§ SIR JOHN LENG (Dundee)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, as representing the Postmaster General, whether it has come to his knowledge that the mail steamers of the Orient Pacific and Peninsular and Oriental Shipping Companies only average about 340 miles daily, while they have power; to run 400 miles, which is the average speed of the American steamers on the Pacific; and, seeing that the time can 1121 be shortened by several days between England and Australia, and in view of the competition with German and other lines, will arrangements be made by the Post Office department to avail itself of the full speed of English mail steamers.
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN,) Worcestershire, ENo, Sir; it is calculated that, in order to perform their voyages between Brindisi or Naples and Adelaide within the contract time; the packets of the Orient Pacific Line and the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company would have to maintain an average speed of about 340 miles a day, whereas, in practice, most of them exceed that rate and reach the terminal port considerably before contract time, the Post Office gaining the advantage of such earlier arrival. The average speed is certainly considerably above 340 miles per day. Even if some of the ships could be driven faster still, the contracts give the Postmaster General no power to require additional speed.