he Cromwell Argus. AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. CROMWELL: TUESDAY, JULY 9, 1872.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 139, 9 July 1872, Page 4

he Cromwell Argus. AND NORTHERN GOLD-FIELDS GAZETTE. CROMWELL: TUESDAY, JULY 9, 1872.

Nothing but misfortunes seem to attend the Weeb steamers. Never a voyage but something crops up tending to lengthen the passage, and to cause dissatisfaction and grumbling on the part of passengers and everybody else in any way connected with the “ old hulks,” as they have been designated in the American Senate. The prospects of the line ever becoming anything better than the miserable abortion it is at present, are now more remote than ever ; and it is positively heart-rending to think of the enormous expenditure of the publicfundswhich the precipitation evinced by the Colonial Treasurer in all his preliminary and subsequent negotiations in the establishment of the line has entailed upon the Colony. From first to last it has been a gigantic and costly bungle, and owing to the vexatious and repeated irregularities.of the “old hulks” before mentioned, has caused infinite annoyance and anxiety to everyone who has despatched or received correspondence through its agencv. Long ago—on the first mention being made of the boats that were to be employed in the service—-we remember a letter appearing in one of the Dunedin papers, avowing in the strongest terms that those steamers were utterly unfitted for the service they were to be engaged in, the writer stating that he remembered them when a resident of San Francisco very many years since. The writer’s statements were of course indignantly denied by the agents ; but how true they were has been abundantly demonstrated by the subsequent performances of the steamers. There does not seem to be a single one of them capable of makiii;* a voyage in anything like decent time—the Mohongo, the Moses Taylor, the Nevada, the Nebraska, have all given ample proof of their utter unseaworthiness ; and we are compelled to say we would lie fir better without any San Francisco service whatever, than be subjected to the annoyance caused by such an one as that at present carried out' under the auspices ol Mr Wehh. Although the contract entered into with that gentleman has been extended for a period of ten years, we presume thao there is a clause in the agreement providing for the discontinuance of the service by the (lOveniment upon specified irregularities taking place; and presuming that there is such a clause, we hope the members of Assembly will not hesitate, during the approaching session, to avail themselves of the power given them, and break the contract. We are | sensible of the fact that this seems to he a | course calculated to entail hardship on Air Wm!H ; lint in making the contract that • gentleman agreed to supply us with a .service which could be depended upon, instead ; of which mail after mail has been delivered several days after its time, and the utmost l dissatisfaction expressed with the steamers and the service generally, until it lias reached a point beyond all endurance. And ; wo are not quite sure either but it will be i the best thing for the contractor if the I connection between him and the New Zealand Government is severed, seeing that I the United States have declined to grant ; any subsidy to the line ; for with the New Zealand subsidy alone the speculation cannot have proved a very profitable one.