A DUPLICATE CABLE.

Evening Star, Issue 4319, 30 December 1876, Page 1

A DUPLICATE CABLE.

In a memorandum irabmffct&Uby therEasbern Extension, AustraJiS, apd Chin* Tele* graph Co, to a meeting.of the Agent»rG«noral ef the different Australian in London, says -the ' state that the shertest route for the new cable would be the best, aa requiring the least expenditure of -capital, therefore, the most advantageous to the Colonies. They suggest twb routes-Hjne going from Port Darwin, and following of the present cable to Banjoewangie, and the other starting from 'North-West Cape, in Western Australia, and going to the namtt point. Whichever was adopjted,-the «om. . pany would propose to carry on the communication to Singapore by a cable laid 'jiirect between there and -Banjoewangie, in place of taking the, messages *ver the lines of the Java Government. In' ewe of .the cable to Singapore touching at Banjoewangie the distance would be 2,151 miles, and its coat L 540.000 in case<of the cable from Northwest l ape, also touching at. Banjoewangie, the distance would be 1,973 -mile*, amd the cost about L 500.000. The company would require a subsidy of six per cent., oh the sums, according to whichever route was adopted, to pay the interest on the capital that would have to be raised in the open market, and in addition a sum of three 4>er_ cent., to be laid by as a reserve to m!eet-aiiy~ repairs necessary to the cable, and to prbv' r J ' vide a sum for replacing it when , worn; out! This sum would have to be. guarantee for a. • term of twenty two years, in which, time it is calculated that if three per cent, oh any'" sum is laid by annually and invested at four L ' per cent., the original capital will be reproduced. The sum therefore" required would be, if the cable went from, fort Darwin, L 48,600, or if from North-west Cape," L 45,000 per annum.