THE NON-ARRIVAL OF THE ENGLISH MAIL.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 14, Issue 741, 6 December 1869, Page 2

THE NON-ARRIVAL OF THE ENGLISH MAIL.

As might natmally be expected, the non-arrival of the English Mail by the Rangitoto has caused a great deal of dissatisfaction, and the Government are blamed for allowing the contract with Messi s. M'Meckan, Blackwood & Co. to lapse. The Lyttelton. Times says :

As will be seeu from our latest telegrams, the Rangitoto has arrived at Hokitik i without the English Mail, which, we are kindly informed, was telegraphed as having arrived at Adelaide just as the steamer was leaving Melbourne. This is exactly what might have been expected. The subsidy hitherto paid to Messrs. M'Meckan, Blackwood and Co. has ceased, and they will, of course, run their steamers to suit their own convenience. ■ No one can blame them. The blame rests with those members of the General Assembly who voted with the resolution to do away with the subsidy. They ought to have considered whether the colony is in a position to take the step which was taken with, apparently, so much haste, tn (he present case, we have the pleasure of knowing that our portion of the English Mail wou'd lie in Melbourne till the next steamer was ready to leave, probably a week after the sailing of the Rangitoto. We don't even get the satisfaction which would be afforded by a telegraphic summary of the news. And all this lias to bo suffered because a paltry saving of £7OOO or £SOOO is of paramount importance! We do not remember to have met with a more striking instance of being "penny wise and pound foolish."