THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE.

Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 201, 31 August 1870, Page 2

THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE.

It is milly astonishing what very slight foundations su(lice some of our legislators for the erection of elaborate structures. On Thurs lay evening, during the discussion on Mr. Hall's amendment to Messrs.Macandrew and Vogcl's proposal for the increase of the subsidy.to the fc-'nn rrancisco staani service it was suggested by sou.o hon. members that a branch service t Fiji, connecting therewith a main line which they expected wou'd be shortly established between California and; Australia would bo sufficient for our requirements, and could be procured at the cost of a fractional portion of the £40,000. Of course, this idea did not chime iv with the views of Auckland and the Auckland men oppos d it. Mr' Creighton, by way of settling the queition at once, anounced that such a branch was useless, as he was in possession of Jin formation that in a short time steam communication would be astablished between Fiji and Auckland without any subsidy at all. Now, the " information" which the hon. member madego much of is known to all the Colony, and it sruiply amounts to this—that a rumour found its way into the Auckland papers, to th« effect that the question of forming a company for the purpose of establishing ateam communication with Auckland had been mooted at Fiji, Steam companies who can purchase steamen and run them are not so easily formed j we hare seen several such attempts among ourselves fail, and no one supposes that money ii more plentiful in Fiji than in New Zealand. Even were the subject seriously thought of, (of which we are by no means sure) it •will infallibly take a 1 ng time to bring the mattw to a practical resuit in such a young struggling and exceptionally circumstanced place. If we wait until Fiji comes to help us.we shall find that the tide of progress has swept by, leaving ua behind. And even granting that the Fijians did establish steam communication with Auckland, it would only be by means of small boats, intended for cai'rying cargo and a few passengers, and utterly unsuited for connecting: us with what we expect will be our main line of communication with Europe. Mr. Creigbton makes many attempts at special pleading, Jbufc his dodges are generally too transparent; he evidently wants a few lessons from his chief.— Evening Post, Aug.|27.