; leave 2 a.m., 25th. „ 22nd, 10 p.m. ; leave 2 a.m., 23rd. Sydney, „ 27th, midnight. . 25th, 2 p.m. London to Sydney, 26 days 5 hours ... 23 days 19 hours. Auckland, 23 days 3 hours 21 days 3 hours. «
No. 104. Ocean Mail Communication between New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Extract from Speech by the Right Hon. Sir J. G. Ward in the Address in Reply in the House of Representatives on the 3rd July, 1907. JUST a few words regarding the position of the Imperial Conference relative to the mail proposals, especially in reference to suggestions that were made by myself. On several occasions on which I spoke in the Old Country, and at the Imperial Conference, I expressed my idea that if the British Government would join hands with Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and give us assistance to put on a line of large steamers, and allow them to make a complete course from the United Kingdom to Canada thence by rail to Vancouver, thence by steamer straight to New Zealand and on to Sydney and Melbourne, and thence through the Suez Canal to England, and then round again, you would have a complete connection between Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. And I believe we could get this for a reasonable sum, which it would pay us and more than pay us to give, for one of the things we now most suffer from is our distance from the Old Country. I believe it would pay New Zealand and the Old Country handsomely to secure such a service. If we want to see the bonds of union strengthened, and to have our condition improved in a practical, common-sense, businesslike way we should do our best to open up such means of communication with the Old Country. And this would certainly give us the very best mail and passenger service. I think the Old Country might very well join in this, and that we should give a reasonable subsidy to bring about such a service. We would secure quick communication with the Old Country. Every fortnight we would have these leviathans of the deep which now never touch our shores at all, coming here ; and, as a matter of tact, the expenditure we might be called upon to make to carry out this scheme would be recovered over and over again by the money it would cause to be expended in the colony by the people who would be brought here and who would spend their money here as the result of being able to come and go in reasonable time Even the least experienced and most prejudiced will realise that this would have an
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immensely stimulating effect upon large numbers of people who are afraid to face the journey, partly on account of the length of time involved and partly owing to the fact that steamers are comparatively small. You can only get over these difficulties by being willing to pay something for the alteration. All I wish to say further now on this matter is that there has been no commitment by me on behalf of the colony to this or any other mail-service, or to anything else. I made it my business to urge a particular course, and also to see that everything was left perfectly clear and open in order that the Parliament of the country should have an opportunity of considering any practical concrete proposal, providing the British Government were able to do what was urged by me at the Conference. That is my position, and it is one that is quite clear and is entirely defensible. I should like to say, regarding the San Francisco service, that it was the fastest service and the cheapest service we had ; but we could not go on attempting to support the service in view of its irregularity and the condition into which it had from various causes fallen. To have done so would have been unfair; and as soon as that was seen, and I recognised that it was impossible to enter into another contract, I authorised its discontinuance as a subsidised line. I saw that it was impossible to run the steamers satisfactorily. It has been urged that we should have an all-red mail-service between New Zealand and England. I fully agree to that. I am sorry that the San Francisco service had to be abandoned, because, although that service did not fly the British flag, it flies the American flag—a cosmopolitan flag representing many millions of an English-speaking community —and though, as a matter of choice, I should infinitely have preferred to see an all-red route with the "British flag flying, especially between this country and the Old Land, I am sensible of the great convenience that the mail and passenger service across the American Continent has been for so many years to the people of this country. Now, one word about the Suez route. We have endeavoured to get the intercolonial steamers to leave the colony on Friday instead of Saturday weekly, in order to give us a mail connection with the Old Country; but any honourable member who has not travelled across the oceans makes a great mistake if he imagines he can go via Suez to London in anything like the time occupied on the other route. Mr. Aitken. —Nobody expects it. The Right Hon. Sir J. G. Ward.—No, perhaps nobody expects it, and there is nothing at present possibly better for us to open up in that way. Mr. Aitken.—What about mails from Sydney ? The Right Hon. Sir J. G. Ward.—Well, I will take another opportunity of acquainting the House with some facts in regard to that question. Only on two occasions, even if we had paid a large sum, could we have got the mails away from Sydney quicker than they were despatched ; and if the honourable member thinks there is any great improvement possible in that direction he is mistaken. This colony, I maintain, ought to aim at bringing itself closer to England and bringing England closer to it if we desire to get some of the benefits of the great tourist traffic that is now going to other lands, where these tourists are spending millions of money. If we could get larger numbers of them to New Zealand it would do a great deal for our business people, for settlers, for workmen, and for the seamen and wharf workers from end to end of the colony. The more money that is spent and left in the colony the better it is for every class in the community. However, I have been negotiating with a view to securing a weekly service via Suez, and I shall be only too glad to refer to it again at the proper time.
No. 105. The High Commissioner to the Hon. the Prime Minister. Si E) -_ Westminster Chambers, 13 Victoria Street, London, S.W., 30th August, 1907. I beg to transmit the undermentioned printed papers relating to the proposed route between the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and to the Blacksod Harbour Syndicate who propose to tender for the establishment of the service as referred to in my cablegrams of the 2nd, Bth, and 30th instant [not printed] : — (1) Imperial Route. Great Britain to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Advisory Committee in favour of Blacksod Bay (Ireland) Route. 29th July, 1907. [Not printed.] (2.) Collooney, Ballina, and Belmullet Railways and Piers Bill, 1907. List of Promoters. [Not printed.] (3 ) Imperial Route. Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. Report on proposed Cross-channel Ferry-steamers by Sir William Henry White, X.C.8., F.R.S. (late Director of Naval Construction, H.M. Royal Navy) to Sir Thomas Troubndge, Bart., 66 Gloucester Gardens, Hyde Park, Lon/lon, W. 19th June, 1907. (4.) Map of Imperial Fast Line to Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand. (5.) Imperial Route. Great Britain to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. I have, &c, Walter Kennaway, The Hon. the Prime Minister, Wellington. For the High Commissioner. [Van. Conn., 07/ 77.]
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Enclosure 1 in No. 105. Imperial Route. —Great Britain to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. Report on Proposed Cross-channel Ferry-steamers, by Sir William Henry White, X.C.8., F.R.S. (late Director of Naval Construction, H.M. Royal Navy) to Sir Thomas Troubridge, Bart., 66 Gloucester Gardens, Hyde Park, London, W. There is undoubtedly a popular belief that the transport of railway-trains across the sea in ferry-steamers involves considerable risk. The length, bulk, and weight of a modern railway-train naturally produce an impression that both the operation of placing it on board a ship and its presence on the deck when the vessel is in a seaway must involve serious risk, and must prejudicially affect the stability and behaviour of a ferry-steamer. This popular view has never found favour with naval architects and civil engineers. They have always been prepared to face and solve all the problems involved in the transport oversea of the largest and heaviest railway-trains. Changes that have been made in the propelling machinery and structural materials of modern steamships during the last forty years have all tended to make the work of constructing swift and efficient ferry-steamers more easy, and the introduction of turbine engines has greatly simplified the task. A first-class passenger train de luxe of modern type, providing accommodation for over four hundred passengers, weighs less than 350 tons, exclusive of the engine and tender, which would not be carried across in the ferry-steamer ; and has a total length of about 650 ft. To accommodate such a train on the deck of a steamer it would be broken up into two parts during transit; but even then the vessel would necessarily be of considerable length and beam. From the point of view of the naval architect it is a very simple matter to deal with the weight named, seeing that it would be distributed over a length of more than 300 ft. and" be carried at a moderate height above water. He is accustomed, especially in warships, to deal with much greater weights carried in a more concentrated form and at much greater heights above water. For example, in a battleship, the armoured stations, the gun-mountings and loading-appliances for a pair of 12 in. guns, the guns themselves, and the armoured shield protecting them, would represent a total weight of over 1,000 tons. This great weight would be concentrated in a length of about 30 ft., and the guns could be carried at a height of 25 ft. to 30 ft. above water. Even after allowance is made for the much greater dimensions of a battleship carrying such an armament, the mere statement of these facts will indicate how much simpler is the problem which has to be faced in carrying the largest and heaviest railway-train in a ferry-steamer. Special precautions must be taken, of course, in connection with the safe oversea transport of railway-trains. Arrangements must be made by means of which the trains shall be rigidly attached to the vessel, and any motion of the wheels prevented when the vessel is rolling or pitching at sea. This requirement has already been dealt with successfully in many existing ferry-steamers. It is also essential that the vessels themselves shall be constructed to serve as floating railway-stations, with platforms, promenades, and retiring-rooms, into which passengers can pass if they so desire|,during sea transit. In regard to appliances for embarking or disembarking trains, careful design is also necessary. Difficulties exist, no doubt, and these vary in different localities ; but they can be readily overcome. The use of hydraulic or electrical power insures great rapidity of movement in embarking and disembarking trains and gives absolute control. On the coast of Great Britain and Ireland, where there is a great rise and fall of tide, arrangements are required which are not necessary in non-tidal waters, because of the varying heights of the fixed land approaches above the deck of a ferry-steamer, at different states of the tide. But the engineer readily provides for all such variations. During the operation of embarking or disembarking trains the steamer must, of course, remain in a practically fixed position in relation to the piers and lifts, and must be placed in a sheltered harbour. In practice, the fulfilment of these conditions presents no insuperable difficulty of an engineering nature, although the choice of the ferry-stations at the terminal ports must be greatly influenced by considerations of the points mentioned. The feasibility and safety of railway-ferry steamers is no longer a matter for debate, the question has been settled by actual experience in various parts of the world. For thirty years past the system has been successfully worked in Denmark, chiefly for the conveyance of goods, but in later years largely for the transport of through passenger-carriages. In 1903 railway ferries were established between Gjedser, in the Island of Zeeland, the steamers making a run of about twenty-seven nautical miles on the open water of the Baltic. This service has been carried out with complete success in all weathers. Two types of ferry-steamers are employed : the first carries an express passenger-train involving a load of about 180 tons ; the second is intended chiefly for goods, and has two lines of rails on the deck, the load exceeding 300 tons. The vessels are 285 ft. in length, and average about thirteen to thirteen and a half knots on service. As there is no tidal variation in the Baltic, the operations of embarking and disembarking trains are much simplified and are performed with great rapidity. From six to twelve minutes suffice between the time trains reach the ferry landing-stage and that at which steamers start on the voyage. The longer time is occupied in embarking the heavier trains. On Lake Michigan, in the United States, railway-ferry boats are also successfully employed on a large scale, making runs of from sixty to a hundred miles across the lake, and facing very severe weather, especially during the winter. Actual observations show that heavier seas are encountered on this service than in cross-channel passages from ports in the United Kingdom. Some of these vessels are 380 ft. in length and about 58 ft. in width. Their machinery is powerful enough to drive them fourteen or fifteen miles an hour ;' but on service they generally work at lower speeds. These steamers have four railway-tracks on the deck, and can carry thirty railway-cars, each 30 ft. to 40 ft. in length. Experience with these vessels has been quite satisfactory in regard to safe and regular communication and economical transport of goods and passengers.
