THE MAIL SERVICE.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 195, 24 May 1872, Page 3

THE MAIL SERVICE.

(From tub Sydney “Morning llbiuld.’’) While Mr Webb has been diplomatising in the Australian colonies, and doing hi* utmost to persuade our stingy and not over-wealthy Governments to deal with him according to his own estimate of hia merits, his friends, or at least those who are embarked with him in similar speculations,have been doiug a far more thriving trade at Washington. If we are to judge from a paragraph in the papers brought by the last mail from California, the operations of those who manage politics at the Federal capital are about to be crowned wiih a great success. The fortunes of American steamship propi ietors are in the ascendent, and the subsidies are to be something very princely. In the previous session of Congress, the Subsidy Bill failed to pass. There were two rival paities, each of whom wanted thesolidpudding,andeacho£ whom also wanted to leave its rival out in the cold. Lobbying is said to have arrived at great perfection at Washington, and no doubt each party acted with the usual enterprise and liberality ; but “when Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug of war,” and though each would have utterly discomposed a stranger to the business, two practised lobbyists in conflict, succeeded only in neutralising each other’s efforts. We hear now, however, that they have made up their differences, and agreed to take it out of the the third party the public. The good things are to be fairly shared, and under this equable arrangement, the Bill is said to be sure to pass. It might create jealousy if lornething better were to be done for steamship contractors in posse than for those in esse, and therefore to obviate all jealousy on this score, the Bill is to have an ex postfacto application, and contracts already in existence are to have an additional bounty. This is a very liberal arrangement to everybody except the tax-payer; but in America lie seems to bo the last man ever considered,

The lamentations in the United States over the decline of their shipping have of late been loud and frequent; and with the usual facility American writers possess of attributing all the prosperity of their country to the merits of their countrymen, and ali their adversity to the demerits of other people, this decline of shipping has been attributed to the Alabama. Itgjis really amazing, acco.ding to American logic, what enormous and incredible results have followed the cruise of that one ship. But though the Alabama has now been sunk for several years, American shipping has not again recovered its former place.. Other industries have revived ; this has not. But while the popular theory remains unabated, and its repetition serves an international purpose, those who have studied the question admit that two causes are specially accountable for the phenomena —causes that were beginning to operate b fore the Alabama was heard of, end that would have continued to operate had she never sailed. The one is the high price in Aina rica of almost everything except tinher used in ship-building ; and the other is the fact that iron steamships have completely superseded wooden stean ships, and are rapidly superseding wooden sailing vessels. The official inquiries on this subject resulted in a recommendation to give special sub sillies for the building of iron steamers. It is contrary to American principles to buy or build steamships in Great Britain, and it is quite impossible to build them in America so cheaply as they can be built in Great Britain ; yet the fact is evident that the grant postal lines of the world must be caricd out by iron steamships, and—until some better invention is discovered by screw steamers. This principle was virtually settled long before the war broke out. The American Collins Line of steamers made a gallant but losing fight on the Atlantic. The victory remained with the British, who never now build a wooden steamer for ocean postal purposes. No amount of subs dy that could be extorted even from Washington would now give American wooden-built steamers a chance in the transatlantic trade. Americans themselves are so conscious of that they say we, too, must have ironscrew steamers ; and we must give any amount of bounty necessary to induce capital to go into the business. It is admitted that the large wooden vessels built for the San Francisco and Japan line are not the vessels most suitable for the purpose, and that the true models for imitation should have been the vessils of the Cunard and Inman lines. Doubtles, American ingenuity and invention which has been so intensely quickeuod, and which has already done so many wonders, will find many points of departure from those models. We may trust our cousins to do their utmost to improve on the British design, and may expect them to develop many ideas which may be woith borrowing. Still, the British screw vessel is the point of departure, as it is at the present time the best model for a postal

ship. We are told that the subsidies under the proposed bill will amount to five millions sterling. It is a large sum ; but if the American tax-payers like to give it, no one is eatitled to quarrel with them for the way in which they choose to spend their money. The only way in which it affects us is when we are called upon to contribute proportionately to one of tho said subsidies. The last bill before Congress had a proviso with regard to the Australian subsidy, that an amount equal to that voted by America should also be voted by non-American countries.. We cannot say whether the same or a similar clause will he found in the forthcoming bill. If it does not, it is to be presumed that the American Government will, for protectionist reasons, give a sufficient sum to make outside contributions unneces-

sary; and if it does, tlieu we are confronted with the fact that the American half of the subsidy is raised in amount for. American protectionist purposes, and we can hardly be expected or asked to pay a similar proportion. When we pay a subsidy for a postal service, it is because without such consideration we could not get the service rendered, and the amount to he paid is supposed to represent a fair profit to those who invest their capital in tne undertaking. What that fair profit will be can be determined only by competition, or by calculating on the basis of the results of similar eosiqv - tition eliewhere. The simplest way o, finding out what is the necessary Mibsiriy ftir iin efficient, monthly mail service _ D<> tween California and Aii-lraim is So is:vite lenders for it. allowing, if ne-esv.iy, an interval of two yutrs, to enable wintouting parti, s to build vessels precisely suitable for the service. This was the v.-w talon by our Legislature when the subject was last before it; but nothing has oe. n done on the part of this colony, because it was found impossible to get all the colonies to act together ns one H«rtv inviting tenders and guaranteeing subsidy, and, secondly, because our own Government would not take tho responsibility of acting alone,