The Feilding Star. TUESDAY FEBRUARY 26, 1884 The English Mail

Feilding Star, Volume V, Issue 23, 26 February 1884, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY FEBRUARY 26, 1884 The English Mail

The establishment of direct steam service with England and New Zealand has mado it possible for soino alterations to be made in tho plan of forwarding the mails, whereby a gain of several days over the San Francisco service can bo made. The first difficulty which has presented itself is that of rcd-tnpi«n in tho London Post Office. This ha;; been partially ovorcorac by the Agent-General of Victoria, who entered a protest against letters being detained to be forwarded via San Francisco, when opportunities were offered of forwarding them by direct steamer which would deliver them some days earlier at their destination. Some comment has been made ancnt forwarding letters by any other than that by which they may be specially addressed. We hold that in such casos there is only one course to follow, which is to carry out as nearly as possible the declared wishes of the persons forwarding such letters, except in cases where they are impracticable from war, shipwreck, or other material cause. When letters arc not so specially addressed, it is clearly enough the desire and intention of the writers that they should go forward by the first and quickest opportunity. Tho working of the new contract for the San Francisco service is not an entire success, and loss of time has already occurred. We learn from tho Post that the Homeward San Francisco mail which left Wellington on the Gth ult., and Auckland on the Bth, and which should have reached Tendon on the lGth inst., was not delivered until the 19th, three days late. The transit from New Zealand occupied 42 days as against 39 by tho unsubsidized steamship Tongariro, which went home about the same time, or as 40 by the lonic and Doric, and 41 by the British King. So far the unsubsidized direct Now Zealand steamers have beaten the subsidized American steamers into fits. The renewed San Francisco service, which was to be such an improvement on that under the expired contract proves rather worse than any better. Not that even so it is at all a bad service. On the contrary, we frankly admit that the San Francisco service has been, on the whole, conducted with creditable speed and punctuality. But events have developed fast in the last few yours, and the question now is, not as to the positive merits or demerits of one sole service, but its relative charactor as compared with several other highly efficient rival lines. The new San Francisco contract professes to introduce a distinct improvement in the service. This has not yet been effected. The contract is, however, only of a tentative or provisional character, while its extension after this year it expressly made conditional upon a marked acceleration boing effected, and upon the United States contributing a fair portion of the cost. Unless both of these conditions shall be amply fulfilled, it is utterly unlikely that New South Wales will consent to be a party to any extension beyond this year, and it would be folly for New Zealand to undertake the sole responsibility, seeing that a fortnightly direct service, equally quick, if not quicker, will almost certainly be available on moderate terms. Even should all the conditions be satisfied, it will still be an open question whether the transference of the regular mail service to tlie direct steamers would not be, in any case, the more judicious, economical, and convenient course. I