PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
92
I have only a few brief remarks to make, which I am desirous of placing on record. In the House of Commons on the 2nd May 1887 the Postmaster-General informed me that letters are now carried to Australasian and New Zealand ports by fast powerful punctual and regular sailing steamships, not under contract, for 1. each letter, but the public are charged 6. each letter, in order to compel them to patronise the expensive lines for which a heavy subsidy is paid. In other words, through paying a subsidy in place of carrying letters by weight, the Governments suffer a loss if letters are sent otherwise than by the subsidised steamers.
ports
The next fact is that from one to three powerful and fast steamers leave the of the United Kingdom for Australasia every week, that these steamers are not subsi- dised, nor in connexion with any subsidised companies, and that they carry and are compelled to carry letters at ld. each. The next fact is that the Postmaster-General informed me in the House of Commons on Thursday that the sums paid to the Governments of the Australasian Colonies, on account of postage collected in the United Kingdom on all correspondence sent in Australasian mails, was as follows :— In 1879, 36,7227.; in 1880, 36,7571.; in 1881, 34,750; in 1882, 38,2097.; in 1883, 39.911/.; in 1884, 42,374/.; in 1885, 50,515. The importance of these figuros may he estimated by the fact that 14,000. increase took place in the remittances during the six years referred to. In other words, the total amount of money received as postage in England for Australian letters, &c. in 1879 was 83,000/., and in 1886 the sum received according to the official statement handed to me, dated February 8, 1887 (copy herewith), amounted to 116,000, or 33,000. more than was received in 1880. Yet the postage remains the same. Gil. necessity of a parliamentary inquiry. I have no means of knowing what took place
per letter.
All these facts show the at the Conference, or what objections were raised; or if any of my figures were questioned. As you are aware I was merely called in and told to make any statement
wished, but no discussion took place in my presence.
I know, however, that I have the sympathy of all the members, with perhaps one exception; and if I have not been fully successful in convincing you, I have the consciousness of knowing that I received at your hands fair play, and that ulti- mately I shall be successful.
I have, &c., (Signed)
APPENDIX.
J. HENNIKER HEATON.
Some doubts having been expressed as to the number of emigrants who leave the United Kingdom every year, the following table prepared by the Board of Trade and laid before Parliament clears up the matter.
"SIR.
93
Enclosure.
LETTER FROM THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL to MR. HENNIKER HEATON, M.P.
“Goneral Post Office, February 8, 1887. "With reference to your two letters dated respectively the 20th and 24th of last December, in which you asked to be furnished with certain information concerning correspondence passing between this country and Australia, New Zealand, and the United States of America, I am directed by the Postmaster-General to inform you that it has necessarily taken some time to prepare answers to your various questions; and even now, as regards the number of letters dispatched to and received from Australia, no actual returns are available.
"Some inconvenience will be cansed to the postal service by taking special statistics of the number of letters, as exceptional work of this kind is naturally an interruption to the general duties connected with the receipt and despatch of mails; but in order to meet your wishes Mr. Raikes has made arrangements for returns to be taken, as far as possible, with the view of answering you on this point, and in the meantime I am directed to reply categorically to your other questions.
(a) The total postage collected upon British mails for Australasia may be estimated at about 116,0001. per annum.
+
(b) Mails are now despatched to Australia and New Zealand, via Brindisi, via Ply- mouth direct, and vid San Francisco; and received vid Brindisi by British packets and by German packets, vid Naples by British packets and by French packets; viá Plymouth by New Zealand packets, and by Queensland packets; and via San Francisco.
"(c) T annex a tabular statement of the number of mails sent to Australia and New · Zealand in 1875.*
"(d) The loss upon the Australian mail service vid Suez cannot be stated separately from the general loss incurred on the mail services by that route connecting this country with its possessions in the East.
"(e) The payment for the conveyance by 'sea of mails to New York vid Queenstown is at present at the rate of 3c. per lb. for letters and cards, and 3d. per lb. for other articles, and via Southampton to Postal Union sea rates-namely, 5 francs kilogramme for letters and post cards, and 50 centimes per kilogramme for other per articles.
"(The total sum paid for the sea conveyance of all mails sent via New York in the year ended the 30th of September 1886 was 99,9277.
(9) The total weights of mails sent vid New York during the year ended the 30th September 1886 were :-Letters, 337,855 lbs,; other articles, 2,780,625 lbs.
"(h) The gross postage on mails sent to the United States is not recorded in this office. Postage between countries within the Postal Union does not form an item of account.
"When the returns which it has been arranged to take are completed the Postmaster- General will cause a further communication to be addressed to you.
"I am, Sir,
Years.
Emigration.
1870
256,940
1871
252,435
1872
295,213
1873
310,612
1874
241,014
1875
173,809
1876
138,222
1877
119,971
1878
147,663
1879
217,163
1880
332,294
1881
392,514
1882
413,288
1883
397,157
1884
303,901
1885
264,385
1886
330,801
"J. Henniker Heaton, Esq., M.P.
Your obedient servant,
"S. A. BLACKWOOD."
885/
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
B. Telegraphic.
No. 34.
PROPOSED CABLE BETWEEN CANADA AND AUSTRALIA.
COLONIAL OFFICE MEMORANDUM and CORRESPONDENCE.
THE question of connecting Australia with Canada by cable, and so affording an alternative means of communication beyond those supplied by the Eastern Extension Telegraph, had been from time to time mentioned in connexion with the Canadian
• Not printed.
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