The Globe. SATURDAY, JULY 22, 1876.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 653, 22 July 1876, Page 2

The Globe. SATURDAY, JULY 22, 1876.

From a telegram published in our issue of last .evening from Dunedin, we learn that the fact of the City of New "£ork entering Port Chalmers without touching was made the subject of great jubilation by the Dunedin Press. Evidently they were agreeably surprised, and hence their joy. That an event such as a steamer entering harbour without touching the bottom should thus be made cause for rejoicing, goes far we think to prove that the harbour is not so. safe and easily accessible as it has been endeavoured to be made out. There can be no doubt that the event was as unexpected as it appears to have been welcome. However this may be, it seems quite clear that the coastal trips of the mail steamers should he discontinued. And this for many reasons which we will endeavour to state. No good end is served by the mail boats being sent down the coast at all. The distribution and collection of the mails can be performed better and more expeditiously by our own coasting steamers. They are commanded by gentlemen thoroughly acquainted with every part of the coast, and who have for years been engaged in the trade. The vessels themselves are more suitable alike from their smaller size and greater adaptability to the rougher waters of New Zealand than the mail boats. The latter are built with a view to the navigation of the calm waters of the Pacific, and are therefore totally unfitted to cope with the heavy weather likely to he met with in the New Zealand waters, particularly in. winter. The long passages made by some of them between the coastal ports in case of rough weather, is a proof of the truth of this. Owing to this the delivery of the mails has in some instances been delayed fortyeight hours, whereas had it been one have—oeeir g&tflfflA&bxtiy* would The contractors themselves feel this, and urge this as a reason to the Government for discontinuing the coastal service by their boats. But not only is the public inconvenienced, hut a very large colonial undertaking is ignored, and a subsidised rival introduced against it by the Government, The steam companies of New Zealand not only do good by the money earned being kept in the colony, but they are also large employers of labour, and in other ways contribute to the general prosperity. They have therefore a perfect right to ask that at least they shall he placed in a position to derive any benefit which may accrue from the spending of public money. More especially is this the case when the expenditure goes entirely out of the colony and into the pockets of foreign shareholders. For this reason, therefore, looking to the fact that they are fully capable to perform the service with efficiency, we think that the Government should place the coastal service in the hands of our local companies. The public would be benefited in that they would receive their mails quicker, and the subsidy would be spent in New Zealand instead of going directly out of it. It will be observed that in giving our reasons for advocating a change, we have not mentioned one very important point, viz., the unsuitability of the port selected for the terminus. On this point the captains of the Zealandia and the Australia speak very plainly. The former says that in his opinion it is not a port to be entered safely and successfully by vessels of such large size as the mail boats. The latter speaks even more strongly, pointing to the fact that his vessel grounded going into Port Chalmers, and on another occasion bad to wait outside the harbour nine hours for the mails. These facts seem to us to point most conclusively to the one thing, viz, that the coastal service by the large boats is a mistake. The contractors themselves feel it to be so, and unless it is altered will probably decline to proceed further with it. Therefore it becomes imperative that the Government should at once take steps to alter the system and transfer the service to the proper boats, viz., our own coasting steamers,