CABLE MATTERS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2549, 25 August 1915, Page 5

CABLE MATTERS

SOME INTERESTING DETAILS. At a spocial meeting of the Council of the Wellington Central Chamber of Commerce held on Monday, Mr. R. J. Lea Wright, representing tho Eastern Cable Co., Ltd., attended by invitation to givo particulars concerning cable matters. Mr. Wright imparted matter of sjreat interest to commercial men. and claimed lor his company a failshare of the cable business from New Zealand. He pointed out that his company was a private concern operating in all parts of the world, and could bo rightly called one carrying out an important public utility function especially at tho present juncture, when cable messages were playing so important a part in international and private affairs. Somo six years ago it was doubtful whether the Eastern Company would be able to carry out the work of cabling from New Zealand owing to tho very poor support received. ■ At that time tho Eastern Cable Co. receivod only 17 per cent, of tho cable business,' tho Pacific receiving 83 per cent. Prior to that the business was as low as 9 per cent, for tho Eastern, being 91 per cent, for tho Pacific Cablo Board. The company, however, decided to carry on, and tho business gradually increased to 31 per cent, in 1911-12, and to 27' per cent, last year. The Pacific Cable Board is owned by tho Governments of Britain, Canada. Australia, and New Zealand. The Eastern Cable Co. is not permitted an office in Now Zealand for tho receipt and dispatch of messages which must all go through the Government Post and Telegraph Department. Tho company is allowed an office in Sydney, where every facility is afforded the public to make full use of cable facilities. Mr. Wright paid a high compliment to the New Zealand Post and Telegraph Department as regards cable matters. Ho stated that the Department was as well organised in that respect as any that lis knew of. The Department has instituted an excellent system in connection with messages to and from our troops at the seat of war. Every man' description has been coded, and all that is now necessary is to add his name and number to one code word, and tho actual message to bo sent. By this means an- average of twelve words is saved resulting in considerable' less expense to tlio public and a great saying of work on the cable. All soldiers' messages are handled free by the company, and as this has been in operation since the outbreak of war, a very heavy burden has been thrown on the staff. This in some measure accounts for the inability of the company to handle weekend messages. Against this the company gives a half-rate service, which is claimed to have practically all tlio advantaees of a full-rate service, but at la If the cost. : ■ Mr. Wright referred to the improvements effected in eaoio transmission during the twenty years tliafc he l-as been connected with the Eastern Cable Company. When he first ,took up cablo work messages were written down' fifteen to. twenty times in transmission from /New Zeaiand to London, now the whole transmission was automatically signalled from station to station, and oulv written down at its final destination. Then, twenty years ago, forty letters Der minute was the .maximum speed for transmission to the most distant station, now 110 letters per minuto is tho usual ' rate. New Zealand inventions have been adopted to advantage in cable transmission, . amongst others beini: that of Mr. John Gel], formerly of the Wellington Telegraph Office. Mr. Wright was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his attendance; and the information supplied tlie council..