The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume X, Issue 637, 15 December 1858, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times.

J " Wednesday, December 15. The expression of opinion by the Provincial Council, just before the prorogation, on the Steam Communication Question seems to have been done at an opportune moment. Allthe provinces of New Zealand, stimulated by the abundauce of steam offered to them, are on the alert to see that advantageous arrangements are made for the working of the boats,, each province urging particularly the arrangements which will profit itself. Nelson and Wellington are loud in the expression of their sentiments and the journals of those produces discuss at length those points particularly in winch they are antagonistic to one another. No doubt the unanimous expression of opinion, quiet though it be, which Canterbury has uttered through its council will have its weight araon~ the turmoil. - °

The question at issue between Nelson and Wellington is, of course, which port shall be made the centre of postal steam communi* cation for the Islands of New Zealand JNlelson has secured the Company's steamers so tar as the existing contract is binding ; but to Wellington the South Island Mail is first taken, according to the Post Office arrangement which has long existed, backed by the new steam line between that port and Melbourne As ithappened, though the September mail for the four southern provinces was ' taken direct and rapidly from Melbourne to Wellington, it arrived in that port but a few hours before the Lord Ashley arrived in Nelson from Sydney ■with the mail /or the northern provinces. Nelson thus had no mail for several days after she-might have had it, and, naturally feeling aggrieved, came to the resolution that her mail! tor the future ought to be, carried by way of rl thGX than hy the Wellington boat. U the Wellington boat may not call at Nelson T- a i »£,S ourß on lier way (an arrangement which Wellington -on its part does not seem utterly to refuse) and if Nelson is to remain the first port of call from Australia by the Company s steamers, and if the proposed plan of making up the mails separately for the several provinces is carried out, as it ought to be, we can ( see a great deal of swiho in the Nelson resolution. The determination of t c meiit of the poatal arid steam .services an arrangement which it ought to bo eu«y lo maC SfS I: B« tllß llUinborof winch are at our command.

Wo are not in this province biassed by considerations of honor or profit in having our p oi .l made a torminus or principal station of unv line of steamers, and therefore our opinions on tho general question may have greater weMifc Those opinions, as expressed by the Provhrciai Council, are, that the mails should be carried to and from Melbourne and a central port of Jfo\ Zealand; and that tho communication between the provinces should be fortnight] v. Jf «„, scarcely the province ol the Council to point out any particular manner in which tho worlshould be done, but they agreed to devote if necessary, a considerable sum to aid in its pp r formanco. The public might, however, with groat propriety, express an opinion as to how the routes of tho steamers known to b on the coast at tho present time should be disposed, and we should like to see a move mont made, by memorial or petition, to offer such impartial suggestions td tho General Go vernment as would no doubt influence thorn" strongly in coming to a decision on tho claims of ; rival provinces. Some comprehensive and equitable arrangement might be suggested of which, as they occur to us,we may bneily point out the principal conditions. Though for the interests of the colony and of the company to which we have pledged our faith, wo should have been glad to have seen their vessels alone employed in the trade so long as they sufficed, wb must look upon the Wellington arrangement with Melbourne and the Australian Company as one on a good ioundation, likely to hist and to prosper, and to do good service to the colony. We feel sure therefore, that the colony, that is the General Government and the New Zealand Steam Company, will willingly make their arrangements to harmonize with this one. It is possible too that to some slight extent the Wellington play will be modified by its originators, if necessary to proouce perfect harmony and simplicity of arrangement; to the extent for instance of that call at Nelson to which we have alluded. The other Provincial contract we cannot look upon in the same light. The subsidy given to the Queen by Otago is clearly not sufficient to maintain the service properly with the trade which can be got; nor is the vessel such a one as to compete in the passenger traffic with boats like the Prince Alfred and Wonga Wonga. The Otago steam line, therefore, though beneficial to us as far as it goes, we cannot consider permanent, nor,.on ■ that account, to be taken into consideration for general purposes. The new company will have a fine boat for the Australian service, two more for the provincial service, and a spare, one. The actual appearance of two of then-' boats on Our waters and the trial of their qualities gives us a practical guarantee and a more favorable opinion of the company than we could entertain when their existence was only a matter of hearsay. In addition, there is that excellent provincial boat, the White Swan, whose services'are. retained" till at least March next.

Here we have abundance of material, and to spare, for all purposes. With the imperial bonus and the colonial bonus and the Melbourne bonus, and the rapidly increasing trade of the islands, there should be enough of* the sinews of war to support whatever plans we may agree upon. And if alterations must be made—involving more work than has been .contracted for, which additional work must be paid for rateably— we have had an offer from Canterbury to contribute a share towards the expense; and no doubt Otago, should her present project fail, will be glad that a portion of the subsidy should go towards supplying her wants in-another way. If a steam route is chalked out, every boat must sail punctually, and calculations must bo made as if punctuality would be observed, all proper latitude being allowed. As the starting point then, the "Wellington boat might be instructed to leave Melbourne regularly a few days after the English mail is due. Under an improved system of ocean steam, she might then be pretty certain of having the mail. She would call at Nelson and proceed to Wellington. At Nelson a provincial steamer would £c ready to go northward at once with the Taranaki and Auckland mails j at Wellington a similar boat would be ready to go to the south; and:if the White Swan were maintained on the east coast berth, the. seventh province would be served in the same manner. Should the mails, however, not have reached Melbourne on the appointed day, they would be sent via Sydney, whence the company's large steamer would be appointed to leave at the half-monthly period, which would fall about the 25th of the month; it would satisfy all Auckland' 3 requirements if this secondary boat went to her port direct • and the mails thus forwarded would be ready for despatch southward, as may be calculated, by a provincial steamer then regularly due.' We can do no more: we cannot secure that the English mails should always reach Australia on a certain day, and wo cannot keep our whole steam service beating time to an irregular movement; two chances of our inward mail each month by steam and a regular despatch of the outward mail on stated days ought for postal purposes at present to content us. If, in addition to this, we can secure fortnightly communication between the provinces, we shall have ciono_ great things for ourselves postally, commercially, and, not least, politically. We have said we should like to see a public expression of opinion 011 this subject. It is likely that such would have, as circumstances stand at the present moment, a practical iniluonce of no small extent.