THE SAN FRANCISCO SERVICE

New Zealand Mail, Issue 16, 13 May 1871, Page 7

THE SAN FRANCISCO SERVICE

[From the Lyttelton Times.] In a recent Melbourne telegram it was announced that Mr H. Parkes late Colonial Secretary of New South Wales, had “ interviewed” the Chamber of Commerce there, for the purpose of securing their support in his endeavours to get a subsidy of £BOOO or £IO,OOO per annum for the Hall Pacific line of steamers from the Victorian Government. Some people may be inclined to inquire, how it happens that an exColonial Secretary of New South Wales should have undertaken such a mission on behalf of Mr Hezekiah Hall. The matter is very easily explained. Like a great m any other people in the Australasian colonies, more especially eminent politicians and men of genius, Mr Parkes has been commercially unfortunate—not for the first time we believe *— an d has had to seek the intervention of the Insolvent Court to protect him from the so-called rapacity of his creditors. Without casting any reflection upon Mr Parkes’ conduct, we may infer that he is ip a measure glad to turn his hand to anything in reason, in other words, that it is with him a case of needs must when he enters the service of Mr Hezekiah Hall. It is desirable to note that Mr Parkes is in no way connected with the Government of New South Wades, and that he is not even a member of the Legislature, having resigned his seat when he filed his schedule.

We have thought it necessary to make these remarks in order that it may be clearly understood who and what Mr Parkes is, and because the public may to a certain extent have been misled by the notification that he was formerly Colonial Secretary of New South Wales. In reading over the account of his interview with the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce, reported at length in the “ Argus” of April 25, we find that only five members were present to receive Mr Hall’s ambassador, and that the Chairman was not of the five. We mention this as in some degree an indication of the interest felt in Mr Parkes’ mission by the Melbourne merchants. At the outset of his address to the five gentlemen who were kind enough to attend the meeting, Mr Parkes dwelt with some emphasis on the fact that he represented the interests of Mr H. Hall, and these alone. He wished it to be clearly understood that he was in no way connected with the New South Wales Government, “ or in any manner concerned with the interests of that colony.” This, as it appears to us, redundant repudiation of New South Wales and its Government seems to have afforded Mr Parkes considerable satisfaction, for he repeats it two or three times. In fact, he conveys the impression that he shook the dust off his feet before embarking at Sydney for Melbourpe, in token of his thorough separation from the colony in which he had held high office, but in which he had also met with sad reverses. He explained that Mr Hall intended to run a line of steamers —the same boats that have been trying to carry out the service agreed upon between Mr Hall and the Postmaster-General of New Zealand—from Sydney to Fiji, thence to Honolulu, and thence to. San Francisco, returning to Sydney by the same route.

Mr Hall wishes to get a contract which will enable him to establish an efficient service. For this purpose he has despatched Mr Parkes to Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania, with instructions to negociate in each colony with the proper authorities, for an equitable contribution to the subsidy. Should Mr Parkes succeed—and only in such case, as far as we can gather —he will next proceed to Queensland, Fiji, the Sandwich Islands, California, Washington, and England. This outline suggests what most people would think a very pleasant tour, and we are sure the heartiest wishes will attend Mr Parkes. He expects Vietoria to contribute £BOOO or £IO,OOO, South Australia, £3OOO, Tasmania £2OOO, the Sandwich Islands £SOOO, the State Government of California something, the Government of }he United States something, and Great Britain £SOOO. Queensland, it will be observed, is left out of the list, and we may here remark that Mr Parkes is not songuine about receiving anything from the Government of that colony. He speaks somewhat vaguely about “ the islands” contributing, by which, we presume, he means the Pacific Islands, more especially the Fiji and New Cale, donia groups. Altogether, Mr Hall looks for a subsidy of £65,000 or £70,000, and of tnis sum the Government of New South Wales are expected to pay £25,000. Mr Parkes told the five members of the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce that he “ thought” the sum would be grunted. It may, and it may not. But will Melbourne allow Sydney to become the terminus of the line ? Is the old jealousy altogether dead ? Recent events would lead to another conclusion.

We are grateful to Mr Parkes for the clearness and apparent candor with which he has stated the position of the Hall scheme. There has been a good deal of vague talk about it, and some of our contemporaries have been kind enough to say that it was bound to “ snuff out” any service which our Post-master-General might succeed in negotiating. In Mr Parkes’ speech at Melbourne we seemingly have the whole truth, so far at least as money matters are concerned, and it is pretty clear that Mr Hezekiah Hall has not yet succeeded in binding any one Govornment to pay a single sixpence of subsidy. Mr Parkes “ thinks” the Government of New South Wales will give £25,000, but it is quite clear that this or any other sum from the same source is con-

tingent upon the success which he meets with in his mission to Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and Queensland ; perhaps, also, in his attempts on “ the islands,” California, the United States, and England. It was| confidently reported by some of the New Zealand papers—with a sort of chuckle—that Mr Hall had been promised a subsidy of £25,000 by the Government of the Sandwich Islands. If our contemporaries had only taken the trouble to think a very little over the matter, they would probably have seen that such a sum was ridiculously disproportioned to the country which was said to have granted it, as well as to the benefits it might derive. Tt turns out that the Government of the Sandwich Islands have offered £SOOO, but Mr Parkes does not say that they have promised this sum to Mr Hall, far less that they have bound themselves to him in any way. This was exactly what might have been expected. If we may judge from the reception which Mr Parkes me£ with at Melbourne, and from the cold, guarded way in which the “ Argus ” speaks of his mission, his success with the Victorian Government is very problematical indeed In the meantime, the first boat of the Webb-Holla-day line has arrived at Auckland, and in the course of a few days she will reach Lyttelton on her way to Port Chalmers. All who wish well to New Zealand will join with us in hoping that the service may become permanently established, and that it may prove as successful in opening up a lucrative trade between Australasia, the Pacific Islands, and America, as its most sanguine promoters could desire.