SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1231, 24 November 1874, Page 2

SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

The San Francisco Mail Service on its present basis, although merely a temporary arrangement to fill up the blank made by the breach of Messrs Hall and For-bes' contract, appears to be the best that could possibly have been established under existing circumstances, and the least expence. The New Zealand Times, a good authority ou the subject, states: — "The arrangements are that the two Governments, ou joint account and in equal shares, shall maintain a temporary service until a permanent one is established, or in any case until the month of June in the next year. The service to be four - weekly, and the vessels to call at Auckland, both ways, and after the first trip, at Fiji also, if the New South Wales Government desire it. The October mails has been taken by the Macgregor ; the November mail will be taken by the Mikado, and that for December by the Cyphrcnes. The payment to be £7,500 for the round trip in each case. The greatest difficulty which has been met with in effecting even this temporary arrangement, and which will bo still more formidable hereafter, has been the necessity, which appears to be imperative, that one of the boats of the main line shall be compelled to make a coasting voyage from the Northern port of call to Dunedin. For the present it is agreed, we learn, that the mail service between Auckland and Port Chalmers is to be done by a branch steamer, at the joint expense of this Colony and New South Wales, and that severe restriction as to cost is imposed by the New South Wales Government. The extent of the difficulty caused by this restriction of the existing contract may be measured by tho fact that the North German Lloyd's ask £120,000 a-year for a ten-knot service, with alternate through boats to Dunedin, whilst for the service at same rate of speed, touching at one safe port in New Zealand, they ask £BO,OOO only. The price of the coastal service would thus be £-10,000 a-year. May we not ask whether it is worth that sum to or to New Zealand ? As a matter of fact it is said that the A.S.N Company, who are ready to take, as a permanent service, the line from Sydnev via Fiji and Honolulu, ou very favourable terms —on such terms, indeed, as must strongly incline the New South Wales Government to close with their offer, and leave us out—decline peremptorily even to consider a proposition which shall include a Now Zealand coasting service by one of the large steamers:"