The Globe. MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 1874.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 78, 31 August 1874, Page 2

The Globe. MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 1874.

Tile account of the San Francisco Mail Service, furnished by a special correspondent to the New Zealand Herald , reveals a state of muddle and mismanagement beyond anything we ever heard of in connection with a subsidised mail service. Every department connected with the service is at loggerheads with some other department, and we need hardly say that the quickness of the transit of the mails is not improved b} r this state of affairs, whilst, of course, the unfortunate passengers suffer tremendously. The accounts given by the correspondent, whose letter we publish this evening, show this in the clearest manner; passengers who had paid for through tickets were compelled to find their own way across the continent of America, and as of course few of them were under the impression that they would have to pay again for this part of the trip, some of them were reduced to the most awkward straits; one gentleman seems to have been in such bad case, that he was obliged even to dispose of his personal jewellery in order to enable him to proceed on his road. Such a complication seems to have arisen about the boats too, that the passengers could not be certain that they would not be compelled to pay their passage money over again, and who are at present the owners of the steamers seems ..to be a mystery. The Tartar which has just brought the last San Francisco mail, was dispatched by Messrs Williams and Blanchard, owners for her agents, who started her on her voyage on behalf of the Government of New South Wales and New Zealand, and entirely ignored the Australian and American Mail Service Company, The letter we publish says, on the arrival of the Mikado, due at San Francisco on the 3rd August, (he story of the Tartar will be repeated. Pleasant news this for people who may have taken return tickets from New Zealand, and who may arrive at San Francisco intending to finish their return trip by the Mikado. In the case of the Panama Service, we are aware of several gentlemen having taken return tickets from New Zealand, and being unable to return by the route which they had taken on their home-' ward voyage, in consequence of the collapse of the service whilst they were still in England. These unfortunate gentleman had to pay their own fares out' again by any route they thought fit, aud from that day to this have never received a penny on account of their return tickets. We suppose the case will be the same in the present service, and that the unfortunates who have taken return tickets, for the sake of cheapness, will find themselves in the position of having to find their way out again as best they can, and so of course be led into an expense that they have carefully tried to avoid. The fact is, that every thing shows that public confidence in this line is entirely destroyed, aud that it will be a very long time before the people of New Zealand will again believe in the rapidity and comfort of a mail service via San Francisco, no matter by whom the line is forced on to the public.