Colony’s Mall Services.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43113, 13 July 1907, Page 2

Colony’s Mall Services.

The position of the colony’s oversea mail services was dealt with fully by the Premier, who informed the House on Wednesday afternoon that an improved arrangement had been made with th° Union Steamship Company and Huddart Parker Company for conveyance of mails between Wellington and Sydney, so as to take advantage of the regular service to England via Suez. He stated that for eleven months he had been endeavoring to arrange for a weekly service connecting with the Suez service, but great difficulties stood in the way. Neither of the coir panies wanted to do it even at £ls 000 per annum, because of the increased expenditure necessary in the way of paying for overtime and extra docking, but during the last few days they had got to the point where, for the very reasonable sum of £15,000 per annum, the weekly connection would be guaranteed. Formerly the colony had to pay £2OO a week, with gratuities. So that now they were getting the service for a lower sum per trip. If they liked to pay a very large subsidy, perhaps £20,000 a year or more, they could have a steamer waiting to pick up the mail on a particular date, but this expenditure would not be justified. Two of the lines of steamers had different times of arrival in Sydney, and to connect with them would necessitate the intercolonial companies altering their business in Auckland by laying back a day or two and having an irregularity of starting at the other end. What the colony wanted was a mail service of our own, as nearly equal to the ’Frisco service- as Tt-p-yras -pßseibte -to get- at s, reasonable price. The Suez service approached that standard as near as it was possible to get at present.