The Evening Star. THURSDAY, JULY 13, 1876.

Evening Star, Issue 4174, 13 July 1876, Page 2

The Evening Star. THURSDAY, JULY 13, 1876.

The interruptions which have taken place at various times in the telegraphic communis tion witn England have ifiadeit evident that c Will not do to trust to a single line. A telegraph is something like a railway i it can be done, without, but oaee constructed it must be kept going, or the course of trade is disturbed and all kinds of inconvenience and loss are occasioned. The telegraph between Australia aud England fo Used almost solely for business purposes, the tariff being too high to permit of its being utilised for the transmission of private messages to nny extent, and it does hot rfthuife a particular acquaintance with the mode in which com merce is conducted to perceive that if a merchant enters into large transactions on tne supposition that he will be *bJe iti send a telegram to the other side of the globe whenever he pleases, serious results may occur if he is unexpectedly deprived of this means of communication IV So ion* a periods* has lately Another defect uas likewise hcdome apparent in the present arrangements. The line passing through +be Dutch settlement* in $& Eaalern Archipelago involves the employment of Dutch operators at tome of the repeating stations and it unfortunately happens that These Ren'tlemon, for the hiost paYt, have an exceedingly slight acquaintance with the English language, so that the roessptrej deli vered, instead of presenting alnodel of terse Saxon, sometimes consists of a Cabalistic arrangement of i„ttcr.i which might have .icon approbate enough in a manuscript of Awftimis Maosus, but is exceedingly out of place m an order for the purchase o"f tens or an advice of a consignment of wool. Y\ bile, then, a second line is needed, it is also desirable that, if possible, it should be carried over a route where the messages will be repeated by English operators. Whether, however, the latter object can be attained or not, there seems to be a consentaneousness of opinion amongst the various Australian Colonies as to the necessity for the immediate construction of a second line connecting Australia with India ihe subject was formally broached q Y sr„?°5 r „?° J BEBTSON '» the Premier of New South ales, in a letter to the other Colonial Governments, dated the 18th of Mav wnerein he pointed out that there were four modes by which a duplicate line cr.uld bo secured. The first is to lay a cable f rom Jew Zealand to the Sandwich Islands, and thence to San -Tanciseo, to the support of which hue the Government of A T ow Cale dmiia would be willing to contribute, and it is possible that the Government of the United States would also lend its aid It recently sent tht man of-war Tuscarora to

survey the route over -which a cable would probably be taken, so that some interest in the matter is evidently folt at Washington ; but, on the other hand, it has never been the policy of Congress to support such undertakings as these by subsidies. The fo\tv?L?- Pacific cable ' estimated at ±4100,000 is, however, prohibitive, and there is the further drawback of high charges for the transmission of messages across North America. The second route is from Normantown to Java, but here again the great expense of the work intervenes to prevent its being undertaken. If the third route were adopts the second cable would be laid alongside the existing one, substantially following the same course on land through Java, and taking the route through bumatra and via Malacca, in place of the cable to Singapore; but this route, although the least expensive, would have the objection of passing through Dutch telegraph offices, while the land line would also traverse portions of Sumatra occupied by turbulent tribes. The fourth proposal, which is favored by the New South Wales Government, contemplates a cable from Port Darwin, touching at Copang, and at some convenient place to enable it to serve as a second line from Java on to Singapore S* °°? of this line is calculated at £750,000,

Our own Government, without insisting on the point, prefers a line from Western Australia to India. There are three modes by which the junction could be effected. Ihe place of departure would in either case be the North-west Cape, Exmouth Gulf. *irst, a hne could be stretched to the eastern end of Java, thence through the island, and a second line to Singapore, secondly, to the western end of Java, with a hne to Singapore. Thirdly, to Galle. Captain Audley Coote has made similar proposals to the New South Wales Government and there are obvious advantages to be gamed by starting from Western Australia, especially if a cable were laid direct to Galle. The terms upon which the work could be done do not, however, appear. It would, of course, have to be executed by a company under subsidy from the various Governments. So far as Mr Robertson's proposals are concerned he expresses the opinion that the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company would be willing to lay a second cable by either route for a subsidy of £15,000 per x^^n 5 while > b y P a y in S an additional a year, in accordance with the terms of the agreement made with the company for the construction of the Australian-New Zealand cable, the rates for through messages could be reduced to £3 a message of ten words, and 6s a word for longer telegr u ms ' , makin g a 1 1» subsidy of £35,000, which, divided amongst the various Colonies (with the exception of South Australia, which it is suggested should be partially or wholly exempted from contribution, on account of her enterprise and expenditure in constructing the Australian overland line) would fall comparatively lightly upon each, the matter is, however, as yet in the rough. It is of very considerable consequence to decide whether the route from North or from West Australia is the best; and while a £ ature of tlie sea bottom in the Eastern Archipelago, and other details requisite to enable a reliable estimate of the cost of constructing a telegraph there to be formed are pretty well known, similar data regarding the route from West Australia appear to be lacking. It has likewise been suggested that a second line of communication might be found by way of Mauritius-, whereby the Australian "Colonies would be enabled to send telegrams to and from the Cape, and although the scheme does not look so promising as the others at first sight, it might improve upon examination. Then it will be necessary to take care that the arrangements include a stipulation for a second land line through Australia, so as to prevent interruptions of the communication from the breakage of the single line now'existing. An entire revision of the subsisting arrangements is, indeed, involved, and a proposal for an Intercolonial Conference has naturally flowed from a consideration of the circumstances. We should, nevertheless, be glad to see the negotiations concluded without such machinery. Several intercolonial conferences have been held, but the principal thing they have done has been to spend a great deal of money ; and now that all the colonies are in telegraphic communication with one another their Governments ought to be able to settle intercolonial business without plenipotentiares meeting in solemn conclave. How far a conference is imperative on this occasion will doubtless be explained by the Ministry when it asks for the Assembly's instructions on the matter,