CHEAPER CABLES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1078, 17 March 1911, Page 6

CHEAPER CABLES.

SPEECH BY BRITISH TOSTMASTERGENERAL. . In proposing the toast ,oi "International Journalism" at the annua] dinner at the Trocadoro on- January 30 of the British International Association of Journalists, the Postmaster-General said he would be exceedingly disappointed if his term of office came to an end without a considerable ;and acceptable reduction in cable • rates—a matjer of great importance to journalists. It was true the cable rates were not now, as far as they were used by business mon, so unduly heavy owing to the rapid growth of code.telegraphy. . But it*was difficult when they came to "plain word" telegrams or press telegrams, and. ho was happy .to-ho able to announce a short time ago that ho had secured the consent of almost all the great cable companies to a reduction of their rates by no less than fifty per cent, for "plain -language" telegrams.' The consent of one of the foreign administrations.had still to be obtained, but when this was carried out, as ho was confident it would be, it would be a great boon, to that large park of the community who desired to send telegrams .across the sea, but were unaccustomed to codes. It was not possible at the same moment, Mr. Samuel said, to press the cable, companies for another' concession and endeavour to secure a reduction of press rates. That was a matter for the future— he hoped the not distant future—and when the reform he had referred to was carried through, he trusted to give his- immediate attention to certain questions of press rates for cablegrams whei;e the charges were now undoubtedly unduly high. ,