THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam out Faciam." DUNEDIN, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 224, 8 September 1862, Page 4

THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam out Faciam." DUNEDIN, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8.

Tir.f .|nojK>sf(l timetables published in uhotlicr column, were *cnt to us with the object of inviting remarks as to their suitability or otherwise. They are prepared for the purpose of carrying out the wishes of the House in regard to Postal Communication. We have not hitherto,' nor is it oar purpose now, commented upon, the decision arrived at in the Legislature on the subject. That decision was just :w might bo expected, unfavorable to Otago. The members for this Province fought boldiy and well for their cause*, but they v/ere outnumbered. As a consequence the control of the Melbourne service has been withdrawn from Otago, and a service has been ncorporated into the General Government expenditure, which ought to have been made a Provincial charge. V,'e allude to that ! between Auckland and Sydney. This service for which the large sum of £14,000 per annum is paid, au.-wers no other purpose than a purely 1 >cal commercial one. Auckland ha* considerable commercial relations with Sydney, and it is important to the inhabitants to place them in communication with it. But no other Province derives the slightest benefit from the service. Herein it is different to the line between Otj-jro nnd Melbourne, which is used for conveying backwards and forwaids the English mails for and from the other Provinces. The Auckland and Sydney service benefits only Auckland and it is manifestly unjust that the other Povinces should pay for it. Otago for instance from the proportion it contributes to the general revenue will ha%'c to pay more than half of the cost. However, the House has decided on it, and the other Provinces must submit. It but remains to make the best use possible of the other services upon which the House decided. We have sai<] the proposed Time Tables arefounded upon the decision of the House, but, inasmuch as this merely affirmed general principles the Tables are capable of many modifications, whilst still carrying on the plan npproved by the Legislature. The House decided there should be three inter-colonial lines, one between Sydney and Auckland, one between Sydney and Cook Straits and one between Melbourne and Otago. There should besidta be if possible, within a reasonable price, a weekly inter-Provincial service. Bearing these principles in mind, we come to the consideration of Mr. Ward's proposed Time Tables. j There arc]t wo noticeable features wherein they differ from the arrangements at present in force; first that the Queen is to leve Auckland on the 3rd instead of the Bth of each month, and ar- ! rive on the 11th. instead of the 18th. We do j not know the object ol' this ; it is immaterial ! to Otago, but it will place all the other Provinces [five days behind in their communication with England. The Queen brings the English mails from the provinces, and they wall be detained in Port Chalmers from the Uth to the 18th, when the steamer to Melbourne sails. We may leave it to the other Provinces to deal with this matter. The next noticeable alteration is, that the steamer from | Melbourne to Otago, instead of stopping at the last (place, and returning at once to Melbourne; i3 to go onto Canterbury, Wellington, and Nelson, and thence to Sydney. It is difficult to see what advantage ia to be derived *rom. thb plan, whilst the objections arc numerous.< As a mail service, it is imperfect,

