The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1901. THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 235, 16 October 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1901. THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL SERVICE.

Theeb is veiy little doubt but that the | (people of New Zealand, with the ex- j caption of those in the Auckland district, are pretty generally in accord with the views expressed in the resolutions regarding the mail service. When the 'Frisco mail service was restricted to American steamers we regarded this as the death blow of that service, as no progressive self-respecting nation could submit to the humiliating conditions thereby imposed. At Auckland, which has long looked upon the 'Frisco mail service as its own particular pet property, there is a great out cry; but it would have been better if this ourcy had been made at the time the Union Company's steamers were driven out of the service. It is a monstrous thing that American vessels shall claim to come to Auckland, be free of all wharfages and port charges, c irry mails and crowds of passengers between Auckland and Sydney and vice versa, yet a Naw Zealand or British steamer is debarred from carrying passengers and mails between any two American ports. No question of cheapness or of speed will make a service popular with the people of New Zealand which is run on these lines. In addition to this, since the service has been ia the hands of the Oceanic Company it has been far from satisfactory, and great inconvenience has been caused by its irregularity, As regards the position of New Plymouth and Taranaki as a whole, whether we have the 'Frisco mail from Auckland or the Vancouver mail from Wellington it mikes very little difference. We shall get our mails as they go through from Wellington to Auckland, instead of the reverse, and as regards the question of time *e feel sure the Vancouver service will soon be as speedy as the 'Frisco. In any case we unreservedly give our support to the " all red line " as the one that must ultimately be the best for us as a British colony. With our Auckland friends this appears to be a question of rivalry between the northern port and Wellington, and the following from the Auckland Herald is a fair samp'e of the arguments used. Our contemporary says ■;—" Is this a fitting sequel to Penny Postage, and ia it. creditable and gratifying to the colony ? Is there any advantage to be giined by it excep'ing tbat Auckland will be of a port and Wellington more of a port, and that powerful southern influences will be satisfied? Sir Maurice O'Rorke' had the courage of his convictions when he resigned from the Vogel Ad-' ministration rather than concur in I what he regarded as an injustice to his Province. Does Mr McGowan concur j in the guillotining of the 'Frisco mail ? If not, will he also have the courage of his convictions and will his fellow members, regardless of party, support his stand and make his protest eftective? For this thing passes all reason. It is ir excusable, unjustifiable, impolitic. Let us have a Vancouver connection by all meant, but let us have it for what it is, a secondary commercial routb, and have it without sacrificing to it our best mail and passenger connection and our direct communication with the bulk of the English-speaking race. This might be arranged if tbore was any desire to consider the interests of the entire colony and if it WBre not for the determination to concentrate all traffic, all travel, ail commerce, all interests, at Oook's Straits and southward."