Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/27

1873] caused much dissatisfaction in South Africa. In 1872 the Cape parliament had agreed with Mr. Donald Currie to convey a mail monthly to and from England at a greatly reduced rate of postage, upon payment of £150 for every day under thirty in which the passage should be made, and this plan seemed to answer better than the other. On the 17th of May 1873 the steamer Windsor Castle, of Mr. Currie's line, arrived in Table Bay after a passage from Dartmouth of twenty-three days and fifteen minutes, the shortest run on record by some fifty hours. This was used as a strong argument against the provisional arrangement made in England, which was therefore not carried out.

Negotiations with both companies were then commenced, but were not completed until 1875, when the arrangement made was for a mail weekly to and from England. The Union and the Castle lines were to run steamers alternately, which were to perform the passage in twenty-five days. For every day under twenty-five of a passage the Cape government was to pay the company owning the steamer £100, and for every day exceeding twenty-five the company was to pay the same amount. The postage on letters was to be at the rate of six pence the half ounce, of which the imperial government was to receive one penny, the colonial government one penny and the company conveying the mail four pence. The contracts were for five years, and were approved of by the Cape parliament in 1875.

This arrangement was modified in the following year, when Mr. Molteno was in England. He arranged with the two companies for a weekly service for seven years commencing on the 5th of October 1876. For every twelve hours of a passage above twenty-three and under twenty-six days the company owning the steamer was to be paid £50, for every twelve hours under twenty-three days it was to be paid £75, and for every twelve hours over twenty-six days the company was to pay a fine of