AUSTRALIAN MAIL CONTRACT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 58, 2 December 1907, Page 9

AUSTRALIAN MAIL CONTRACT.

Silt WILLIAM LYNE'S VIEW. In the opinion of Sir William Lyne, the. Commonwealth Treasurer,! the mail contract, just concluded with the Orient Company, is a-vory good on'e. Ho would have preferred a higher rate of speed than is stipulated for, but he points out that .provision!is made in tho contract for increasing the speed in the, event of much faster boats being .run by other contracting companies. : The Federal Treasurer thinks that.' the .contract will ,be , :favourably regarded by Parliament! ~ 'The; Orient Company, he remarked, had served Australia well, and there was a general feeling that it would ho cause for regret if the company bad to drop out of a trade that it had done so much to develop. Indeed, the Mossrs. Anderson were anxious not only that their steamers should continue to be associated with the Commonwealth, Wit that the -company should be practically an Australian one. Under the circumstances Australians might yet have the pleasure of seeing the Orient mailboats flying the Australian Hag.. Throughout the negotiations the 'Messrs. Anderson had shown a desire to meet the wishes of the Federal authorities as far as possible. The contract provided that the 'boats should go on to Brisbane;'that six calls should be mado at liobart during' the summer; and that ample cool storago accoiiimo'-; datjon should bo provided for the carriage of perishable products at specified rates. "Sir William.Lyno regards the arrangements made 'concerning' the carriage of- perishables as most important, and as the equivalent of a large slico of the extra subsidy.