Enclosure 2 in No. 105. IMPERIAL FAST LINE TO CANADA,HONG-KONG, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND.
/ r>' V AUoiM Tl*u/skyy k C V I A I % r h it . t> . UI a § N'fwfonndUnd Wra'.. c *.*WDiAN..( i5s!2iS^ *0 vudivosio&f K~*P ftoe.&~ — T^r-^^ TTots CAicQ ''5! p^ } A 7 o * ?J>Stt 1®£ r r> c o c Oporto* Gibraltar .c ,. S ' Jtoiif Oporio* p -**-y J L — i≤: ftrthhr Wmi Jr»»/S TAT E / VrfAPOOL /e> YOA-Q//AM/1, bhangl Cficwtesiert. , _ , o* Bti'mudas JfaJfOm /S uO7 M<7/Ven'ybrfr<?/7a'Sj/7/ r /-ar/;c/\5C0../O,e3O. IT / A Ph<EHK 1? Vnion If 5Js»rh ">c PCKTK \ AtoriB& 3 \ PACIFIC C E A JV I(V VW«.« «a?r I? /°" fiftLIJ MtfrFAT lCITI ted Fsjberg 3S1 Knots. BUMFRII flw>***4 ttHtst 4 3t*.t,., rrfia/t Mffy » '■•Jl S wu rVMkw.*! t^ *>-\ /t2^ v 39 6 jsssxs— !•••» C?^OONtY *>. ;<uww/j23| 1l\IK»*1 \ b nd,y " distances: i AUSTRALIA V— J/ ">Bto*sod AS//V/te (\ / - -/ • <nf Jrr..^/ •ilv l> L. Mi «^f¥ >X \ 'XT'" av*»: ;q»j i/ntmi ntr/ijt nn, \ -* * Co»k If k M '*,J [*g* \ \ ><7 r-l G/asgov , Stec/csoa 3S6 Af//es \ <o/ M/c*st?ct. 2//3 Hno/s Ptrthy lOvdney ft<j//A?x Quebec 674 M//es \1 //fLfc* » HV/uupegr. . / J , , ISc?/7CC>£SI<'er 3662 10*00*fo Wm/A/CrOM MWZfAS/l,V//. ' r ' mace.fivper/: J69S> , C/d//<?///(?*c?/7G?lfc/7C0t/Y?r.. /3.O3OM//es. st«warti« />r//?ce/?i//?er/:.. r yoAoframa 38eo xnofs ', Si/ej C&/73/. /#,75O „ ytf/rcovi'e/' , , 4335 , Sot///70/77 / o/-o/7<?/7& Cape/ior/7 ./2,//3 , It YoAoftd/ns , S/r<7/7Q>/?<3/ /O30 £0/r/%># So SWMK , ; Honf-/to/?o. /£30 Mat f/0//fex,?/7c/ tencoi/rer. /3,237 At//es Kracot/yer. , Sydney 63/8 , St/ej C<7/?<7/ _.../2,32O , , ,' tW//ny/orr.~MZLl.. C589 ' AUSTRALIA london itr-.rntk triri/XIUtmtK s —1^ 'KlUtn, lBihhj \JtT (\*ii>*-*'T 1 io\ /„ a, t rlt*l .'H 7V/4A UIMw/tM. COl%K Cβ "• fir *' "3/»»^ y \ <^ >*" i^. K», inr*. »Oft **4,r,, f , '£,,r.r\ *O«MnttM 1 "^a-^ , '.--•" Z***.;M 7b pcuge 3S. ISSt-*/oe ~f7l
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On Lake Baikal, in connection with the Siberian Railway, a steam ferry has been for some years in successful operation, and rendered good service during the recent war with Japan. The steamer is 290 ft. long, 57 ft. beam, and of 4,000-horse power. This vessel has three lines of rails laid on the deck, and carries a superstructure which shelters the railway-carriages and contains extensive accommodation for passengers. The length of the run across the lake is forty miles. Very stormy weather has to be faced, and in the winter the vessel acts as her own ice-breaker. These examples might be multiplied, but they will suffice for the present purpose, as they afford complete evidence that there would be no difficulty in establishing a successful railway steam-ferry service between the ports of Stranraer and Lame, provided that the necessary expenditure is incurred. At Stranraer it would be found desirable, no doubt, either to extend the present pier in order to secure a greater depth of water, or to select a locality for the ferry station where deeper water would be available. On the Lame side there is ample depth of water. At both terminal ports it would be necessary to secure proper shelter for the steamers, so that embarkation and disembarkation of trains might proceed with despatch and safety. Into details of this portion of the scheme, however, it would be out of place to enter in this report; they represent no engineering difficulties. In regard to the size and cost of the steamers, it may be stated that the designs must be governed chiefly by the length and weight of the trains considered best suited for the proposed passenger service between London and Blacksod Bay and upon the speed which it is desired to maintain. The use of turbine engines will enable screws of small diameter to be employed, and comparatively limited draught of water to be adopted, because turbines would work at greater rates of revolution as compared with reciprocating engines. As the length of the open-sea passage is very moderate it might be considered sufficient to have a working speed of fifteen to sixteen knots. This is a point on which the promoters of the scheme will no doubt have formed their own opinion. The designers of the vessels will have no difficulty in meeting any reasonable requirement of speed on a comparatively moderate draught of water, and in carrying the maximum load likely to be required. First-cost and working-expenses must, of course, increase rapidly as the speed is raised. Should it be desired to develop a goods traffic as well as a passenger service, it would probably be found advantageous to build vessels specially adapted for carrying luggage-trains. In these it would be possible to dispense with waiting and retiring rooms which would be essential in the proposed passenger-steamers. In this manner greater deck-space would become available for the railway-tracks, more rail-tracks could be provided, and a larger number of trucks could be accommodated. The additional load would present no difficulty. In framing ihe scheme, provision must be made, of course, for a sufficient number of vessels to carry on the full service uninterruptedly, allowing for the fact that at certain periods a steamer must be laid up for overhaul and repair, and to meet contingencies or possible accidents. When a decision has been reached as to the speed and carrying-power required in the steamers, and the maximum draught of water available at the terminal ports has been determined, it will be possible to estimate with close approximation the aggregate first-cost and the working-expenses of the proposed steamers. The nature and cost of the harbour-works and mechanical appliances for handling the trains at the terminal ports can also be ascertained. W. H. White. 19th June, 1907.
Enclosure 2 in No. 105. (See map opposite.)