la fact which may be readily conceived, when twe say that the 'steamer from the time of its leaving Melbourne to its arrival in Sydney is to occupy twenty-seven days. She is to leave Melbourne on the 11th, and reach Sydney on the Bth of the following month. The tables are not clear as to how she is to return. A Kelson steamer is to leave Sydney on the Ist, but this will be seven days before the up steamer arrives. The service will consequently require four boats to carry it out. But even if the time could be adjusted so that the up steamer could do the return trip, the planisvery objectionable. Steamers such as are required between Otago and Melbourne cost a great deal towork,and every day they are idle entails large expense. Now the absolute time required for a voyage from Melbourne to Sydney by way of Otago, Canterbury, and Nelson, is little more than half that set down by the tables. The rest will bs consumed by detentions in port. The subsidy required for such service will be enormous. Again, by the plan proposed, instead of three mails between Melj bourn and Otago a month as present arrange- | ments necessitate, there would only be one. The steamer which bring? on the English mail, would proceed to Sydney, whilst the one from' Sydney would take back the English Mails. Thus Otago would only have one mail monthly to and from Melbourne. And | laslly there h another important consideraI tjon. that the English mail service would be j very much imperilled by its having to depend upon the steamer's arrival from Sydney. Any j detention by the way would lose the monthly communication to England for the whole of the provinces. In any way, therefore, we conceive the through bout to Sydney objectionable. But even if it were not objectionable, it is easy to show how little use it is. The Melbourne boat would follow so closely en the Queen, that as regards Lyttelton and Wellington both ways there would be scarcely two days difference in their arrival and departure. Before proceeding to point out what plan we would suggest, we would indicate iv genej ral terms the radical faults of the system upon S which Mr. Ward proceeds—he has no idea of I economising time, and instead of making' the times of the boats suit the scrvice,he endeavors to make the service suit the beats:. Thus instead i of saying I can do so much by combining the several contract steamers, he works out a distinct service for each steamer. As an instance of this we have only to mention i the Queen. Tim steamer is to Jdo only one trip from Auckland to Otago and back in a month. Nothing conldl )rj eafior than to let it da a trip and a half, that is to say, from Auckland to Ota?'.', and back, and thence aijain to Ota^o in one month. If another vessel were to run in connection with her, three trips could be got j out of the two, whereas one only does one by j Mr. Ward's proposal. Another fault of Mr. Ward's is to disregard the terminal t point*, and thus allow two steamers do the work of one. Why should two steamers leave Otaao within two days of each other, one to Auckland and one to Sydney, but both touching at Wellington, whilst one I touching at Wellington could do the joint j service as far as that place ? i Keeping in consideration these defects, the I plan we would suggest is as follows. We only sketch it out generally, the details would have to be filled in. We.undertake to say j that with seven steamer- the whole of the • inter-Colonial and intcr-I'rovincial services, -s fixed by the resolution of ;the House may be carried out. These seven are already | available to Mr. Ward, so that he could cs- | tablish the services at once. We would have f two steamers between Melbourne and Otago. One steamer to do three trips a mouth between Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago. One | steamer to do three trips a month between I | Wellington, Napier, and Auckland. One to do j one trip right through from Mannkau to Fort j Chalmers; and one trip from Manukau to j Wellington and back, in both eases calling nt ! intermediate Torts. One steamer to do a trip i each way in the month, between Sydney, Nelson, and Wellington, and one to uo the ?ame between Sydney and Auckland. Between Otago and Wellington there j would then be 4 communications a month, 3 by the one steamer, fand the fourth by the ] Manukau steamer. From Wellington to j Auckland there would be three a month, aud j two to the Manukau. There would be two j between Wellington and Nelson by the Ma- j nukau steamer, and one by the Sydney j steamer. The times fixed would have to j dovetail into each other. It will be noticed j that we have omitted altogether the Bluff, j but for this Port we would subsidise the I Guiding Star, three times a month, and the I Melbourne steamers would call in each way, i with or for the English mail, lleduced roughly to a tabular form, our plan would be thus:— STEAJIEttS A AND B BETWKES MKLBOU&XE AND Ctago. Leave}. Arrives. Melbourne ... loth Otago ... ■."." 17 th Otago lath _ Melbourne ... —.. .. 2511 i Two steamers would be required for this service. Steamer C. between Wemjsgtos, Lytteltox, and Otago. Leave Wellington ... 4th ... 14th a... 24th ~ Lytteltoiic . — Otago '.. 9th .. I9thb.. 23th a.—This steamer will bring mails for England. b.—This steamer will take mails from England. c.—Lyttelton times would have to be filled up. ! Steamer D. Would run between Auckland and Wellington three times 1, a month, in connection with steamer C. between Wellington and Otago. Steamer E. Would run between Sydney, Nelson, Picton, and Wellington. Steamer F. Would run from Manukau to Taranaki, Nelson, Wellington, Lytteltoa, aud Otago, and back; and then from Manukau to Wellington and back, in the month. Dates to be fixed so as not to interfere with steamers C. I aud E. This steamer will give Otago and Lyttelton—their fourth monthly communication with Wellington, and NelsonJts third.