FRISCO MAIL SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 915, 7 September 1910, Page 8

FRISCO MAIL SERVICE.

AND THE SPRECKELS BOATS 1 ; ' IS THERE AN AGREEMENT? ' (By Teiegraph.-Special Correspondent.* Auckland, September 6. When the s.s. Mariposa left San Francisco .for Tahiti on her last trip active preparations were (according to an announcement in tho "Herald" to-day) going on for the renewal of the Spreckols service between that port and Auckland and Sydney, via Honolulu and Pago Pago, the 'American port in Samoa: It is not'known whether the-Oceanic Company, of whiah Mr.'. Spreckols is thohead, knew anything at that time about the twelvemonths' .contract that has recently been entered into between the New Zealand Government and tho Union Company, but it is significant that Sir Janics ,A[ills went to England by way of San Francisco, and that he had a conference with the head of the Oceanic Company. Whether,. as a result of that couferencei or not, it was hardly concluded, before it was - reported that the • Spreckols steamers would shortly be running again, and it is possible/that some arrangement has been made between, the Union, 'and' Oceanic Companies.' . . ;'..'■ Ventura and Sonoma to Run. On the other hand it may be the in : tentian to/'ruh ,the boats' quite, independent of any service via Papeete, which is a most unpopular run with the'; travelling public. At all. events.it. was stated by Mr.. Spreckels, before the Mariposa left San Francisco on her last trip, that the Ventura and:Sonoma would,.in all probability,, be running. again .about. Jan : uary . next, quite ; irrespective of ' the United States Ship Subsidy Bill,''the fate of which still hangs in the balance. .'Mr.-' Samuels, ; general ' manager for Messrs. J. D. Spreckels and Co., was on the Mariposa just before she sailed, and was.,questioned by a passenger on the subject, but ho declined to commit- himself 'beyond saying'that the use .'of oil had made a great many things possible that were impossible before. ' From .other sources, however, it was learned that the Oceanic Company proposed to incur heavy expense in equipping the Ventura'and Sonoma.. as ■ oil- . carrying steamere. Since the old'servicecame / to, an. end, these steamers have' been/laid.up: at San'.Francisco, and, as a crew had to be kept on each of them, considerable loss has resulted. It is understood that they have recently been thoroughly overhauled. The Sierra, has already, been x fitted up at a.-cost of i£30,000;-'and. is''now, '/running -, between San Francisco and Honolulu,' haying replaced the Alameda, w'hich has been sold to .the Alaska Shipping Company. ■ This company is also desirous of acquiring the Mariposa, which is now subsidised, by, the. French. Government... ,;:

. Change Due/to Oil Fuel. '.'"lt was estimated : that the' necessary alterations in the Ventura and Sonoma would cost more than on tho : Sierra— probably iC40,000. in each the difference in .the consumption of oil, as against,coal,would soon pay for.this in the' employment of labour alone. On boats like the Ventura' and Sonoma, a saving' of <£500. a month can be made, and the' cost of oil fuel is only about one-, third of/that of. coal. : It was proposed, to erect: storage tanks for oil at Honolulu, the steamers carrying sufficient: oil. from that station to take 'them to Sydney and back, while possibly, also, quantities' of, oil would "be- stored -v at . Pago', Pago. .Further- than this, inquiries .were to be made as to,whether it would be. possible to obtain,oil from the Taranaki fields.