Enclosure 3 in No. 105. 66 Gloucester Gardens, Hyde Park, London, W., 25th June, 1907. Imperial Route.—Great Britain to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. To the Editor. [Name of newspaper not given.] Your readers, in common with the majority of Canadians, have doubtless been interested in the information which has from time to time during the last few months been published by the Press of Canada in connection with the proposed fast line of steamers between Great Britain and Canada, Canada and Australasian ports on the Pacific, and between Canada, Japan, and China. The attention of the Committee which has been promoting what is known as the Blacksod Bay scheme has repeatedly been called to misleading cable messages sent from Great Britain, either by the Canadian Associated Press or special correspondents, to Canadian newspapers, and it has been thought advisable by them in their own interest, and in that of the people of Canada, to briefly indicate what it is that they propose to do. This cannot be better done than through the medium of the leading Canadian newspapers, and I am therefore addressing this letter to you and other editors, trusting that you and they will consider it of sufficient importance to publish it. A little over a year ago the first steps were taken in connection with this enterprise, the intention of the promoters being to obtain the requisite authority and construct a port at Blacksod Bay on the west coast of Ireland. This bay provides a magnificent natural harbour which has practically been unused, because it is not in touch with the general railway system of Ireland. The proposal involves not only the construction of the port,'but also of nearly one hundred miles of railway. To sanction this, legislative powers have to be obtained, and a Bill which was introduced into Parliament early in the present session has already passed through the House of Commons, and been read a second time in the House of Lords. All opposition to the Bill having been withdrawn, it will now go through as
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an unopposed Bill, and it is anticipated that it will receive the Royal assent by the middle or end of July. The primary object of the promoters is to secure thi shortest possible route from port to port, with a minimum of coastal, river, and channel navigation. In their opinion this can best be obtained by adopting Blacksod Bay on the one side and Halifax on the other. Both these harbours are open to the entrance of the largest vessels at all stages of the tide, so that the ships can enter and berth or leave at any hour. As compared with New York and Liverpool, this facility alone will mean a saving of six to twelve hours, and sometimes even more, each voyage. The approach to both these harbours is also more free from fog than those to New York and Liverpool, and the promoters are satisfied that a line of steamers such as they propose to put on can be operated between Blacksod and Halifax with a regularity equal to that of the connecting transcontinental train between Halifax and Vancouver. With the intended twenty-five-knot steamers, the passage can be made in three and a half days, and mails carried from the chief points in Great Britain to Halifax in exactly four days. To remove any misconception as to the communication between different points in England and Scotland and Blacksod Bay, I may point out that the channel between Ireland and Scotland is only twenty-one miles in width, and offers no difficulties to the conveyance of whole trains across it on large ferry-steamers. Passengers would have no change whatever to make between any of the principal cities of Great Britain and the ship's side at Blacksod, and vice versa. In the same way, the freight traffic can be carried through without breaking bulk. As the journey between Blacksod and the principal centres of Great Britain will take under twelve hours, and to London only slightly longer, little objection can be made to the length of it on this side of the Atlantic, more particularly by those who are accustomed to the long-distance journeys common on your side. The following approximate time-table has been prepared. It can be adhered to without difficulty, excepting under very exceptional circumstances :— Atlantic Ocean .. .. .. .. .. 25 knots. Pacific Ocean .. .. .. .. .. 18 and 21 knots. Leave London, June Ist, Friday, 7 p.m. Arrive Blacksod, ~ 2nd, 9 a.m., leave 10 a.m. ~ Halifax, ~ sth, 6to 9 p.m., „ 10 p.m. ~ Vancouver, „ 9th, 10 p.m., ~ midnight. 18 Knots. Arrive Honolulu, June 15th, 10 a.m., leave 4 p.m. ~ Suva, ~ 21st, midnight, ~ 6 a.m., 22nd. „ Auckland, „ 24th, 10 p.m., , 2 a.m., 25th. „ Sydney, „ 27th, midnight. London to Sydney, 26 days 5 hours. ~ Auckland, 23 days 3 hours. 21 Knots. Arrive Honolulu, June 14th, 4 p.m., leave 10 p.m. ~ Suva, „ 20th, 9 a.m., ~ 3 p.m. „ Auckland, ~ 22nd, 10 p.m., ~ 2 a.m., 23rd. ~ Sydney, ~ 25th, 2 p.m. London to Sydney, 23 days 19 hours. ~ Auckland, 21 days 3 hours. Two rates of speed are estimated on for the Pacific Ocean, because the actual speed of the vessels to be provided has not yet been decided. The question is one to be considered by the four Governments interested, and carefully gone into. The people of Australia and New Zealand are naturally anxious to have the fastest boats that the funds at their disposal will secure, and it is possible that a twenty-one-knot service may be decided on. It must, of course, be understood that these high-speed vessels cannot carry any large amount of cargo ; they will, in fact, be express steamers for passengers, mails, and express freight of a highclass and perishable nature. They will be equipped with the latest refrigerating appliances, and special attention will be paid to the carriage of perishable products. It is difficult to realise the immense saving in time which will take place in the delivery of mails, even as compared with the present service. Letters posted in London on Friday evening will, by these steamers, be delivered in Montreal before noon of the following Wednesday ; whereas, if they went by the New York lines they would, nine times'out of ten, be delivered in Montreal on the following Monday, or, five days later. It rarely happens in the course of a year that the mails are delivered in Montreal on a Saturday. The same will apply in regard to mails going from Canada, which, leaving Montreal on the Friday, will be delivered in London on the Wednesday, instead of Saturday or Monday following as at present. Now, as to the cost to Canada. For ten years or more your Government have been trying, without success, to secure a twenty-knot service, by the offer of a contribution of $750,000 per annum. You are now offered a twenty-five : knot service at possibly no greater cost, although the actual cost of operating such a service must be three times as great as that of a twenty-knot service. Under these circumstances there should be no hesitation on the part of Canadians, whatever part of the Dominion they may hail from, in supporting the Government in granting the necessary aid to secure the establishment of the proposed service.
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Next, as to New Zealand and Australia. The Pacific service is somewhat more complicated. The geographical position of New Zealand and Australia are such that either one or the other must be at a disadvantage in the operation of the line. If New Zealand is the first port of call after leaving Fiji, then Australians have to travel the extra distance and lose a day and a half in getting to Sydney. If Sydney is the first port of call, there is a still greater disadvantage to the people of New Zealand. However, there are compensations, and if, as is advisable, Auckland, New Zealand, be made the first port of call, then Sydney will secure the advantage of being the terminus of the line. The one offsets the other, and it is thought that an agreement will be come to on that basis. As regards the goods traffic of the Pacific boats. There must of necessity be an interchange between Canada and Australasia. No heavy goods can go from Great Britain by this express route, owing to the expense of transhipments and railway carriage. Light goods which can afford to pay the extra charge will use that route, and probably form an important branch of the shipping business. It will be for Canada and Australasia to get together and make the most of the regular and rapid communication established by these steamers. I have no doubt that with the pushing, active spirit of these communities, full advantage will be taken of the facilities thus afforded. As the volume of the passenger traffic on these Pacific steamers must at the outset be limited and take some years to develop, a substantial subsidy will be required. There should, however, be no difficulty as to this in respect that, being divided between four Governments, it will not bear heavily on any one of them. A wrong impression as to the attitude of the British Government towards this enterprise has I understand, been created in Canada by the misleading cable messages to which I have referred. From the first the proposal has received its most careful consideration ; but, with the prudence which generally characterizes the spending Departments of the Home Government, it has been considered right and proper to carefully investigate the scheme and its cost before definitely accepting it. In the discussion at the recent Imperial Conference the colonial representatives pressed the British representatives very closely, and insisted that the provision of improved communication was not so much a question, of cost as a question of policy. They urged that if the service was required, as they contended, it should be provided no matter what it cost, although they saw no reason why the cost should be excessive. The British Government expressed their sympathy with the views of the colonial representatives, and has since lost no time in fully considering the matter. It is understood that it has been already decided to share in the Atlantic service, and that service may now therefore be considered as assured. I have little doubt that, so soon as the requirements of the Pacific service have been ascertained and agreed by the Colonial Governments interested, the British Government will be willing to bear its share in that connection also. There is a feature of the proposal to which I may perhaps refer before closing this letter, and that is, the importance to Canada of the trade with Ireland, Scotland, and the north of England. The Irish are the nearest neighbours of Canada on this side of the Atlantic. There has always been a great bond of sympathy between the two countries, and I believe an earnest desire on the part of Canadians to do all they can to assist their Irish friends. The proposed service can, and doubtless will, do much for Ireland; and, if this improvement can be brought about without injuring, but, on the contrary, benefiting Canada, it is a strong argument in favour of Blacksod Bay, the nearest Irish port to Canada and the connecting railways. It is perhaps unnecessary for me to point out the large trade with Canada now carried on in Scotland and the north of England as distinct from central and southern England, and that in establishing the new service special consideration should be given to these northern districts, which have not, like the southern districts, several lines running from other ports. Moreover, it is well known that the principal passenger traffic with Canada originates in Scotland and the north of England. There is, besides, a large Continental traffic from northern Europe to Canada passing through these districts. I have considered this subject to be of sufficient interest to the people of Canada to make these somewhat lengthy explanations, but it is as well that we should thoroughly understand each other from the outset. Yours truly, Thomas H. C. Troubridge, Bart., Chairman.
No. 106. The President, Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Auckland, to the Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. Sir, — Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Swanson Street, Auckland, 11th October, 1907. At a meeting of the Council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce held yesterday, the vital question of mail communication between this Dominion and the United Kingdom and Europe came up for discussion. It was felt by all present that the means of communication now available are altogether inadequate for the present and growing needs of New Zealand; being too slow, and, to some extent, unreliable. Although mails via Suez and Vancouver or by direct steamer arrive at regular intervals, still the period between despatch and receipt (from thirty-five to forty-four days) entails too great a delay in such an important matter, and in comparison with the San Francisco service at its best, when reliance could be placed upon a twenty-nine-day delivery, the loss of time is of so great importance to business people and the community generally that this Chamber respectfully places its opinion before you as Premier of the Dominion, and stongly urges that your Government takes some early action towards establishing»mail communication on a faster, more satisfactory, and up-to-date basis.
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Having in mind the great interest you have always taken in this subject, your frequent expressions in favour of a rapid and adequate service, and knowing that generally you are devoted to the promotion of anything tending towards the betterment of the commercial conditions of the Dominion, I place this before you as being the desire of the business portion of the inhabitants of our northern city. It is my opinion.that such an important matter should not be allowed to stand aside solely on account of the subsidy question. This factor in the upkeep of a suitable service must always play the most important part, and I think, after the experience of recent months, the opinion of commercial men throughout New Zealand (apart from those of this city) must be that a fast and reliable service should be encouraged, although the required sub.sidy may exceed any hitherto given. The position has now reached such a stage that it is felt something must be done to relieve it, and I therefore forward this opinion and request to you, trusting that with your able and guiding assistance a very early and satisfactory solution will be arrived at. I have, &c, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. N. Alfred Nathan, President. [Van. Conn. 07/65.]
No. 107. jThe Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington, to the President, Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Auckland. Sir,— General Wellington, 24th October, 1907. I have the honour toj the [receipt of your letter of the 11th instant, on the subject of mail communication between this Dominion and the United Kingdom and Europe. In reply, I have to inform you that correspondence between the Governments concerned for a fast service via Vancouver is still proceeding ; but until it is further advanced it is necessary to regard the details as confidential. Your chamber may, however, be assured that I shall not relax my efforts to obtain speedy mail communication between New Zealand and the United Kingdom. I have, &c, J. G. Ward, Postmaster-General. The President, Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Auckland. [Van. Conn. 07/70.]
