In late 1887, the Victorian government at the behest of the Missions undertook trials involving both the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand (USSC) and the Australian United Steam Navigation Company (AUSN), following which the USSC was awarded a subsidy to provide a monthly service which they undertook until March 1890 when the service ended. News articles of the time indicate that mail was carried to New Hebrides from Victoria initially at the rate of 4d per ½ ounce. This service called at Havannah harbour. Despite overtures by the Victorian government to have NSW join in the subsidy, NSW elected to subsidize AUSN for a competing service which began in August 1888 and called at both Aneityum and Havannah also monthly, Both companies utilized their Sydney/Fiji service to call at New Hebrides. In September 1889 the NSW government provided AUSN with a further subsidy to provide an inter-island service and to increase the Sydney service to fortnightly which began in January 1890.
5 September 1892
The first recorded date.
30 December 1892
In October 1889 the Missions unable to reach agreement with USSC, also entered into a contract with AUSN to provide the Missions island stations with a steam service. An unofficial NSW post office operated at the southern island of Aneityum, which lay on the trade route to Fiji. This was made official on 1 August 1891. Postage stamps were either unmarked or pen-cancelled with a cross. In January 1892, with the change in trade from sandalwood to agriculture and copra, the mail was re-routed to Vila on the island of Efate. The ocean service reduced to 1 trip per month. The local manager of the AUSN was then appointed as postal agent of the New Hebrides Agency on 1 July 1892, and was soon provided with a proper postal canceller inscribed "NEW HEBRIDES VILA" (PCH Type1). The NSW postal agent was first supplied with 2½d stamps, that being the rate per half ounce to NSW and elsewhere at the time.
In March 1893 the service ceased when the NSW government withdrew their subsidys and the responsibility for handling the mails devolved
upon the local manager of the Australasian New Hebrides Co. (ANHC). This became official on 1 January 1894. ANHC utilized the ships of
AUSN, however the service was entirely paid for and conducted for ANHC. Contrary to previous opinions new research has indicated the
service was sporadic only in 1893 whilst the company was being reconstituted, there after the service was regularly conducted at least
monthly together with a regular inter-island service.
Following ANHC's demise in 1897, Burns Philp took over the ANHC assets including the agency as well as the shipping and handling of mails
and negotiated a contract with the Missions such that there was little if any delay in implementing the new service. Burns Philp utilized
its own fleet to conduct the service which was reduced to bi-monthly initially. In 1898, 1900, 1902, 1904 and 1908 Burns Philp were awarded
various mail contracts from the NSW Government (initially) and subsequently from the Australian Commonwealth government. All of these
contracts involved New Hebrides and resulted in a substantially increased mail service to those islands although there is little tangible
evidence of a similar increase in the amount of mail.
The agency closed following the advent of the Condominium Post Office in 1908.
Jeff Blinco.
30 December 1892
30 December 1892
