House of Commons, April 1.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 558, 20 August 1851, Page 4

House of Com mons, April 1.

"Viscount Jocilyn, in moving for the select committee, of which be had given notice, to inquire into the question of the existing steam communication with India, and to consider the subject of connecting, England, India, and Australia, by' means of steam communication, said he should have bepn glad to have left the question in the bands, of the Government, bad be been informed that it was their intention to enter upon this inquiry. Amongst the reasons why he moved foi this committee, lie mentioned that on June Ist, 1853, the contract now existing with the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company would expire, and the arrangement by which the second route of communication was carried on between the Indian and British Governments ceased in the following year. Last session a discussion bad taken place upon the subject of a proposal on the part of the Penmaulai and Oriental Company, to undertake to supply steam communication between Sydney and Singapore, which bad led to the production of certain documents moved for by the honourable memboi for Honiton, (Sir J. W. Hogg,) and to a repoit of the proceedings of the splect committee on the Contract Packet Service. That committee referred the matter to some lesponsible department of the Government, but he bad not beard it the suggestion bad been agreed to. If the present btate of tbui"s were allowed to go on much longer, it mi^bt be ionwi moie difficult to effect those which should he <h m^U durable. In 1849, the Peninsular and Onentil coiupmy pioposed to open a communication between Sydney and Singapore for £105,000 provided the line between Bombay and Suez should be ceded to them. Thib wan approved by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, but the East India Company did uot wish to yield a monopoly of the t.ade, and they did not wish to tie themselves to conditions of this kind. Complaints had recently been made of the manner in which the comnuinicarioiis with India were carried on, both by the commercial public, and by passengers. It waa t>4id that the delay was greater than that upon any other line, and the Bengal Chamber of Commerce, nddre&sinsj the Secretary of the Board of Contiol, sUted that it would be necessary, on a renewal of the contract, to require that the steamers should sail at a greater speed per hour. These be considered to be sufficient rpnnons for the appointment of a committee. It was unnecessary to dwell upon the advantages of establishing a steam communication with Australia; to accomplish this object he thought the appointment of a committee, such as was proposed, would be the readiest and mo-t efficacious means. The committee should consider the advantages of each of the three routes to Australia which had been suggested, and they should also be -able ao to conduct the preliminaries and arrangements as to ,jreat by facihate this most important object. Mr. lIOiME secondi d the motion. Lord Naas complained of the delays which bad taien place with regard to the establishment of steam communication with Australia. Since the 4th February, t'34B, there bad been no regular communication whatever with the Austiahan colonies, and all that ho bad j> propose was merely that the Australian pai t of the

noble loid's motion should he gone into first, and should b> leported on as n totally nud aw enliioU sepernte. question. The Imp bptwppn this country and Atislnha had not ypl I)p t 'n <;ivpm to any onp, while tlie contract with the Indwn Government would notevpire for two years. The noble lord moved an amendment accordingly. Air. Giadsiovl hoppd the noble lord (Lord Na.is) would leave it to tin* committee to take up fust wh.it p.ut of the iiiqnny should appear to be most convenient or advantageous. After a few words from My. Scorr, Mr. M'Ghfgoii, Mr. Hxjml, and Mr. Andi uso\ 'the CuANcrr r,oit of the ExrurQULU said that, considering; that they were all ns;nvd on this question, they h,id already spent moie time than was necessary. Nobody denied the ev.tre.me importance of steam communication with the Australian colonies, and a committee might be beneficial in putting information before the house and the government. Yet he did not think Uiat the motion of the noble loid (Loid Jocelyn) fully expressed the object they all had at heart, and he therefore pioposed to sub-titute the following for the noble lout'-* motion :— "That a select committee be appointed to mqune into the existing steam communication iviih India and China, and as to the practicability ot effecting impiovenients therein ; and also in the best mode of establishing steam communication with the Au&trahan colonies." Viscount Jocii\n thanked his n^ht lion, friend for the alteration hu bad suggeateil, ot which he entirely appiovi d. Mr. Addifuy asked why Australia phonld bo put at the fag end of a perfect encyclopedia of the whole eastern uOlu 01 Id ? Unless the Australian coloni-8 vreie to go first in the inquiry he would advi-e the noble loid (Lord Naas) not to withdraw his amendment. A committee could do nothing in the way of putting the Chancellor of the in possession of iuither facts, or of any information that could nlt»r his decision. A few nori'Ufiom Mr. DivMTaud Vibcount Jocllv v induced Lord Naas to withdraw his amendment and the motiou was agieed to.