SWIFT STEAMERS.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 121, 17 November 1894, Page 2

SWIFT STEAMERS.

■■■■ ■ - ' ♦ Thk P. and O. Company's new steamer Caledonia will, it ie calculated, land the mails at Bombay in twelve aud a half days from London, and at Adelaide in twenty fiye. Truly, of all nineteenth century triumphs of skill or Bcience none can show the Maine r«curd of marked a»d continuous advance us does that of marine architecture and ocean travel. And there iv uutbiug of so much importance t o those colonies as this practical reduction of the distance between the producer and the markets of the world, Unfortunately for us, the other count ries are maintaining the same ratio in point of time, bo that relatively, and in so far as freights are concerned, we gain no advantage over our com meicial rivals. It would be better, we think, if the colonial G vernments auhsitrised fewer lines and aimod mure at necuriug greater speed With th« improvements in marine engines, increase of epepd does not mean so much increase of cost for fuel as formerly, a email coal consumption heing une of the chief features in these marvels of engineering. Our Governments devote plenty of time to the question of quick mail transit, but reduction in the time and cost of convening pur produce, which is of the very highest (mpprt.nnce, is not sufficiently considered. True, in a tnea&ute, t be two are inseparable, but with us, not to the extent they might be. The modern Atlantic liner*, and Buch vessels as the Caledonia, oombino quick and cheap transit for both passengers and goods, and that is tho gin it necessity of the hour. It would pay the colonies to give very large bonuses to securo the moat porfect shipping facilities that money can provide, for our buccbsb for years to come omut depend on foreign markets, am! in order to hold these markets eyary effort must be made to reduce fr ighu to \lis lowest possible point.