No. 108. The High Commissioner to the Hon. the Prime Minister. Westminster Chambers, 13 Victoria Street, London, S.W., 3rd April, 1908. Sir, — All-red Route. I beg to enclose herein an article which appeared in to-day's Times from the correspondent of that paper at -Ottawa, giving a report of a speech in the Canadian Parliament on the 20th ultimo by the Honourable Clifford Sifton, relating all-red will doubtless be of considerable interest to you. I have, &c, The Hon. the Prime Minister, Wellington. W. P. Reeves. [Van. Conn. 08/41.]
Enclosure in No. 108. Extract from the Times, London, 3rd April, 1908. One- of the most interesting personalities in the Canadian House of Commons is the Hon. Clifford Sifton, ex-Minister of the Interior, whose name has become familiar to Englishmen through his advocacy of the all-red route. Mr. Sifton retired from the Laurier Ministry in February, 1905, on account of differences of opinion with his colleagues over the education clauses in the Bill creating the new Provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Since that time the member for Brandon has not taken a very active part in the debates of the House. His speech on Friday (20th March), however, is regarded as a new departure in Canadian politics, and has completely overshadowed every other utterance, including even that of the Minister of Finance in the present Budget debate. The part of his speech of most general interest was that devoted to the all-red steamship project. [* Mr. Sifton cited the resolution passed at the Imperial Conference as the basis of the scheme, and interpreted it as meaning that Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia were committed to an improvement in their means of communication as great as reasonable expense would permit. His business, he said, took him to England last autumn, and before going he had had some conversations with the Prime Minister, and it had been arranged that he should do what he could informally to carry out this resolution. He had discussed the matter with Mr. Lloyd-George and Mr. Asquith. These conferences, which could not be reported, were in no way official, and could not be the basis of any engagement. But he had received assurances that " when Canada, Australia, and New Zealand come to Great Britain with a definite proposal, it will receive serious and sympathetic consideration." The definite scheme, which was before the'lmperial Conference, proposed to establish between Great Britain and Canada a steamship service equal to the best on the Atlantic, and of twenty-four-knot speed; across Canada a railway service as fast as possible ; and from Canada to New Zealand and Australia a 9,000-ton steamship line with a speed of eighteen knots. At present mails from Londan to New
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Zealand took thirty-eight days. With such a service the time would be cut down to twenty-four days at most. For Australia there would be no gain of this kind, but she would have the advantage of an alternate route. He admitted that there were difficulties, confined, however, chiefly to the Atlantic. With a twenty-four-knot service, allowing four hours for delay in getting away, he calculated the time from Liverpool to Halifax at four days and 12 hours ; Liverpool to Quebec, via Cape Race, five days 6 hours, as compared with the " Lusitania's " first record-breaking trip of 5 days 18 hours and 46 minutes. There would thus, on the Halifax-Liverpool route, be a gain over New York of a full day and six hours, with less gains by the other route. He assured the House that he had had a definite offer from a reliable steamship company to build a vessel of 20,000 tons, equipped in the same style as the " Lusitania," and with twenty-five-knot speed. This, he said, was an important point, as it would not pay to put a vessel of the size of the " Lusitania " on the Canadian route. There was hostility to the project, but he ascribed it largely to the insurance underwriters. Their objections were to the dangers of the Canadian route from fog and ice. But the reports of the American hydrographic survey showed that the. average fog on the route to Canada was 3J per cent., and on the New York route 8 per cent., the densest fog being just outside of New York. Taking the voyage as a whole, the New York maximum of fog was 16 per cent., and the Canadian maximum 11 per cent. These calculations did not include the Gulf of St. Lawrence, but the Canadian geographer was collating information on this body of water, and from a recent conversation with that official he believed that the fog in the gulf would not be found to total up a large percentage. The opinion in London was that the further north you went the more fog you got, while the contrary was the truth. As to the danger from ice, the captain of the " Empress of Ireland " had given it as his opinion that the only inconvenience was the necessity of taking a somewhat more southerly course from December to May. As the result of a careful examination of the British Board of Trade returns by Mr. White, the Canadian geographer, it had been discovered that the unfavourable insurance statistics were due to the inclusion in the Canadian figures of all wrecks of coasting steamers of 200 tons and upwards, which were not counted in the statistics relating to other countries. Of passenger-steamers, with which alone they were concerned, from 1880 to 1907 there had been only five vessels lost on the Liverpool-Quebec and the Liverpool-Halifax routes. Three of these wrecks were known to have been due to lack of experience or care and two to failure to take proper soundings ; only one in the twenty-seven years might be fairly said to be due to the dangers of the route. The total subsidy which would be required he estimated at £1,000,000. This might be paid as follows : Australia, £75,000 ; New Zealand, £100,000 ; Canada, £325,000 ; Great Britain, £500,000. He thought it might safely be said that New Zealand was willing to give the £100,000. As to Australia it was not so clear what her present position was. Great Britain awaited a definite proposal from the colonies concerned. They might therefore say that it was for the Government and Parliament of Canada to take definite action with a view to securing the co-operation of New Zealand and Australia, and then presenting a definite proposition to the Government of Great Britain. At present Canada paid about £136,000 a year for the CanadianAustralian service. Thus by the proposed distribution she would pay from £180,000 to £190,000 more. The growth of the several countries concerned had now reached a stage which justified their people in concluding that they were entitled to the best service that modern skill and modern science could procure. They were all great, all wealthy, all increasing in prosperity, and had united themselves together in an Imperial organization —because at the Imperial Conference they did unite themselves into an Imperial organization the significance of which it was hardly possible to overestimate, and which was not less significant because it was more or less loose in its character. So far as travel and transportation were concerned Canada was on a side street instead of on the main thoroughfare. What this proposition meant was that Canada should be put upon the thoroughfare. There had been, and there would be, objections of a serious and difficult character to overcome. He had seen statements made, f h instance, by men connected with the Canadian Pacific Railway that indicated some degree of hostility to the project. But companies had been opposed to things in Canada before, and these things had nevertheless come to pass. Thus they could not always look for guidance to the gentlemen who control these great companies. He hoped that if the Governments of the colonies concerned agreed with the Government of Great Britain upon a proper basis, some means could be devised whereby the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Grand Trunk Railway, the Canadian Northern, and the Intercolonial Railway would all join to make the scheme the great success it ought to be, and if they did this he had no doubt that there would be very little difficulty in making it a success. In conclusion he expressed the hope that the Government might feel itself justified at an early date in taking up a decided position in connection with this project.
No. 109. Royal Colonial Institute. The Institute as a body is not responsible either for the statements made or for the opinions expressed by authors of papers, &c. Paper to be read at a meeting of the Royal Colonial Institute, to be held at the Whitehall Rooms, Hotel Metropole, on Tuesday, 7th April, 1908, at 8 p.m., the Right Hon. the Earl of Derby, K.G., G.C.8., G.C.V.0., in the Chair. THE ALL-RED ROUTE. By the Right Hon. Lord Strathcona, G.C.M.G. (High Commissioner for Canada). The Fellows of the Royal Colonial Institute always take a deep interest in matters of Imperial importance—in all questions that are connected with the progress and development of the different parts of our great Empire; and it is for that reason I have ventured to take advantage of a suggestion made to me to read a paper to-night with reference to the " all-red " route.
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By the " all-red" route is meant the British highway between Great Britain, New Zealand, and Australia by way of Canada —along which the objective points shall be entirely in British territory or under British control. The proposition now under consideration is to take advantage of that route, and to provide rapid communication, for mails and passengers, between the Motherland and those dominions beyond the seas, utilising in Canada the transcontinental lines, and, on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, steamers whose speed and accommodation shall be of the best and most up-to-date character. There are no doubt other " all-red " routes between various parts of the Empire ; and the particular one we are to discuss this evening has already been partially developed for Imperial purposes. We recognise the improvement in the Atlantic service to Canada in the last few years, the excellence of the railway facilities across the Dominion, and the fact that there is a regular line of steamers on the Pacific between Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. On the other hand, few will be found to admit that sufficient use is made of the unique opportunities afforded by such a magnificent through route, or that the present services on its Atlantic and Pacific links are in the matter of speed what the countries concerned have a right to expect —when, as we believe is the case, they are prepared to pay for better accommodation in that respect. Let me say at once that I am not actuated in any way by a spirit of antagonism to the existing services between Great Britain and Australia. The services by way of the Suez Canal has been, and must continue to be, of the utmost value to Australasia. There is nothing in the proposed scheme which will affect it to any extent. Neither can it divert the immense freight traffic which passes by that channel, or by way of the Cape. And it is hardly to be expected, with the rapid advance sure to be witnessed in Canada in the near future, that the present steamship lines to the Dominion will be prejudiced. The utilisation of the all-red route, under Imperial recognition, is being suggested with the view of making the utmost use of an available alternative highway to the East, in such a manner as to afford the greatest benefit to the Empire, from commercial, political, and strategical points of view. Can it be otherwise than that all the countries concerned will share in the additional prosperity that must accrue from the proposed improved means of intercommunication ? There is nothing new in the proposal. It has formed the subject of discussion for the last twenty years or more —indeed, it has been before the public ever since the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885. For all that time there has been on the statute-book of the Dominion an Act of Parliament authorising a large subsidy for an improved Atlantic service ; but none has yet been provided of the speed then contemplated. On one or two occasions contracts for such a service have been on the verge of completion, and the financial assistance of the Dominion and Imperial Governments has been conditionally pledged for the purpose, but they never matured. The present service from Vancouver to New Zealand and Australia was organised with the object of forming a link, to be strengthened from time to time, in the chain of through fast communication. That part of the scheme has also hung fire because of the difficulties experienced in other directions. That the matter is still very much in the minds of those responsible for the government of the various parts of the Empire is shown by the discussions which took place at the Imperial Conference last year, when the following resolution was unanimously passed : — " That, in the opinion of this Conference, the interests of the Empire demand that, in so far as practicable, its different portions should be connected by the best possible means of mail communication, travel, and transportation, and that to this end it is advisable that Great Britain should be connected with Canada, and through Canada with Australia and New Zealand, by the best service available within reasonable cost; that for the purpose of carrying the above project into effect such financial support as may be necessary should be contributed by Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand in equitable proportions." The whole question is now being examined by a Committee appointed by the Imperial Government. This Committee has not yet made its report, so that it is impossible to say what its recommendations will be. There is no doubt, however, that the Governments of Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, are committed to the principle of improved communication to the Antipodes by way of the Atlantic, the Canadian railways, and the Pacific ; and that if it is found to be practicable and financially reasonable efforts will be made to bring it into existence. We are not at present concerned with the details of any organization that may be suggested or proposed ; that will be a matter for the countries specially interested, and.we may take it for granted that the position of the existing companies will receive every consideration. Now let us look for a few minutes at the benefits which may be expected from the exploitation on a proper basis of the " all-red " route. If a service can be established to Canada similar in speed to that given to New York by the steamers " Lusitania " and " Mauretania " —which, by the way, owe their existence to a large loan on easy terms, as well as to subsidies from the Imperial Government — nearly two days will be saved in the time now taken to convey mails and passengers to a port in the Dominion. The distance from Liverpool to New York is 3,026 knots, and the time taken by the " Lusitania " and " Mauretania " is, approximately, 5 days 18 hours. From Liverpool to Halifax is 2,439 knots, and on the basis of twenty-four knots per hour the voyage would require 4 days 10 hours. To Quebec the distance is 2,633 knots by way of Belle Isle, and the duration of the voyage at the same rate of speed would be 4 days 20 hours. From Liverpool to Quebec, via Cape Race, is 2,801 knots, and the time would be 5 days 3 hours. The average voyage from Liverpool to Quebec at present by the fastest steamers is in summer under six days and a half, and in winter to Halifax about six days. It will be seen, therefore, that it would be quite within the mark to expect a saving of one and a half days, or indeed rather more, if vessels capable of doing twenty-four knots per hour were plying direct to and from Canada.
