NEW POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1537, 21 January 1879, Page 3

NEW POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS.

[Special Wire.]

Wellington, January 20. The Postal Department lias juet completed arrangements with the Union Steam Shipping Company for testing a proposed new scheme in connection with the English mail (San Francisco) postal time table. At the present time tho service is performed by the Rotorua or '} araraa as necessity occasions, and but one boat is employed and proceeds up the East Coast to ensure arriving in; Auckland in due time. The mail steamer leaves Port Chalmers on the Thursday and all ports between Napier and Auckland are missed, the residents having to get their letters to Auckland indirectly aa best they can. Tho new proposal of the department, and which is to be tested on the occasion of the next outward moil, is to employ more than one coastal mail steamer. The Rotorua, which is to go up tho East Coast to catch the mail steamer leaving Auckland on February 4th at 2 p.m., will leave Port Chalmers on "Wednesday. Her time table will be as follows :—Leave Port Chalmers, Wednesday, January 2!)th; leave Lyttolton, Thursday, January 30th; Wellington, Friday, January 31st; Napier, Saturday, February' Ist; Gisborne, Sunday, February 2nd ; Tauranga, Monday, February 3rd; arriving at Auckland, Tuesday, February 4th. This steamer will convey mails from Napi.er, Gisborne, and Tuuranga, tho two latter places, as previously indicated, for the first time having an opportunity of forwarding direct to Auckland San Francisco correspondence, but Napier losing a day. The other steamer, tho Wanaka, it is proposed, slnll leave Port Chalmers with the Southern rnail3 on Friday, January 31st, arriving at Wellington on Sunday, February 2nd. The mails brought by her will immediately be transhipped to the steamer Wellington, which will at once leave direct for Taranaki and Manukau, arriving at tho latter port on Tuesday morning. The time table by this route will therefore bo as follows :—Leave Port Chalmers Friday, January 31st; Lyttelton, Saturday, February Ist; Wellington, Sunday, February 2nd; Taranaki, Monday, February 3rd; arrives at Manakau Tuesday, February 4th. To make the connection with tho West Coast, Nelson, and Picton good, the Wellington will leave Nelson on Saturday, February Ist, arriving at Wellington on Snnday morning for the purpose of receiving tranship, ments from the Wanaka. The result of this change will bo to give Invercargill, Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Nelson, Taranaki, and the up-country districts in connection therewith at least a day later for mail correspondence, besides admitting certain ports to a benefit never previously enjoyed by them. Napier alone will be tho loser of a day.