The Westport Times. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1873.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1119, 28 October 1873, Page 2

The Westport Times. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1873.

Tiik telegrams referring to the San Francisco mail .service, and the arrangements made therein by Messrs Samuel and Russ 11, bear evidence of business like energy on the part of the two accredited agents from Sydney and New Zealand that will doubtless in time receive its due meed of reward. The governments of Sydney ai d New 7ea and having confirmed the agreement by which the two colonies join in equ il terms in the Pacific Mail contract, nothing remained but to give the respective agents a carte blanche in organising the service, and this they have evidently fully and effectively exercised. The first mail ship of the interim service will leave Sydney on tho 29th December proximo for Fiji, New Zealand, Honolulu, and San Francisco, and will, according to the tenor of the telegrams, form one of a fleet of the lest and fastest steamers that can be got. Wheth< r the price to be paid for the servi e exceeding as it does to some considerable extent the £2-10,000 as sanctioned by the House of Represeuta tives for expenditure within the next six years, \\ill bear comparison with the advantages to be gained from a resumption of mail communication via San Francisco can only be shown after the service has been some little time in operation, and the present wailing and gnashing of teeth, mingled with predictions of dire failure, indulged in by a portion of the New Zealand press, is at least premature. The most reasonable complaint is that the weak point in the Webb contract has been again adopted, whereby the mail steamers instead of making Sydney or Wellington the one and only point of call for New Zealand will run along the coast to Otago, thus entering in o competition with loca'ly owned vessels employed in the interprovincial coasting trade. But it has not been shown «hat the Webb boats to any great extent interfered with the coastal trade, except so far that curiosity, for a time at least, attracted passengers away from the coasting steam vessels to travel by the American boats, and this will again be repeated, but the coinpetition herein excited was to the advantage of the public and not altogether to the loss of the steam companies. The additional facilities gave greater incentive to travel, in which both coastal and American buats shared the pit fit.

The newly projected service has aroused quite as much interest in American commercial circles as in New Zealand judging from the constant references thereto appearing in such American papers as fitfully come to the hands of New Zealand readers. The New York Tribune of a recent date gives as a result of an interview with Mr Russell on his way through to England some statements that may be briefly summarised. In consultation with prominent American finaneers, Burnside, Scott and others, favorable proposals were made, although involving a larger expenditure of money than originally contemplated by the New Zealand Government. The boats to be chartered for the interim service would be of necessity English built, but thereafter American built iron propellers would be ready of 2000 tons burthen and to make 12 knots. Mr Russell was gratified at the manner in which he had been met by the business men with whom he had negotiated, and believed that the guarantees they were able to •furnish his Governments were such that they would be willing to pay more than they had at first intended. The experience in the past had not been pleasing in this respect, enterprises having been started and then allowed to fail. He said that it would be difficult to designate the particular kind of commerce which would be built up by the proposed line; but that machinery, agricultural implements, hardware of all kinds, &c, would be taken from the United States, and fine wool, flax, &c, would be returned. There would also be a large trade between the different islands in cotton sugar, coffee, <fec. There were GO,OOO first-class passengers travelling between the colonies and England, most of whom would probably travel by the new route, thus exchanging the uncomfortable Red Sea passage for the mild Pacific voyage and the interesting trip across the American Continent. Apart from these somewhat speculative theories as to commerce, New Zealand may, if the Government will but arouse to energetic action, be enabled soon to offer coal freights for San Francisco, a trade which will go far to reimburse the proposed heavy outlay for the Mail service. w