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Although, perhaps, it is hardly necessary, it may be repeated that the chances of delay by fog on the northern, or Halifax and Quebec, routes are less than on that to New York. The steamers of the Cunard Company in the early days —indeed, for half the term of its existence —used to call at Halifax on every outward and homeward voyage —a practice which was only discontinued when other competing steamers began to pass direct between Liverpool and New York ; and it was the boast of the company for all that time that they did not lose a passenger —a fact which would seem to show that the route has never been considered a dangerous one. Efforts have been made to create a prejudice against the value of the Gulf and River St. Lawrence route for fast travel. But if vessels of about eighteen knots can, and do, use it with safety, surely that is the best answer to any statement of the kind. From 1880 to 1907—that is, in twenty-seven years—only five passenger-vessels had stranded on the route in question, four of which accidents, it may be mentioned, were adjudged to be due to incompetent and careless navigation. To careful navigators it presents no serious difficulty. It will not be long before there is a channel, 1,000 ft. wide in its narrowest part and 40 ft. deep at the lowest tides, right up to Quebec —the advantages of which are obvious. The question is also under consideration of laying cables between Quebec and Belle Isle on the up and down tracks of steamers, which will enable them, by means of instruments on board, to keep on a certain defined route in the gulf and river, and to be in electrical communication all the time, and thus further decrease the present very slight chances of accidents. Indeed, thanks to the continual provision of additional aids to navigation, the constant employment of wireless telegraphy, and an ever-increasing intimacy with the route, the causes that makes for accidents are, as far as is humanly possible, nearing year by year the irreducible minimum. Lord Brassey stated recently that after much experience of the Gulf of St. Lawrence he fully concurred in the opinion that it had no difficulties which could not be surmounted by proper navigation and such aids as the Canadian Government was supplying, and had supplied ; and, further, that he was convinced that the all-red route would be carried into effect at no distant date. It may be mentioned, by the way, that mails and passengers could also be conveyed by fast steamers on the Canadian route, and reach New York quicker than at present; and it certainly would be a more speedy means of conveyance to all points in the Western United States. So that, in addition to serving Canada and the British dominions in 4 the Pacific, the proposed new service would probably be used for a portion of the American mails, and, at the same time, lead to an increase in the not inconsiderable American passenger traffic which at present passes by the Canadian route. We start, therefore, with a voyage to Canada of from four and a half to five days. The present ordinary time from Montreal to the Pacific by the Canadian Pacific Railway is about four days ; the journey has been done, and will certainly be done as a regular thing before long, in three and a half days or perhaps less. The voyage from Liverpool to Vancouver will thus be a matter of about eight and a half to nine days at the outside, and rather under than over the latter figure. As regards the Pacific portion of the route, the distance from Vancouver to Auckland is 6,330 knots. With boats making the voyage at a speed of only eighteen knots, the time required would be about fifteeen days —excluding stoppages for coal, say at Fanning Island (3,205 miles from Vancouver) and Suva (5,089 miles from Vancouver), for which an allowance of one day might be made—or, say, sixteen days altogether. Allowing for a slight delay at Auckland, or some other New Zealand port, a further three days would be necessary to reach the terminal port, making the time occupied on the Pacific from Vancouver to Sydney (7,429 miles) nineteen days at the most, and with vessels not nearly so fast as are suggested for the Atlantic part of the service. Therefore, taking nine days as the duration of the journey to Vancouver, sixteen days thence to Auckland, and a further three days to Sydney, we have a total of twenty-five days to New Zealand, and twenty-eight days to Australia. By the Eastern route passengers and mails now reach Sydney in thirty to thirty-one days, and New Zealand in thirty-four to thirty-seven days. The saving, therefore, in the case of New Zealand by the all-red route would be some ten days, and to Sydney two days, as compared with the time via the Suez Canal; but it is only fair to state that the times of the latter service will probably be somewhat shorter under the new contract than those fixed by the present agreement. In dealing with the subject from the Australian point of view, it must be remembered that by far the greater portion of the population is found in the eastern part of the continent, and that passengers and mails, in order to reach New Zealand by way of Suez, have to be conveyed along the entire coast-line north or south of Australia, according to the route which may be traversed. These figures in themselves are sufficient justification for an endeavour to open up, and make use of, this important alternative route, apart altogether from the advantages it offers from other points of view. While it will, as already stated, be largely used for passengers and mails, it must tend to make the different parts of the Empire affected by it better known to each other ; and who can doubt that benefits, from the commercial aspect of the case, will follow a more intimate acquaintanceship \ It cannot fail to stimulate a greater interest in the general well-being of the various countries, and to have important results in encouraging emigration and the investment of capital for the development of the resources which they possess. Anything which promotes such expansion must greatly benefit the railways and steamship companies in the dominions beyond the seas, now engaged in the conveyance of products to and from their own markets and to and from the markets of the United Kingdom and to the rest of the world. When we look at the comparatively small populations of Canada, New Zealand, and the different States of Australia, compared with the immense areas of land they possess, only waiting for cultivation to produce food and raw materials of all kinds ; when we remember that they form, with portions of South Africa, the most suitable remaining portions of the earth for the settlement of white people, we are forced to the conclusion that there is a future before the British Empire much greater even than we perhaps dream of to-day. This is, of course, assuming that it always remains under one flag and one
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sovereign," which God grant may be the case ; that our political, commercial, and social relations become closer than they are now, and that we continue to work together for the common good. In a. word, this prospect is before us so long as every son of the Empire, retaining in full his love for the especial part of it to which he belongs, keeps ever in mind his duties and obligations as a partner in the greater heritage handed down to him and his brethren. Let us not lose sight of these facts ; also that people are becoming congested in most of the old countries of the world; and that new outlets must be found for their energies and ambitions. We shall then grasp the necessity of developing the Empire on Imperial lines ; and realise that every available route of communication between its different parts must be utilised and our domestic and commercial relations built up on a sure and solid foundation. There is another point of view. In the Mother-country, from force of circumstances—l will not say that they have been entirely beyond our control—we are largely dependent upon outside sources for much of our food and raw material. Happily, much of these are now produced within the Empire, and this will become more and more the case as time goes on. It is most desirable that the ships in which such necessities are conveyed to us should be, as far as possible, under the British flag. Therefore we must always be on the watch to keep our merchant marine in the supreme position it occupies, and thoroughly up to date. If the best of these ships can be so constructed with a view to conversion into effective armed cruisers in time of need, it will help to assure our position as the predominant maritime power, and, indirectly, add to the strength of the navy. If these considerations are in place with regard to the Atlantic, they apply with tenfold force to the Pacific. Hitherto steam-communication across the Pacific from the American continent to Australasia has been intermittent, irregular, and inferior, as compared with that.across the Atlantic. If we are to take an important position on that ocean no better course can be adopted to that end than the establishing and maintaining of regular lines of fast steamships between Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, and China, Japan, and India. In the future there is sure to be an increasingly large trade in that direction, and the nation which first secures control of it will mainly reap the advantages of the situation. Therefore, from the British standpoint, I look upon the third link in the chain of the all-red route as of the utmost importance and full of potentialities. This alternative route to the East would be useful alsp for the despatch of troops if the necessity ever arises. It should be quicker than by Suez or the Cape, and less liable to danger and interruption ; and, as already suggested, the presence of merchant steamers on the Pacific, capable of being used as armed cruisers, would be a distinct gain to the Empire. It is hardly necessary to dilate on the great attractions of the new route. There is the short voyage across the Atlantic, which, with a good steamer, fine weather, and an interior equal to the occasion, is calculated to give pleasure to the average individual. Then follows the journey through Canada, which can be accomplished in four days, or extended as long as the passenger desires. If he lands at Halifax, days could be spent profitably in exploring the beauties of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. In the summer he can either proceed up the St. Lawrence by water, or travel by rail from the point where the mails are landed, to Quebec and Montreal. In either case the surroundings cannot fail to interest him. The voyage by the gulf and river is in itself an ever-changing kaleidoscope of beautiful scenery—mountain, woodland, and lovely valleys, with peaceful villages and homely farmsteads—a pastoral scene unique in its way. The City of Quebec, apart from the picturesque position it occupies, is one of the few places on the continent with any pretence to antiquity, and is full of interesting associations connected with the days of the French regime. It is now becoming more of a modern city, with many signs of progress. Its docks, warehouses, and railways are all significant of the times, and serve as manifest indications of future prosperity. When the Quebec Bridge is built, and additional systems of railways thus obtain direct access to its wharves, it is sure to advance by leaps and bounds, and its growth in the next decade or two is likely to rival that of any other city in the Dominion. Montreal is always attractive to visitors ; its location is surpassingly beautiful with the St. Lawrence in front and Mount Royal in the background, and it possesses shipping facilities which are a wonder to people who see them and reflect how many hundreds of miles separate the port from the ocean. It maintains its position as the commercial metropolis of the Dominion. Ontario will remind the traveller of England. The country along the line of the railways is well settled and well farmed ; villages and towns, the sites of manufactories more or less important, appear at frequent intervals between other larger towns and cities which are thriving industrial centres. Toronto occupies an ideal position on Lake Ontario, has many attractions for visitors and is the starting-place for countless excursions, and notably the one to Niagara. The great lakes are remarkable for their extent, for the scenery along their shores, and the business which is done upon their waters. Between Ontario and the prairies is a district, many hundred miles in length, which away from the line of the existing railway is in some measure a terra incognita. That it contains much mineral and forest wealth is certain, and it is known also to possess agricultural possibilities which will be made accessible by the new transcontinental railway now being constructed to aid in carrying to the sea the growing riches of these vast and hitherto unrifled storehouses. Winnipeg, the gateway of the west, has grown in a few years from a city of twenty thousand people to one approaching one hundred and twenty thousand. The journey across the prairies through Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, to the Rocky Mountains, a distance of nine hundred miles, shows the agricultural possibilities of this golden west. It is, so to speak, one huge wheatfield, extending from the international boundary to some four hundred miles or more to the north. At present, though it offers land and employment to many times the number, it can boast but a million inhabitants. And yet this same Country produces over a hundred million bushels of wheat per annum, apart from other grains and farm and dairy produce, so that one can keep within the bounds of reasonable imagination and yet realise the position it is likely to attain with regard to the food-supplies of the world in the future.
