THE CALIFORNIAN MAIL SERVICE.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2204, 31 May 1870, Page 2

THE CALIFORNIAN MAIL SERVICE.

THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL’S EXPLANATIONS. (by electric telegraph.) A very large deputation waited on the Hon. the Postmaster-General yesterday to ascertain the views of the General Government on the resolutions passed _ at the public meeting recently held in Wellington on the subject of the Californian mail service. Mr E. B. Pearce presented the resolutions and other papers connected with them, and in doing so made a few remarks, the substance of which was that the deputation were not hostile to the Government, nor mixed up with those who condemned the Government for entering into a contract with Mr Hall. The Postmaster-General in reply said he was glad to have the opportunity of explaining a subject about’which there had been so much misrepresentation. The contract with Mr Hal! would cost little or nothing of the reduced cost of the Suca service be taken into account. He was apxious to enter into the contract, because be had reason to suppose that otherwise the line would go by the Fijis, and New Zealand be only a branch line. The contract at any rate could not be a loss, the first service having been a success. It was not his fault that the vessel had been overcrowded. Mr Collie called on him at Auckland, and heunderstoodfromhim that in San Francisco there was a light going on between Mr Webb and Mr Hall’s friends, Messrs Halliday, Bremar, and Co., and that Mr Webb wanted to dispose M vessels which by the opening of the Pacific railway had been put out of employment. From Honolulu Mr Hall wrote favourably. It was quite possible that he had already arranged with Mr Webb or Mr Halliday, subject to the approval of the Government. Mr Hall’s contract was so stringent that he could do nothing without the consent of the Government. As Postmaster-General he (Mr Vogel) did not wish to be sanguine ; he would say no more than that it is quite possible that a satisfactory arrangement had been made. He congratulated the deputation ou their public spirit, but he was not sure that the action taken vyould pot bo injurious. First, it was a pity that the Colony should be mixed up with the local jealousies of Melbourne and Sydney, Secondly, Mr Collie had been led to expect that his large demand was reasonable ; whilst he (the PostmasterGeneral) had assured Mr Collie that he could not expect such an amount, even if Mr Hall’s contract broke down. Touching the opinion of the Government they looked on securing a direct service as the most important, and the port of call as a secondary matter. At present they are quite content with Mr Hall’s contract, but would, if allowed, like to see the steamers, after touch-

mg at Auckland, proceed to Welhngto', Lyttelton, and Port Chalmers, with branch steamers from the Manakau to Melbourne and Sydney. The Port Chalmers graving dock would sodn be completed. This would be a thoroughly colonial service ; the Government were determiued to have nothing to do with any service which did not place New Zealand in direct route with San Francisco. If the route was to be by way of the Fijis then let some other colony arrange it. He tried at Sydney to persuade Mr Hall to proceed from Auckland to Wellington, thence to Lyttelton and Otago. He was sure that was the best route, and he presumed JWellington would not object to vessels going to Lyttelton instead of Melbourne. The Government could not agree with the resolution that it was of the highest importance that the route should be to Melbourne. They would not unite with the Victorian Government in recommending a Melbourne line to the prejudice of the present contract, and would not consent to a subsidy such as Mr Collie asked. If Mr Hall broke down, the Government would do their best under those circumstrnces. |He believed the United States would stipulate for the Fijis, but the New Zealand Government would adhere to a direct route.

Mr Pearce thanked the Postmaster-Gene-ral for the information he had given. He was not authorised to speak for the whole deputation, but thought he might confidently say they would be .-highly pleased with the steamers calling first at Auckland and then at the other New Zealand ; ort?. They were not bound to Mr Collie and were prepared to insist upon a direct route.