CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2382, 19 November 1870, Page 2

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Yesterday. In the course of the proceedings at the annual meeting of the Chamber of Commerce yesterday, Mr George M‘Lcan gave a re*umc of bis experience on the San Francisco route, of which the following is the substance : lb was reported in different newspapers that the distance between Great Britain and .Auckland could be traversed in thirty-six days ; but that was impossible. He sailed from Liverpool, and it took 11 [ days to reach their port in America. That would be 12 days from London. It took (>3 days to roach San Francisco. From San Francisco to Honolulu required lOdaysmorc, and 18 days were required from Honolulu to Auckland. Four days more would be require 1 from Auckland t 1 Dunedin. That would be supposing there were no delay. It would take 50 days from Liverpool to Dunedin without a single stoppage on the road. On his passage they wcr6 detaiiv-d six days at Honolulu. The ISth of the month was tho last day on which a mail would leave London so as to catch tho steamers. Compared with the Suez route, by which letters are delivered in London on Tuesday night in 43 days, it will show that the Suez line is the line for the Middle Island of New Zealand, The distance from San Francisco to Auckland is 5,1)00 miles, which at tho rate of sailing of the Peninsula and Oriental boats 9 miles an hour, would require 274 days, supposing they went in a straight line, which is impossible. The route from Honolulu to Auckland was 3,836 miles, in an unusually straight lino ; and between Honolulu and San Francisco they traversed 2,200 miles, going against 2102 coming back. On one line, the Atlantic had to be crossed, on the other the Red *ca must be traversed. On the passage from Honolulu, the cabins were filled with a low class of sugar, which made them almost unbearable, but so far as “grub” was concerned it was favorable. The steamers are rigged to suit the coast work. On tho voyage the shaft broke, 1200 miles from laud, and the engineer said that such important repairs had never been done at sea before. The proper way in which the route would be carried out, would be by Fiji, an> I such a route was all New Zealand could afford. He urged the Chamber to use their endeavours to got an alteration in the mail route so as to have letters via Suez. Mr Walcott remarked that the committee had done all they possibly could to ensure the despatch of the mails bywwa r of Suez. They had communicated with the Colonial Government through the Superintendent, but without avail. The General Government appeared to be so wedded to the San Francisco service, that they would do nothing to encourage the mails being brought via Suez. Mr M ‘Loan was afraid that the Superintendent was the wrong channel through which to communicate, because it was he who caused the Sau Francisco service to be started, and was the means’of the Melbourne subsidies being withdrawn. As to the service to Port Chalmers, it was more than the Colony could possibly afford, and he thought a line could he got very reasonably by New Zealand contenting itself with a branch line from the Fijis. In deference to the chairman’s opinion, he could not propose a motion on the subject, but won'd leave it to the committee to call a mooting of the Chamber to consider the question of the mail services. The subject then dropped, I *