The Fielding Star. THURSDAY, JULY 23, 1885. San Francisco Mails

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 18, 23 July 1885, Page 2

The Fielding Star. THURSDAY, JULY 23, 1885. San Francisco Mails

Steong opposition has been shown in all parts of the colony, with the exception of Auckland, to the continuation of the payment of a subsidy of £30,000 to the San -Francisco mail contractor. Mr Sutter, the member for Gladstone, in the House on Tuesday, gave notice that when the House went into Committee to consider the proposal for the San Francisco mail subsidy he would move as an amendment, " That the figures and words £30,000 be struck out with the view of inserting the following figures and words, ' that the Postmaster-General will pay to the contracting party at the following rates : — Letters, 12s per lb ; packets, Is per lb ; newspapers, 6d per lb.' " The only benefit this colony has received by this service has been the carriage of European mails with a certain degree of punctuality. The trade relations of the contracting parties have not been extended in the degree hoped for when the service was inaugurated. Mr Duthie, in the Chamber of Commerce, Wellington, on Monday last, in dealing with this subject, made the following very forcible remarks : — Mr Duthie proposed the following i resolution : — " That, in the opinion of this Chamber, the San Francisco mail service has ceased to be of importance, , and, in the general interests of the colony, it is desirable that arrangements should ; be made for a fortnightly direct service." ] In support of the resolution, Mr Duthie said statistics went to show that the trade ' of the colony with America was not pro- [ greseive. All importers were awaro that the same trade with the United States '. would continue if the San Francisco route , were done away with to-morrow. The gam by that route was not very great. | The average time was supposed to t>e 37 , days, but it was more than that, for the average during the last six months had j been 38J days. The average by tke , direct steamers had lately been 41 days ; ; so that there was only a gain of two and , a half days by the San Francisco route. On the homeward route the balance was , rather in favor of the direct service. There , were very few passengers by the San Francisoo route, and the average tonnage ] of goods brought to the colony was only about 100 tons, mostly consisting ef tinned \ fish. The disbursements by the San Fran- ' cisco steamers amounted to very little. They stayed four or five hours in Auckland, and then went on to Sydney, where they took in their supplies and did their coaling. The direct steamers visited three of the principal ports ia the colony, and the disbursements in connection with ; each vessel amounted to £5000 or £6000. 1 There was a depreciation in most of the 1 staple articles which the colony produced. Wheat, wool and tallow had fallen vary considerably. Sheep were the only things which the farmer raised that had maintained their value. Had they declined in price too, the results would have been disastrous to the whole colony. The development of the frozen meat trade had helped to tide the colony over great difficulties. That trade could never have been 1 developed hod it not been for the direct • steamers. If the mail subsidy given to ' the San Francisco mail steamers could be diverted to the other steamers, it ougkt to be done. Mr Dutuie's resolution was carried. __________