VANCOUVER MAIL SERVICE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10144, 21 January 1911, Page 5

VANCOUVER MAIL SERVICE.

STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, By Telegraph—Press .Association. WELLINGTON, Last Night. The Vancouver Mail Service was the" subject of an important statement by the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) to a reporter tonight. Sir Joseph reminded the interviewer that it was sixteen years since -'a contract was;- signed* -between the ' then Prime Minister of the Dominion of Canada and himself^subj ject to the ratification by ; iheir>j revj sp'ective Parliaments, .which- l?w*juid> ■-.. have- fought the with' a ence. Unfortunately, continued Sir Joseph Ward, that agreement was not notified by the New Zealand Parliament, and since 1895 there had 'been continuous but unsuccessful efforts made to have the service estab 7 lished between the two great and growing Dominions, ..he trade developments between, which must, in the ordinary course, as years pass, greatly expand.' I have endeavoured for many years to secure a call at New Zealand for the Vancouver mail steamers, and, it igave me considerable pleasure to be able to send by, wireless to the Ulimaroa, bound:, from Sydney to Wellington, a message of congratulation.to Sir Jamek 'Mills■-'■'upon?/ •< success "' having' v ''. : Keen?) achieved." " -r Sir Joseph spoke hopefully of the prospects of securing some friendly arrangement with the Commonwealth Government oyer the service. "I can quite understand the difficulties the Federal Government has experienced; as their seaboard from Sydney to Brisbane on the one side, and Melbourne on me other, is very extensive, with three principal ports .all expecting -to/, haver a call from the/ .steamer|; Up/till now: the chief: difficulty in getting a reasonably fast service has been the number of calls. At the same time it seems to me to be distinctly a case where co-opera- i tion of the two countries to so<vu;o the best of a most effective, service for themselves as well as for Canada is eminently desirable. ' NewZealand, with its active and alert people"; could not be expected . to stand* aside mid quietly '"'/ allow itsen to be left outside aVsteam sery-; ice to Canada, and it appears to me that there could be no loss; to Australia in joining /hands .4feaplV triple agreement, seeing that it was patent to all that New Zealand was bound to make provision for the requirements of its' people in that direction, as the service is from Vancouver to Auckland, and on to Sydney, with Canada, New Zealand and Fiji contributing. It will be quite apparent to; our Australian friends ./that there is nothing but. the most -cordial and friendly, desire oh the part of New Zealand to work 6 *in accord/* with the Commonwealth, and I sincerely, hope that after the? Federal Prime Minister's conference in London "with the Prime Minister.''of the Dominion of Canada, a solution satisfactory to Australia in the matter of. trade and: tariff affairs will be brought about." "And what is New; Zealand to pay for the realisation;'of its ideal?" "We will enjoy the? advantages of the Vancouver service," replied the Prime Minister, "for a subsidy of £20,000 a year."