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After leaving the prairies one passes through the Rocky, Selkirk, and Coast ranges of mountains to Vancouver, the threshold of the Pacific. Probably the scenery on that part of the route is unrivalled. The most exacting of travellers has to admit himself at first astounded and finally delighted with the grandeur and beauty of the panorama that continually unfolds itself before his eyes. Those who have journeyed to New Zealand and Australia by way of Vancouver or San Francisco will know that the Pacific Ocean and its many groups of islands possess attractions not less interesting than the most vaunted of other routes. It has been stated that the completion of the Panama Canal will rob the new route of many of its advantages ; that it will be shorter in distance, and encourage direct steamship communication. The wish may be father to the thought, but, from a practical standpoint, I doubt whether it will ever very seriously compete with it. Slightly shorter as regards mileage it may be, but we must bear in mind that three thousand miles of the proposed route is on land, along which trains can travel at fifty miles per hour and even greater speed ; and that it has advantages in the way of climate and scenery which cannot be afforded by way of the proposed canal. And, further, it is not only a question of a through route between Europe and Australasia which is under consideration, but of travel and trade to and from Canada—the " half-way house "of the Empire—and between the Dominion and New Zealand and Australia. For these reasons lam still strong in my faith that the all-red route as the British highway between the different parts of the Empire is sure to become popular, and that it will not be subject to much interference by the Panama Canal—which at the best must take many years to complete. In order to bring the all-red route into operation, a considerable sum of money will be required in the way of assistance. Any company or organization which undertook the service would have to raise large funds to construct the steamers and to carry on the work. No scheme of the kind could be self-supporting from the outset. large undertaking of that nature can be ? If it were left entirely to private enterprise it might take years, or a generation, before it was brought into being ; there would be the chance that foreign countries might take it up, obtain the control of the routes, gather the passenger trade largely into their own hands, and make a bid also for commercial supremacy in our dominions. Our competitors are apt to realise to a greater extent than we do that Government assistance is necessary for these purposes ;we see examples of it in many ways. In recent years, the competition of other nations for the trade and commerce of our colonies has been very strenuous, and is likely to be even more so in the future. The less the inclination that is shown on our part to promote closer unity, to realise the grand ideal of developing the Empire for the material benefit of our race, the more will outside countries endeavour to secure the advantages upon which we are inclined perhaps to look too lightly. We must remember also that younger generations are growing up who may not be as strong as their fathers in the intensity of their Imperial enthusiasm unless they are met to a certain extent by those whom they regard as their partners in this common heritage of ours. It seems to me unwise to look upon this scheme, which has for its object the well-being of the Empire at large, and the welding-together of its different peoples, with any local prejudice or insular narrowness—we must regard it from the broad standpoint of citizens of the Empire. The colonies do not ask the Mother-country to bear the whole burden of the expense of the all-red route. Canada is prepared to pay its share, so is New Zealand and Australia, and even the smaller possessions en route which may receive benefits from its establishment. Assistance to the same extent would not always be needed. Surely we may look forward to the time when it will be self-supporting, when any payments would simply be in consideration of services rendered—whether for the conveyance of mails or the provision of a fleet of speedy vessels capable of convertibility into armed cruisers. The development of steam navigation in the Atlantic could never have been as rapid as it was but for the assistance given by the Home Government to the Cunard Line in the early days of the new propelling-power, and even then the voyage occupied fourteen days ; and the same thing may be said of the subsidies given to the Allan Line by the Government of Canada when regular steam services to and from Canada were inaugurated. Help was extended not long ago to a British company, as already mentioned, to enable it to hold its own against foreign combination, aiming at monopoly on the Atlantic, although the company traded to a foreign port. Millions were lent at a low rate of interest, and subsidies were given in addition. All this was done without a murmur ; indeed, the Government was applauded for its action. Therefore I cannot bring myself to believe that the United Kingdom will hesitate to join hands with its fellow-subjects in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, and withhold the financial assistance necessary for the utilisation of this new British route.. Indeed, we know that the Home Government joined in the resolution at the Conference, at which the following interesting references were made, in the course of the debates, respecting colonial contributions to the proposed service :— Sir Wilfrid Laurier stated, " Canada will have to contribute liberally, perhaps more liberally than others because it will have to contribute to both sides—both Pacific and Atlantic. .... If it (that i's, a fast service on the Pacific) can be done by spending money I may say that they are prepared to go as far as any Government interested in overcoming the difficulties." Mr. Deakin stated, " Australian interest in the Pacific trade is as great as that of Canada in getting direct communication as suggested, on terms that the Commonwealth can afford." Sir Joseph Ward stated, " New Zealand is now authorised to spend the sum of £40,000 a year for the Pacific service, £20,000 to that via San Francisco, and £20,000 to that via Vancouver. lam prepared to say that our country would be ready to give £100,000 a year without a moment's hesitation in order to get a fast service across the Pacific, if it were one of, say, twenty days, or three weeks .... New Zealand is, beyond all doubt, willing to give her proportion for such service on the Pacific between Canada and New Zealand, so as to make the other portion of the link between the Colonies and the If we want to do a great thing for Great Britain and outlying British countries,|let us be prepared to pay the necessary money for it, and bend our efforts to bring these countries into close touch with England, which can be done provided we are prepared to pay enough for it.
