THE DIRECT STEAM SERVICE.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1573, 5 March 1879, Page 3

THE DIRECT STEAM SERVICE.

[“ New Zealand Herald.”] It cannot be objected to Mr Macandrew that he speculates on dangerous theories, and sets up either for a far-reaching philosopher on his own account or as a student of the advanced ideas of others. He has sever favored the world with his opinions on the subject of an elective Governor; he has not urged people to educate their minds on that question for the future in the distance ; he has no particular views about the unearned increment, and does not profess to know so accurately its whereabouts as to be able at any moment to put his hand upon it; nor does he occupy himself with constructing Utopias wherein all the soil of a country belongs to the State, as representing the whole com munity, and each man thinks only of the good of others. Mr Macandrew’s temperament and genius lead quite in another direction, and he is not likely to do much mischief by attempting to put in force the sociological theories of Mr Herbert Spencer, or any other man. But Mr Macandrew is dangerous in anothea way. Mere abstract speculation of a metaphysico-political kind is not at all in his line, but he has a dangerous speculative mania, of a species with which we in the colonies are more familiar than with the philosophic sort. All who know the history of Otago know the history of Mr Macandrew, the most prominent feature in whose character is an ardent desire to advance the place and community of which he is in charge. A splendid trait this is, indeed ; but a virtue in excess becomes a vice, and throughout his whole career Mr Macandrew has been fond of embarking in speculations which were premature by many years, and which, therefore, when he did manage to get them set going, collapsed, causing disaster and calamity. For some years Mr Macandrew has had a notion, which he has several times brought before the House and the c untry, that it would bo a splendid thing for New Zealand to have a direct steam service to London. The port in New Zealand at which the steamers would touch is not specified, but that is a settled matter in Mr Macandrew’s mind for Dunedin. Mr Macandrew has now, through Sir Julius Yogel and Mr Larnach. commenced a negotiation in England with a view of establishing a direct service, and the facts which have been elicited, and which we pub lished on Wednesday last, make it pretty clear, we think, that nothing further should bo done in the matter. Messrs. Galbraith and Denny have considered the proposals, and have furnished a memorandum on the subject. It is estimated that a service by the Cape of Good Hope could be performed by steamers to be built on the Clyde, at a cost of £115,000 each ; that they could do the outward trip (the service to be each alternate month) in forty-two days, the passenger rates to be—Saloon, £7O; second-class, £35; and steerage, £l9, —the Government guaranteeing to find a specified number of steerage pas sengers (immigrants) for the outward trips. This last item must not be lost sight of, as it would form no inconsiderable item in the cost of the service, and would bind the Government to pay heavy sums on account of immigrants, whether the colony might at any particular time want them or not. The first and most important question is, what would such a service cost P We are told that “ a yearly subsidy of about £BO 000 from the colony to the contractors would be required to carry out the service,” that is, we presume, not taking into account the amount we would have to pay for the immigrants guaranteed. The sum is more than double what we have to pay for the San Francisco service. It is preposterous to suppose that the colony could carry on both services, and indeed Mr Macandrew would, now that the mail-boats do not go down the coast to Port Chalmers, be glad to see the San Francisco service “ knocked on the head ” as soon as possible. The notion which Mr Macandrew had of the sum which it would take to carry out his proposal can also be seen by the statement that the payment for immigrants would defray the cost of the service ; but no doubt he will still argue that the project should be gone on with when he finds that it is to cost £BO,OOO. This new service would bo useless as a mail line, for at its quickest it would be slower that the present vessels, and then we should only have a steamer once in two months. And we cannot help reverting to the melancholy fact, which ought, indeed, itself to alter Mr Macandrew’s views, that, by the Cape route being adopted, we would not be able to establish commercial relations with the Patagonians and the highly-civilised natives of Terra del Fuego. There is no commercial emporium as yet in the genial region of Cape Horn, so that it would bo difficult to realise Mr Macandrew’s ideas, even if the Pacific Mail steamers do run down the coast of South America. A few remaining trifles which are required are hardly worth mention. The proposed contractors “emphatically declare [these are their very words] that both dry dock and wharfage accommodation would require to be available in the colony for the steamers.” This, of course, the Government would have to provide, at a cost of probably £200,000, for the dock must not be lees than 410 ft, with 22ft. depth of water, and 24ft. of water for the jetty. Further, they will have nothing to say to us unless we enter into a contract for not less than eight years. We do not anticipate that the Government will do anything further in this matter. Mr Macandrew is, we know, very persistent, and not easily driven from a notion which ho has once taken up, but the Government have no chance of carrying though a proposal to pay £BO,OOO per annum for eight years certain for a steamer direct from London each alternate month.