THE NEW POSTAL CONTRACT.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2528, 24 March 1871, Page 2

THE NEW POSTAL CONTRACT.

We have received a copy of the contract signed on the 6th of February last between the Postmaster-General and Messrs Webb and Holliday. It was executed by Mr Stewart on beh If of Messrs Webb and Holliday, and was confirmed by Mr W. H. Webb on February 11 tb, a stipulation being made by him that the steamers might remain 24 hours at Honolulu to coal. The principal provisions may be summarised as follows : The service is to be called “The United States, New Zealand, and Australian Mail Steam Service is to run between San Francisco and New Zealand ; to commence at San Francisco on a day during March next, to be settled hereafter by the parties, and continued for ten years, power being given to the Postmaster-General to determine the contract at the end of three years, if the Assembly refuse to ratify it for a longer time, notice of such refusal to ratify to be given within six months after the first vessel under the contract arrives at Wellington ; but the Government binds itself to use its best endeavors to obtain a ratification of the contract for the full period. The vessels to be employed are the Nevada, Nebraska, Dacotah, and Moses Taylor, which

are to be fitted, as first-cla-s maxi and pas senger steam vessels, and there is the usual provision for substituting other approved vessels in cases of emergency. A steamer is to leave San Francisco and Port Chalmers respectively every twenty-eight days, proceeding to Port Chalmers and San i'raucisco respectively by way of and calling at Auckland, Wellington, and Lyttelton ; and the only other places of call are to be at any of the Hawaiian. Society, or Navigation Islands, as the contractors may appoint, and such calling places shall only be altered with thc consent of the Postmaster-General. The time (including stoppages) for the entire voyage shall not exceed 57(3 hours (twenty-four hours allowed for coaling at Honolulu), and the contractors ax*c to use all possible diligence and despatch to d pa;t from Auckland, and thereafter to perform the voyage between Auckland and 1. ort Chalmers v-ithin 100 hours, including stoppages, and are subject to a fine of L2 per hour for every hour’s unnecessary delay, a further line of L‘2 per hour for every hour the vc sel is behind contract time, unless a reasonable excuse can be shewn, and are entitled to a bonus of L2 for every hour los than the contract time within .winch any service is performed between San Francisco and Auckland or Man Francisco and Sydney. A ve-scl in connection with the service, and to be equal in every respect to th; service steamers, is t-> run every twenty eight, days between Auckland and Sydney, and, if reqni cd so to do hy the Postmaster-Geueixil, the contractors shall, or at their own option tlxey may, run this steamer from Sydn.y to Melbourne ; but the Postmaster-General binds himself only to require such additional service in the event of the Victorian Government agreeing to contribute 1/2,"). 000 a ycxr, which sum is to be equally divide I between the New Zealand Govcrnm nt and the contractors. The Government are to pay L 50.000 a year for the complete services, which are to comprise thirteexx trips. If during the first four months after the date fixed for the commencement of the service, the contractors are unable to run a vessel from Auckland to .Sydney or Melbourne, the payment by New Zealand is to be L 40.000. During the first year of the sirviee on'y, the contractors have power to send the San Francisco boat on to Sydney and Melbourne, in which case the Sydney boat is to come fco Pgrt Chalmers and take the succeeding outward mail to Sgn Francisco, ihe Post-master-General only has power- to make ar-r-mgcmcixts with the Governnjents, anq tl;c Government of New Caledonia, and all subsidies j-peeiyed in respect of these arrangements SU’ G to bn diy'ids I equally bfitwecu the New Zealand Government and the cunUa.ctoi-o. There is the usual stipulation for alteration of the tiixxe table, and thx-ee clan- cs delining the manner in wh'ch the contract money, and bonuses shall be paid. A stiamer can be detained by the Postmaster-General or his officers for 48 hours at San and for 24 hou s at any port in New Zealand or Australia As in the last contract, the contractors agr.e, subject to a penalty of LIOOO a year, t * procure from the United States an exemp | tion from all the charges fur mails between | San Francsco and London ated between New York and San Francisco which are now imposed under the convention between the Lmiti d States and Great Britain. The contractois also agree to use their b.sfc endexvurs to secure a concession under which wool t.lxc produce of any Colony contributing to ~ ■* —U«idv .and the fibre of the, Phortho man ' • ■ xr QW Zj . a;Vlul shaU maim hnwx produced in be a luxj ted into the United States u.. , free. The contractors are under a band of L-2d,000 for the dun performance of the contract,