EVENING SITTING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1921, 17 August 1888, Page 2

EVENING SITTING.

The Houae resumed at 7.30 p.m MAIL SERVICE RESOLUTIONS. On the motion of the Premier the House went Into Committee to consider the Mail Service resolutions, of which he had given not on. He aald the Government bad come to the oonolnslon that it would be a fatal mistake to abolish the mail subsidies altogether, and they thought that fortnightly services would be the beet. The House would agree to depreoate the idea of abolishing a Pacific service, but as the American Government had not dealt very liberally with the colonies, they proposed to reduoe the enbsidy to £18,000 per annum instead of £26,000, and if the San Francisco service oould not be obtained for that, they could negotiate with Canada. He quoted retarns showing that the San Francisco service had always been the route more favored by the people of the colony, and that during the last three months, since the day of departure from London had been altered, the English people also were beginning to patronise it more. A fortnightly service, alternatively ' by San Franolsooand the direct steamers, on the basis mentioned, would cost £39,000, giving a profit of £7000. It must be remembered that thu Imperial Govern mont were inclined to favor the Vanoouver route as against San Francisco. A fortnightly direct service would oost £36,000, and give a profit of £10,000. The reason for the difference In proßt was that the Imperial Government oharged more for their share of postage via San I Francisco than by the direct steamers, | After oareful examination the Government had come to the conclusion that the advantages of keeping up communication with America were worth the difference of £3000, especially if the Canadian route was chosen. They also deemed that it would be inadvisable to give a monopoly to the two difsot companies, by subsidising theaa only, whloh would simply mean a heavy inoreaae in the rate of freights to the colony. He alluded to various rumors as to the proceedings of these companies, qnd warned the House not to hand oyer the country to a ship* ping ring. Significant telegrams had been published that morning announcing that Messrs Tyser and Co. had joined the ring, and it was easy to see what would follow. At. for the Suez route the Government had not proposed that for an alternate route, an they had calculated it would lead to a lost of £5000 a year. He proposed to have the resolution* dealt with seriatim. The oourse which Govern-" raent would like to aoe followed would be a fortnightly service by means of alter nate Bervicei via the Paolfio and the dlraot steamers. Me Ward thought that a direct issue Bhould be raised as to whether the San Franoleoo servloe should be retained or not. He moved an amendment to that effect* He believed that by dealing with the qnejtlon of the mail servloe properly £20,000 a year ooqld be saved. We were paying out of all proportion to the other oolonles, and bad too many servlcos. He quoted statistics largely la support of bis contention, and said that if calculations were made «« to the oost of the rival services on same rate of subsidy and bonus it would be found that they each yielded about the same profit, and that there was not so great a difference as the Premier showed. He entered minutely into the details of the existing Bervioes, •udiummea upfltiougly tgajnit tht&an

Fr b nelso" service He argued that speed was not an essential point, as direotly the qioetion of time came in, merchants "and others had reconrse to the cable, and did not boihor themselveß as to whfob waa the qalokeat mail Hoe. As to the wool trade, It would never pay anyone to ship wool to America by mill steamers. All ex parlance showed that vrs were really subsidising the San Fracoisoo line far the bantfit of New South Wales and Honolula and no one in the colony oared anything for It bat the Auckland peoplr. The Auck and memb tb h*d been loudest In | their cilia for retrenchment, and he had n >w t^lven them an opportunity of showing their tioosrlty, M Peacock adrait'ed that large subsidies h '.d been paid proportionately bat that oily ihowed how unUkely It was, if the service were dropped, that It would be kep't up by private fi.tni. He was pre« pared to staad or fall by the aervloe on three poin s, speed, economy, and rela« • ions opened up with other countries. On eaoh of these points, he adduced figures and arguments, and claimed *.he qulokest pespatch and least cost for the lias via Han Ff*no'ac\ He urged that it would be extremely unwise to give dp dlreot communication with a country like America, eapoolaHy at the present jouo« ture. He disclaimed hostility to the dlreot steamers, which had bit wannest sympathies, bnt he took the same view as the Premier regarding the unwisdom of granting monopolies* He thought thai any mail sprviie by that route should not reoeiva a subsidy, but should be paid by weißht. Mv Beetham spoke against the Sau ■Fracciaoo service, whioh he regarded as a costly luxury that ought to be ont.off. He thought that the House should hav« an opport unity of discussing mall tanderi. Mr Verrall obj oted to subsidies for mill services at all. He thought that Amerloa would keep up the San Franolid service if we dropped It. Mr Fish considered a monthly serrloa quite sufficient for this oolony, and moved to that effect. He believed the Govern* ment should be given the greatest latitude in calling for tenders. If a fortnightly service was to be kept up he favcred the San Francisco route as one line, as he believed in having two strings to your bow, and also bsoause he feued the effect of a monopoly. He advocated the abolition of subiidles, and of opening the services to all lines on a re lie of payment per lb. Mr Mackenzie (Olutha) opposed the Sao Franolsoo line because it was of no benefit direotly or lodireotly to the oolony.* On the other hand we should do all we could to enoourage the dlreot steamers, which afforded a natural, outlet to the produoe of the country. Captain Russell defended- the San Franolaco line, commenting on the grasping conduct of the dlreot companies whioh had forced himself and other producers to bring out other steamers to the oolony. One reason they did not pay was that they were oompelled by the receipt of subsidies to run at so high a speed, and if we were to renew these subsidies It would really be no help to them He did not believe In making a oontraot with any line fot five years, and he thought that a monthly service would be quite sufficient. He believed in eoonomy, and was not sure thftt they ought to pay any subsidies at all, but if so let them pay It to the San Franoisoo line. . Mr Buchanan opposed the San Francisco line, but expressed himself still open to conviction as to whether a fortnigbt'y or monthly service was sufficient Mr Withy said that what we wanted was the' quickest mail aervioa we aould affjrd. He congratulated the members on the very fair way in which the subject had been disauased. He passed the statistical aspeot of the case under review, and after an exhaustive examination of the figures pronouuoed in favar of the San Francisco service He was afraid that ihoae who thought they would get lower freights by giving subsidies to the direct servioe would be dlsapp >lnted, but he approved of a monthly alternative servioe by the dlreot route, as a second line was necessary for many reasons* He would admit that In future negotiations for the San Franolseo line we should stipulate for a larger subsidy from America, which had paid a shamefully low amount in the past. Mr Kerr moved to report progress, The motion was agreed to, and the House rose at 12.55 am.