PACIFIC CABLE

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1347, 26 January 1912, Page 3

PACIFIC CABLE

PROPOSED ALTERATION OF ROUTE. NOT ENTERTAINED. l Subsequent to an announcement by the Prime Minister, during the last session of Parliament, that it was proposed to lay the Pacific Company's new cable from Sydney to Doubtless Bay, objections-were raised" by tho Duncdin Chamber of Commerce. As an alternative it suggested that the cablo should connect Melbourne and the Bluff. The Wellington Chamber, on behalf of the Dunedin body, wrote to the Post and Telegraph Department here, asking whether it was feasible to meet the suggestion of tho Dunedin Chamber of Commerce. The matter having been referred by the Department to the Pacific Cable Board, the Wellington Chamber of Commerce has received the following letter from Mr. J. Milward, manager of tho Pacific Cablo Companv:— "The secretary of tho General Post Office, Wellington, has favoured me with a copy tf your letter of November 13, addressed to him on the subject of proposed new table between Australia and Mew Zealand. "The matter of the route for the proposed new cable is now under tho consideration of my board. "Without going into the matter at any length, it may not be out of place to point out the following objections to tho schcme proposed by the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, from the Pacific Cable Board's point of view:— "(1) Tho length of the cable involved would be considerably increased. "(2) Access to the main Pacific cable via, the new cable would be considerably reduced, the neire.st point to New Zealand to the main Pacific cablo being Norfolk Island. If tho end of tho cable was at Melbourne, access, in the event of an interruption to the lines of the South Island, would be through long landlines aoross the Australian continent, between Melbourne and Southport, Queensland. "(3) A second very costly cable establishment and staff in the South Island, such as tho board already have at Doubtless Bav, would be necessary. "(4) Tho information at present available as to the nature of the sea bottom over which the cable must be la-id between Melbourne and the Bluff shows it to be very unfavourable a£ a bed for tho cable. "Against the 9© disabilities, the only advantage to the South Island of New Zealand, so far as can bo seen at present, is tho possibility of communication being kept open with Australia during the very infrequent interruptions that occur to her overland telegraph wires between Cliristchurch and the south; this would appear to be more a matter for the consideration of the New Zealand Telegraph Department than the Pacilic Cable Board, and as it is understood (hat. the extraordinary dangers to tho telegraph wires are confined to a stretch of country only 2.) miles in extent, it is suggested that Ihe difficulty might be overcome by less cosily ,ind equally efficient means than those proposed by tjie Dunedin Chamber."