NEW MAIL SERVICE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 122, 1 September 1910, Page 8

NEW MAIL SERVICE

AUCKLAND'S QQMl S kAI>(TS. THE PRPMJER REPLIES, By Telegraph.— Press Association. Wellington, Wednesday. The Prime Minister (Sir " Joseph Ward) to-day sent ttie following telegram to Mr. G. H. Gunson, president of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce: "I note the resolutions passed by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, and in reply desire to say that in passing them your chamber has apparently overlooked the following facts: (1) that the total amount paid for the San Francisco service ran into between £05,000 and £75,000 a year; (2) on inquiry of the Union Company some time ago in connection with a proposal to establish a Frisco service from Auckland' to Frisco and on to Sydney, with fast steamers, the lowest amount it could be entertained at was between ,£BO,OOO and £IOO,OOO per annum, varying between those two amounts in accordance with the felass of steamer provided. That was for a service from Auckland to Fiji, and thence on to San Francisco -by way of Honolulu. The price asked, therefore, placed such a service beyond what this country is prepared to pay for at present; (3) the present servic'e is not suggested as being a first-class one, but 1 do not agree with your ( views regarding the two steamers that are to be employed. From what I know their passenger accommodation is superior to that of any steamers running formerly, and they provide refrigerated cargo space which is very important. The 1 speed is- not so great as I should like to see, for the reason that we are not prepared to pay the cost that such a fast .service would entail; (4) in consideringCth4 service the important question of importation of fruit from the IslaflKls tto Wellington so as to enable it to tit; . distributed to the southern the North Island as well a*s to the "^ap#thern' portion of the South Island ltad' to be provided for. Under these circumstances we obtain both services for reasonable sum. I am of opinion that for the present it is the best that can be done, though I locd< forward to seeing a Vancouver service established within a reasonable period. If we cannot secure the latter service the question of a fast and up-to-date service, -via San Francisco, will have to be considered. You will recognise that in any case we cannot pay for two fast Pacific services, as the amount required for both would be too great."