SAN FRANCISCO.

Evening Star, Issue 4191, 2 August 1876, Page 4

SAN FRANCISCO.

(From our dm Correspondent.)

(Concluded.)

June 21-, 1876. . . This exposure led to a correspondence in thtr? Chronicle,’ in which an old Ne?w Zea- ' V conversant with the whole frbhi a Colonial 'point of view, 'i ctnijated public opinion, with the result of theUne 'at present running, although for ’ i several days there were'grave doubts on the Bttbject. 1-he publib spirit and enterprise* of • New Zealand were dwelt upon and acknow- '• ledgbd by another correspondent Jong settled fix California,-but the coastal service and the Fiji fork, were condemned. The following the letter signed “New Zea- ' i»M'” will show the line taken, and may __Jmt©r eat your readers;—“ Now, as I imderbSttioh; it is this-t The- new directory will not;-force the company into ' liquidation, but xeaervea to - itself the tight °bt making default in "the Ans- ' NW Zealand contract, because /xt happens to ,be a feeder to the overland routes, and not to the -Panama railway and its -marine connections. If I am correct in •. thitf opinion (and I think the facts warrant the result will be damaging to the trade • - and i: commerce of San Francisco, for I am Certain that henceforward no . American •_ ■ isi&unj»hip proprietary will get a subsidy ■ from an Australian Colony ; and it is more ~tha u Probable that the passenger traffic will i'r'fi* ■ 'tw- ttie' Eastern and ov&v-sea limit beyond which«veu credulity caundt be stretched,

and in this been fairly reached. .When Messrs Hall and Webb and their combinations respectively made default, the Colonies magnanimously passed it by j should, however, the Pacific Mail Company follow their example, the contract penalties will’most certainly be en* forced, and the growing trade between the Australian group of Colonies and the Pacific slope will be nipped in the bud. This .may be a light matter for Eastern speculator^; it is no light matter for California. The

Pacific slope is attracting men of Colonial experience to its, shores, who btfng skill, energy, and capital t» the development of its vast natural bnjbtins steadily growing emigration: will be: stopped should faith not be kept with the subsidising Colonies by the Pacific Mail Company. And hero It may be right to mention that the. governments of New Zealand and New South Wales provoked considerable opposition,- by accepting the Pacific Mail Company’s tender, when tbe service might havetbeen given to a Colonially owned and managed company. A s one who voted for the contract as it stands, and who

endeavored for years to extend the trading intercourse between No# Zealand and San Francisco, I wonld be greatly disappointed to think that the- liberality and good faith of the Colonies are treated, simply as, factors in speculative combinations of Wall street operators. San Francisco, however, has a direct interest in this matter, and should make its influence felt. , The Press of San Francisco, which has always been unanimous in advocating measures calculated to benefit, the community at large, will, 1 trust, make common cause, and insist that good faith is kept with the Australian Colonies, which represent greater wealth, in proportion to population than any new country exceptCalifornia. As a proof of this I quote the following statistics from official documents, which are at the service of anyone who may desire to verify the figures. Thus, for the year 1874 ■ . Population 2,213,100

Revenue 863,178.940 luports '. 8224,686,565 Exports .....1....,;.;.;. $214,507,300 Miles of railway •■'pen 1,781 Miles of 1 elegiaph open . 22,038 then New Zealand alone has completed several hundred miles of railway, and will have over 1,000 miles constructed before the end of the present year. In addition Lo which New Zealand, New s outh Wales and Queensland (three of the Australasian group) have laid over 1,200 miles of cable, connecting New Zealand with the telegraph system on the Australian mainland, and thence with the commercial world. These are facts which Californians ought to know. The Australasian trade is chiefly done with Great Britain, but the United States tariff is wholly to blame for this. That, however, is a political ‘ question with which I have nothing to say ; but as an old colonist I am concerned in the success of tha mail service between the United Kingdom and Austra lasia via San Francisco. Should uncertainty prevail as hitherto the passenger traffic which has begun to set this way will go by the Eastern route via Torres Straits, under the Queensland subsidy, connecting with the P. and 0. boats at Shanghai, or by the P, and 0,. line direet from Australia lo Galle, or lastly by direct ocean steamers touching' at ;the Cape of' Good Hope. Indeed, an influential party, in the New Zealand* Legislature is in favor of subsidising a direct line of steamers to England by way of Magellan ’Straits, and from my

knowledge of, its moving spirits I should not be surprised to learn that the sOheme was generally supported, if Wall street speculators continue to shuttlecock the Australian contract. Doubtless thp contract requires modification, and any reasonable proposal for that object would, ; most probably be favorably entertained by the Governments interested.” ; And now one word regarding Trenor K. Park, who has beaten Jay Gould at his own weapons. He is a mighty speculator, not over nice or particular, and was the operator who went to London and worked the Emma Mine swindle. He has presently control of .the Panama Railway and Transit Companies, and has been able to run Gould to earth ; .but these are hot the parties with which the Colonies can deal for a mail service for a lorn term of years. They may be “ dead broke’ any day, and then this hew combinatiqh maj repudiate, and what then ? That poda . connection with England- via San Francisco should be kept up I have no doubt, hut ] fear that the present - arrangement will noi continue much longer. There is no stability about anything, and the company's Staff b quite demoralised. I doh t think New Zealand may bereaftei look to California, or indeed to the Unitec States at all as a wool market. Wool is t glut in the market, and in the San Joaquin valley, the flock-masters have taken to boil ing-down. The wool of the present year has gone to market but no buyers. The. greatei part still remains unsold. It has occasioned unusually bard times in the country, as nothing could be expected from the agricnl. tural products before July, Many of them are disposing of their flocks for what thej can get, and we hear of sales as low as fifty cents per head, although the pelts would bring that price. Slaughter pens are being established, and' the flesh of the animals is being converted into tallow and so disposed of. This is fiom the ‘Courier Californian,’ June 15, and it is in accord with other testimony. This state of things has been brought about by the general stagnation in Europe, the stoppage of mills in the Enst, and the money panic in ’Frisco. Bui throughout the States generally there is & gradual increase in production and quality of wool, which will shut out Colonial clip, to say nothing of the tariff. England is the maket for Colonial wool. Small-pox is prevalent 1 here, thirty-seven fresh oases being reported last week. The Chinese spread the contagion, and there appears to be a great deal of laxity on the part of the authorities. One may be riding in a street car beside a person suffering from variolo, so it often happens, therefore, one must take his chance and be thankful he escapes contagion. Business is exceedingly dull, although a stranger would hardly think so, but those familiar with the place say that never since gold was discovered has San Francisco-been so depressed. The harvest may bring relief, the mines appear to be powerless in that direction, possibly owing to the big steals that have been made diming the last two years. NetrS arrived here on Monday of the death of Dr Featherston, Agent-General for New Zealand, and should the cable not be spliced very soon, you will hear of it first by this route.

Every one talks Centennial, and it will be a positive relief when the 4bh July is over. The 101st anniversary of the Battle of Bunker’s Hill was observed here last Friday with military display, Arous. .