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Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1905, 14 September 1874, Page 2

j The latest news we have with regard to ' the California)) mail contract, is contained in the following paragraph from the Melb-ininrt "Telegraph" of the 27 h uli.: — The Hon. H. Parkes addressed h.s constituents at Sydney at gr^at length on Tuesday last, and of course had a great deal to sty about the California!) mail contract. He remarked — " So far as ihis contract was concerned, I had nothing i whatever to do with ii, because the Poat- | master General wus the proper p-r*>n to ! negotiate the matttr, and tl c contract was finally entertd into 16,000 miles away from me. Well, in London, Mr Hall produced a gentleman, and that without much 1"8S of lime, who was known in the un liHiary w^rld to he a man of substance — Mr Forbes — and was known al over ,the world as a man of capital. Bur, besides Mr Forhe*, there were two other men of uii'iniilued substance, >ho cud command half a million of money, who are bondsmen in the contract to the amount of £50,000. My hon. fjierid and colleague th« Postmaster General, before accepting even Mr For'.ie*, or Mr Cunningham, or Mr De Botiche, employed the Government rankers — the Bank of N> w South Wales — to inquire as. to the stability and uudoub'ed posiuon of these men. C"uM mortal men have done more for your interests? (No, no.) The Go'vemment have a letter troui Mr Donald. Lar.iach, stating that both of those men are of undoubted substance, with whom the Government of tl.ia country may safely contract. Did we not do nil chut reasonable men could expect

of us ? Suppose the service f ;l i|s — s'inp'ise the c-'iitraot fu'ls. Ir will only fail by misoii of our having made such a gonil bargain that it culd only be carried (in at .1 loss greater than the paying nf L 50,000. If it does fail the bondsmen will have to pay their bonds. If it fails, there is nothing strange that an undertaking of this kind should fail, but the contractors will have to pay the penalty. But the Government of this country is concerned in preserving the service, and while I and my friends, with your support c and the support of Parliament, are entrusted with the destinies of this country, depend upon it the service will be carried out."