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These extracts and the final resolution of the Conference serve to show the spirit in which Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and the Mother-country approached the consideration of the matter. I do not propose to go into financial details, as in my opinion it would be out of place to do so at present. Without proper estimates and a good deal of investigation it is not possible to say what subsidies will be required ; but, personally, I do not think they will be so large as the figures that have been mentioned from time to time. The matter is now being examined by the Governments concerned, and when the reports are published they will doubtless contain data as to the cost of the service and the assistance that will be required. Among the criticisms levelled at the all-red route, it is urged that it is not needed ; that there is already communication between the different parts of the Empire concerned ; and that it will prejudice the interests connected with existing enterprises to establish other competing lines with State aid. That is all very well, so far as it goes, but is it an argument which should induce us to neglect other routes between the different parts of the Empire —routes which have their own advantages, are likely to benefit the countries affected ? I think not. Nor need we assume positively that it is necessary to form a new company or companies. If an arrangement is possible among the existing companies by which the present services could be improved on the Atlantic and on the Pacific, they would certainly,be able to make out a strong case for special consideration. It seems to be the idea of some people that the all-red route is merely a scheme for company exploitation. Its introduction under official auspices at the Imperial Conference must be regarded as a rebuttal of any such assertion. The one consideration is the improvement of the means of communication between the different parts of the Empire, by taking advantage of an alternative route which has not yet been utilised to the extent its importance deserves and the interest of the Empire requires. There is another kind of criticism which has a certain weight with some people, although I am glad to think that they are not a numerous body. They say, " Why should we help the colonies to improve their communications ? They tax our goods, and they contribute nothing towards the Imperial expenditure of the army and navy, and we are always lending them money for one thing or another." Now, all that is very plausible, no doubt, but will it bear the test of examination ? In the first place, anything that brings the colonies closer to the Mother-country benefits not one part of the Empire alone, but the whole of it—that should go without saying. The money for new ships would be raised in the United Kingdom, and would provide, it is believed, a good investment for those who lend it. The ships would be built here and thus benefit a large number of people. Additional communication means additional trade, and the United Kingdom would share in it to a greater extent than any other country. It would lead to a greater movement of people to the various dominions. It would relieve the congestion at home, bring more land in the colonies under cultivation, and necessarily create additional consumers and customers for the products of our manufactures. It is true that the colonies tax the imports of the Mother-country —or, at any rate, a part of them. But in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the Cape a preference is given to such imports. In Canada the value of this preference— that is, the difference in the sum payable under the higher scale of duties and that payable under the preferential tariff—means a gain of over £1,000,000 per annum to British trade. On the other hand, I think it will be found that some of the articles imported into this country, coming from the colonies, are taxed rather heavily. But, be that as it may, and admitting that the United Kingdom is a country whose fiscal policy is based on free trade, I believe I am right in stating that no particular gain is derived by the colonies from the fiscal point of view if they are placed on precisely the same footing as any foreign country. The general policy of the United Kingdom is to treat alike the foreigner and the British subject living outside its limits. In the great self-governing colonies, or most of them, British goods are admitted on more favourable terms than those of their competitors—to the great benefit of British capital and labour. That being so, I venture to think the United Kingdom has the advantage. It is true that the colonies do not contribute largely in a direct way to the naval and military expenditure of the Empire. But the self-governing colonies at very considerable expense keep up their own military establishments, which must form a part of the military organization of the Empire in the event of any great war. It is the present policy of the Home Government to leave the colonies to organize their own defensive forces. In New Zealand, Australia, and Canada no regular troops of the British army are now to be found. Their places have been taken by local regiments. Canada has even taken charge of what were formerly the great naval stations of Halifax and Esquimalt, and also finds her own cruisers for the protection of her fisheries and other national purposes. The out- % lying portions of the Empire are not oblivious of the fact that they owe much to the British navy. If they have not contributed largely towards its expenses it has been for the very good reason that they cannot at present afford it. All the revenue they raise has so far been required for the development of their resources. If their funds had not been so used, would their position have been, with a white population of about 13,000,000, what it is now, and would they have been able to buy produce and manufactures from the United Kingdom to the extent of about £80,000,000, which forms the total of our annual export trade with them to-day ? The debts of the colonies have been largely incurred for enterprises which are usually undertaken by private capital in older countries ; and all these debts have to be met. Many of the works are of public and Imperial importance. The Canadian Pacific Railway, for instance, costs Canada about £1,000,000 per annum, representing interest on the cash subsidies to the company, on the value of the completed works handed over, and on the value of the millions of acres of land transferred as part of the transaction. W e must bear these and other similar facts in mind when discussing contributions from the colonies for naval, military, and other expenditures. But they are advancing, by rapid strides in population and revenue, and the time must soon come when they will in some form or other take a greater share than they do now in the government and administration of the Empire, so far as it affects the general community. They may be relied upon then to take their full burden of the responsibility which will fall upon them, and to bear
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it cheerfully. It is not a matter for hurried and inconsiderate action, and in the meantime we should not refrain from giving the best consideration to any measures which may guide our steps along the road leading to closer union—that Imperial structure that is slowly but surely being built, and which in its consummation will be a source of joy to our posterity, and make them not less proud of their ancestors and their life's work than we are of ours. I have refrained from touching upon the extent of the present travel between the different parts of the Empire, or upon the volume of the trade. All that can be seen in blue-books. It is interesting and important; but the new route will create a traffic and a trade of its own. As was pointed out at the Imperial Conference, the question is one of policy. Do we want the service or do we not ? Will it be beneficial to the Empire ? And can it be made a commercial success ? Let us decide these points, and the terms of the partnership in the scheme, and we shall not have long to wait before the new organization is called into being. For my own part, lam of the opinion that it will be successful and prosperous—alike for the financial interests that may be involved and for the different countries more immediately concerned in its development. To sum up the advantages of the new route : — 1. The service would improve the communication between the United Kingdom and Canada, and enable mails and passengers to be conveyed between the two countries more rapidly than at present. 2. It would draw a certain portion of Canadian travel, which now passes by way of New York, back to its proper channel, and by its geographical advantages, and its quicker service to the United States, secure many American passengers and some of the mail traffic to western points. 3. It would provide a faster service than at present to New Zealand and Australia, saving at least ten days to the former and two clays to the latter. 4. It would utilise an alternative route to the East, possessing natural advantages which have not been properly utilised. 5. It would strengthen Great Britain's position in the Atlantic, and furnish additional armed cruisers to aid in keeping the route open in time of war. 6. It would assist in giving Great Britain the control of the Pacific trade, which may pass out of our hands if the route is not utilised. 7. It would provide armed cruisers on the Pacific. 8. It would be available for the conveyance of troops and supplies to the East, and less liable to interruption than any other route. • 9. It would bring the different countries in closer touch with each other, and help the consolidation of the Empire. 10. It would be provided at the cost of the different parts of the Empire, and not fall entirely upon one or another. 11. It would supplement the Pacific cable to Australia, which is under joint Government control. 12. It would supplement other steamship routes, and could not fail to assist the commercial expansion of the different parts of the Empire, as well as lead to extra travel. 13. Canada, New Zealand, and Australia want the service ; and the proposal has certainly been received with much sympathy in the Mother-country. I can hardly close my paper without mentioning the service between Vancouver and China and Japan, which owes its origin to the enterprise of the Canadian Pacific Railway, assisted by subsidies from the Imperial and Canadian Governments. By its means mails and passengers are conveyed from England to Yokohama in twenty-two and a half days, to Shanghai in twenty-seven and a half days, and to Hong Kong in thirty days. These times are much shorter than those by the other route. No one will be found to deny that the service has been of great material advantage. The steamers, while faster than anything on the Pacific at present, are to be replaced by more speedy boats. Although it does not form a part of the all-red route scheme, it of great Imperial importance. I am afraid I have -ather exceeded the time usually devoted to papers before this Institute, but let me thank you most cordially for the patience with which you have listened to me. I have tried to put the pros and cons of the scheme before you in as full a manner as the time at my disposal will permit. I recognise that it is open to criticism. What proposition is not ? But, on the other hand, lam sure that its merits will appeal to the majority of the people. lam not exactly a young man, and the years remaining to me may be few, but I hope I may live to see the all-red route in operation ; I believe it is destined to fulfil the most sanguine expectations of those who look upon it as likely to prove of the greatest possible benefit to the Mother-land, Canada, and Australasia, and to the Empire at large. [Van. Mis. 08/49.]
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TNTEKPKOVINCIAL SEBVICE.
No. 110. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Manager, Northern Steamship Company, Auckland. g IR _ General Post Office, Wellington, sth October, 1907. I have the honour to inform you that the Chief Postmaster, Auckland, has brought under the special notice of this office the readiness with which you acceded, at inconvenience to your own business, to his request for the detention of the s.s. " Rarawa " at Onehunga on the 19th ultimo, to bring on Australian mails, and has reminded me that the Department has more than once been under an obligation to you for meeting our requirements in a similar way. As the principal mails from the United Kingdom are received at Auckland, the prompt despatch of the southern portion from Onehunga is of considerable public importance ;. and one of the essential contributors to the satisfaction that is felt throughout the Dominion with the Department's arrangements is the willingness of your company to detain your steamers when necessary. The PostmasterGeneral desires to express his thanks for your action in complying with the wishes of the Chief Postmaster on the 19th ultimo, and appreciation of the public-spirited manner in which you have at all times considered the exigencies of the Postal service. I have, &c, D. Robertson, Secretary. The Manager, Northern Steamship Company (Limited), Auckland. [P.O. 07/2469.] __^^_^^__^^^__^^_
No. 111. The Branch Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Auckland, to the Chief Postmaster, Auckland. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), g IR Auckland, 27th November, 1907. I beg to draw your attention to the delay which was occasioned the " Hauroto " to-day through the late shipment of the mails which arrived from the South. About 11 a.m. to-day your Chief Clerk called and asked for the postponement of|the steamer, in order to allow the mails to be put on board, mentioning at the time that the detention necessary would not be more than half an hour. The " Rotoiti" berthed at Onehunga to-day at 9.15 a.m., but your Department did not have the mails which she carried alongside the " Hauroto " till I.3o—that is to say, an hour and a half after the advertised time of sailing. It was a matter of great urgency that the vessel should be despatched to-day not later than noon, and it appears to me that the exercise of proper expedition would have enabled us to so despatch her instead of waiting from noon as above mentioned till 2 p.m. The result of this detention in the way of costs remains to be seen. In the meantime I would respectfully suggest that on such occasions extra hands be put on for the sorting of mails, and thus prevent delays to steamers, which may not only be attended with considerable unnecessary outlay, but cause irritation to the travelling public, who are compelled to remain on board between the advertised and actual sailing-time of steamer. I have, &c, A. B. I. Irvine, The Chief Postmaster, Auckland. Branch Manager. [P.O. 07/3392.]
No. 112. The Chief Postmaster, Auckland, to the Branch Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Auckland. g IK Chief Post-office, Auckland, 30th November, 1907. I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 27th instant, complaining of the delay occasioned the " Hauroto " last Wednesday through the late shipment of mails which arrived from the South. I regret the " Hauroto " did not obtain prompt despatch ; but the delay was unavoidable. Two officers were specially sent out to Onehunga with the view of expediting the arrival of the south mail in Auckland. They report that the " Rotoiti " was made fast to the wharf at 9.25 a.m., and that the mails arrived by the 10.12 a.m. train, reaching Auckland about 10.51. The whole of the available staff was on duty, and no time was lost at this office in opening up southern mails, and preparing the matter for despatch via Vancouver. If the arrival of the steamer from the south cannot be accelerated, it seems to me that mails from the south despatched via Vancouver will have to be brought up the previous day, and this will interfere with the usefulness of the Vancouver service. lam bringing the matter under the notice of my Head Office, and in the meantime it should be made quite clear that the delay in the despatch of the "• Hauroto " was in no way due to any fault on the part of my office. I have, &c, F. D. HOLDSWORTH, Chief Postmaster. The Branch Manager, Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Auckland. y [P.O. 07/3392.]
