THE HAWKE’S PAY TIMES. NAPIER, THURSDAY, MAY 22, 1862.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume II, Issue 47, 22 May 1862, Page 2

THE HAWKE’S PAY TIMES. NAPIER, THURSDAY, MAY 22, 1862.

Confirmatory evidence of the position we assumed in our last issue, respecting the in-ter-provincial postal service, and its hearing on our province, has not been wanting during the past week. Bit by bit has the scheme been given to the public, so sparingly and gradually that the most knowing ones could only guess which among the many ideas scattered broadcast by Mr. Ward, was to be adopted, and which rejected. By reference to a time table for three months, published in the Lyttelton Times, we find that the Auckland return mail will be sent from Manukau by the West Coast, calling at Taranaki, Nelson, and the Southern Provinces, and, as a matter of consequence, leaving Napier to a greater inconvenience, not only than she has hitherto suffered in respect to the homeward mail, but also in a worse position than any other Port in the Colony. A very superficial glance at the tables would be sufficient to show that the only visits which will be afforded to Hawke's Bay by the White Swan, are those on the 10th and 2Gth respectively of each month, the former (as on Saturday last) on her way up to Auckland, for the mail for this port, which is to be brought down on her return visit on the 2Gth. The inference is plain, the return mail must be sent on by her on the 27th, possibly only a very few hours after her arrival ; while Auckland does not send hers on until the tenth of the month following, a fortnight afterwards ! So that w*e may possibly, at times, send communications for the Mother Country vid Auckland overland mail, or vid Wellington do., of some days’ later date than the mail taken by the mail steamer. And with regard to the commercial benefits the said service will probably confer upon our port and province, if we are' to take this first visit of the White Swan as a specimen of them, very little indeed can be said. We know that an engagement for conveying a number of sheep to Auckland was entered into with the agent for the White Swan; that said sheep were brought in from the country as far as Clive, in waiting for the vessel ; that a person was waiting in the town till she was signalled from the barracks ; that then boats were engaged to convey them on board; but owing to the limited stay, of little over four hours, these could not be taken. Nor were there wanting cases of loss of mail for letters, the impression being, that if she was one day behind in her arrival, she would be the same in her departure, and would certainly not leave till next morning, and her departure at 5 p.m. was seen by some with surprise and chagrin. There does not seem to be any probability that the scheme will stand the test of its dis-

cussion in the General Assembly, so extremely unpopular is it in every settlement except Auckland, which alone is benefitted by the change. Even Otago, which was classed with Auckland in our last, must now be removed to the ranks of the malcontents, Mr. Ward being gravely charged with tampering with the responsibilities of office, and a breach of honor, in a letter by the Superintendent of Otago; and roundly abused in a leading article in the Daily Times as follows: Superintendent’s office, Dunedin, April 20th, 1862. Sir, —I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 16th inst., expressive of your great regret that the portion of the mail service between Otago and Melbourne, was not completed in the way proposed, as your arrangements res; pecting the remaining portions depended upon its successful termination, and of your being necessitated, owing to being placed in circumstances of peculiar difficulty, to make certain arrangements, of a temporary nature, for the conduct of that portion of the service left in my hands, so that the public service might not sutler. I cannot admit that you have either cause for regret, or have been placed in these peculiar circumstances by me. You appear to be unmindful of the fact, that you positively promised to call at Otago, upon your return from Melbourne, though you expressed a fear that possibly you might not be able to return in time to be present at the opening of the tenders. You have not called on your return, as you engaged, and I have been fruitlessly awaiting the fulfilment of your promise. The failure of my attempt to negotiate with Messrs. McMeckan and Blackwood, I ascribe to your having placed yourself in communication with that firm, though prices and rates of subsidy were not mentioned ; whereas, according to your promise, you should have abstained from even conversing on the subject with them ; as the inference was likely to arise, that if that firm failed in their negotiation with the Provincial Government of Otago, it could still fall back upon the General Government, whose favorable consideration of their general proposals, they evidently gleaned from conversation with you. I am the more surprised at your expressions of regret, when I remember that you were not favorable to any very extravagant money demand, considering the circumstances of the case ; and also when instead of a want of competition, you were in expectation of my being in possession of satisfactory tenders from which to choose, and were in hope that my arrangements would not be disconcerted by your absence, therefore evidenlly admitting the probability of such being the case. Your representation, that Messrs. McMeckan and Blackwood think nothing of the call at the Bluff, is not borne out by facts, as that was a matter of considerable importance to them, as possibly involving a delay of several hours. As the General Government were to bear a proportion of the expense according to our agreement, your return as promised, would have enabled me to settle the terms which this call at the Bluff affected. You mention your acceptance of Messrs. McMeckan and Blackwood’s offer for a period of three months, but, omitting to mention the penalties on which you have hitherto so much insisted, I am not able to form any estimate of its value, and therefore make no further reference to it. I have &c., (Signed) J. KiCHAiiDSOX, Superintendent. The Honorable The Postmaster-General, Auckland. “ But, Mr. Ward, you are charged with a still more serious offence than stupidity, than cunning, or than tampering with the responsibilities of your office ; you are charged with a breach of personal honor. The Superintendent of Otago directly charges you with such ; he says you violated a distinct promise which you made to return to Auckland by way of Otago, and which by-the-way, you could have done without involving a day’s delay. And worse again, ho charges you with a distinct departure from a honorable engagement which he entered into with you. You agreed not to place yourself m communication with Messrs. McMeckan and Blackwood, and, says the Superintendent, ‘ according toyonrpromise you should have abstained from even conversing on the subject with them.’ You violated that personal pledge—a pledge which was even to be inferred from a written agreement between you and the Superintendent:—‘ The Postmaster not to enter into any agreement on behalf of the General Government, but to leave all negotiations to the Superintendent of Otago.’ These charges, Mr. Ward, are made against you in black and white in the Superintendent’s letter, and, it is to be presumed, ycur position as one of the Ministers of Her Majesty’s Government in New Zealand will make you see the necessity of exonerating yourself from them.” —Otago Daily Times.