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No. 113. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin. Sir, — General Post Office, Wellington, 24th December, 1907. I have the honour to forward herewith copy of a letter from your Auckland manager of the 27th ultimo, together with a copy of the reply of the Chief Postmaster, Auckland, dated the 30th idem. It refers to the detention of the " Hauroto " at Auckland on the occasion of a despatch from that port of the mails via Vancouver. It appears to me that the remedy for the trouble brought under notice in this correspondence, for which in reality nothing is to be blamed but shortness of time, is to despatch the steamer from New Plymouth in time to catch the 8.15 train at Onehunga for Auckland. I should be obliged if you would inquire and see whether an effort cannot be made to do this, or, failing this, whether the departure of the Vancouver steamer from Auckland cannot be postponed until 1.30 p.m. The third alternative is to close mails in the south for despatch via Vancouver a day earlier than at present; but such a course is very seriously to be deprecated, and I feel sure that you would prefer to obviate it if possible. I shall be obliged for a reply at your convenience. I have, &c, W. R. Morris, for Secretary. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin. [P.O. 07/3392.]
No. 114. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Sir, — Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Dunedin, 15th January, 1908. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 24th ultimo, and in reply beg to state that we are now in correspondence with our Auckland manager, and hope to arrange for the connecting steamer from Auckland with the Vancouver mail to sail at 2 p.m., which will give sufficient time for the transhipment of the southern mails. I have, &c, D. A. Aiken, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. For General Manager. [P.O. 07/3392.] [Acknowledged 21st January, 1908.]
No. 115. The General Manager, Union Steam Ship Company, Dunedin, to the Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand (Limited), Sir,— Dunedin, 6th February, 1908. I have the honour to acknowledge due receipt of your letter of the 21st ultimo with reference to the despatch of the steamer from Auckland to Fiji, by which the New Zealand mails go forward to connect with the Vancouver mail-steamer. The subject has been discussed with our Auckland manager, and it is arranged that the steamer will not leave Auckland earlier than 2 p.m. unless on rare occasions when, as occurred in November, special circumstances call for an earlier departure, in which case the Chief Postmaster at Auckland will be notified as early as possible. I may mention that, with the exception of the November departure referred to above, steamers have not left Auckland for some time back before 4 p.m. I have, &c, R. McK. McLennan, The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington. For General Manager. [P.O. 08/561.]
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DIRECT SERVICE.
No. 116. The Secretary, Chamber of Commerce, Wellington, to the Hon. the Postmaster-General. Sir, — Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Wellington, 16th August, 1907. $ $ $ -j; ;J. £ £. $$ F"l£am also directed to say that the Chamber would be glad to know whether you see your way to give[early consideration to the further suggestion made in the letter which I had the honour to address to you under date the 28th|March last [No. 12, F.-6a, 1907]—namely, for an arrangement with the direct lines of steamers for a regular thirty-five-days service between the colony and London. I have, &c, The Hon. the Postmaster-General, Wellington. S. Carroll, Secretary. [P.O. 07/1017 (I).]
No. 117. The Hon. the Postmaster-General to the Secretary, Chamber of Commerce, Wellington. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 20th November, 1907. I have the honour to refer to your letter of the 16th August|last [Nos. 54 and 116], respecting the mail-services between New Zealand and the United Kingdom. lam very glad to note the satisfaction of your Chamber with the arrangements which the Department has already made to that end. In view of the regular weekly service by way of Suez, I regret that I do not see my way to adopt the suggestion of your Chamber to arrange a direct service between New Zealand and an English port. I think it is very likely that the Government will have to concentrate its resources at no distant date on the extension of mail facilities by another route. I have, &c, J. G. Ward, Postmaster-General. The Secretary, Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Wellington. [P.O. 07/1017 (I).]
TOPOLOBAMPO ROUTE. No. 118. Mr. E. F. Wright, Los Angeles, California, to the Hon. the Prime Minister. Sir,— P.O. Box 291, Los Angeles, California, 10th August, 1907. Enclosed are a few points in favour of the Topolobampo route, which is the shortest of any sea-route to the American coast. Further, from Topolobampo to New York is the shortest route across America. 3|ci|r.4i|i)|c4tj|r l i|t. 4 Trusting the information I have placed before you is satisfactory. I have, &c, The Hon. the Prime E. Fondi Wright.
No. 118. Mr. E. F. Wright, Los Angeles, California, to the Hon. the Prime Minister. Sir, — P.O. Box 291, Los Angeles, California, 10th August, 1907. Enclosed are a few points in favour of the Topolobampo route, which is the shortest of any sea-route to the American coast. Further, from Topolobampo to New York is the shortest route across America. 3|_l|__|_.J__|__|_!|-_|-$ Trusting the information I have placed before you is satisfactory. I have, &c, The Hon. the Prime E. Fondi Wright.
Enclosure in No. 118. I find that the shortest route, and consequently the quickest route, for mails is wa Topolobampo, in the Gulf of California, then on to Kansas City, St. Louis, and New York. The sea-journey from Auckland is approximately three hundred miles shorter to Topolobampo than it is to San Francisco, via Honolulu, and about another three-hundred and sixty miles shorter than the Vancouver route ; or, we will say, approximately seven hundred miles. This distance is a very considerable saving, as seven hundred miles is equal to about one and a half days' steaming. Assuming that twenty-knot steamers will burn 200 tons of coal per day, and that the average cost of the coal is £1 per ton, thus steamers over this route will save £300 per trip ; a fortnightly service will give you four trips per month, or forty-eight trips per year, so that the gross saving on coal would be £14,400 per year. Then, these steamers would run about a full complement of passengers, or a total of 12,000 per year. You could not estimate the feeding of these at less than 2s. per day, or a total of 3s. for the one and a half days—this is £1,800. One could easily find a further saving of £1,500 a year in various items, which would mean a total of £18,000 a year. I do not anticipate that the class of steamers required would cost more than £100,000 each, so that the money saved in working-expenses, as compared with the Vancouver route, would pay interest on cost of construction.
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Further, a saving of seven hundred miles means that with the same class of steamers you would shorten the time by one day and a half via Topolobampo, as compared with Vancouver. Another important point is that via Topolobampo the direct steamer would call at Auckland, and all the passengers would be on shore there for some hours, and the money they would spend a year would amount to a very considerable sum; and, what is of more importance, this quick, cheap route would be very conducive to tourist-traffic, and no doubt many would get off at Auckland and make a trip through New Zealand, going on later to Australia ; and the same can be said of those who were going from Australia to Europe. They would start a week or two earlier, so as to make a tour through New Zealand, picking up the mail-boat at Auckland. This is a point that the Union Steam Ship Company should consider, because this tourist-traffic would materially increase their coastal trade. With this mainly in view, it appears to me that the Union Company should run the boats from Topolobampo to Sydney, as they would then be in a position to give tourists the benefit of their intercolonial service, and so could go on by any boat that served. This increased tourist traffic would largely make up the mail subsidy. If you compare the above with the Vancouver route, which, as I have pointed out, will cost a very considerable sum more, owing to increased mileage, and owing to the fact that the Vancouver steamers call at Fiji, New Zealand would get no benefit from the mail-boats, although paying a heavy subsidy, and it affords no facilities for tourists seeing New Zealand like a service would via Topolobampo. Finally, the distance from Topolobampo to New York is six hundred miles shorter than any other road across America, which again cuts down the time for mails by seventeen hours. I have not been able to obtain the exact distance, but the railway claims seven hundred miles. One thing is certain—there is a big saving. Have estimated the time at thirty-four miles per hour ; that is what the whole trip across-America works out at. E. Fonei Wright. [P.O. 07/2841.]
No. 119. Mr. E. F. Wright, Los Angeles, California, to the Hon. the Prime Minister. Sir— P.O. Box 291, Los Angeles, California, 27th August, 1907. Just a line to say I have heard from the gentleman I am in communication with re mail subsidy, and he assures me that everything will be done that can be done to obtain £60,000, irrespective of what New Zealand will put up, towards a yearly subsidy for a twenty-knot mail-service between Topolobampo and Sydney, via Auckland Of course I am far too sceptical to believe in anything till it is absolutely accomplished, but I should say that as far as the matter has gone it is satisfactory. I have, &c, The Hon. the Prime Minister, New Zealand. E. Fondi Wright. [P.O. 07/2841.]
No. 120. The Hon. the Prime Minister, to Mr. E. F. Wright, Los Angeles, California. Sir, — Prime Minister's Office, Wellington, 9th October, 1907. I am in receipt of your letter of the 10th August, enclosing me a few points in favour of the Topolobampo route, which you consider is the shortest of any sea-routes to the American coast. I have read your communication with very great interest, and have to thank you for the same. I have, e&c, E. Fondi Wright, Esq., P.O. Box 291, Los Angeles, California. J. G. Ward. [P.O. 07/2841.]
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Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/parliamentary/AJHR1908-I.2.4.2.7
Bibliographic details
OCEAN MAIL-SERVICES (FURTHER PAPERS RELATING TO). [In continuation of Paper F.-6A, presented on the 22nd November, 1907.], Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1908 Session I, F-06
Word Count
36,831OCEAN MAIL-SERVICES (FURTHER PAPERS RELATING TO). [In continuation of Paper F.-6A, presented on the 22nd November, 1907.] Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1908 Session I, F-06
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