New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 1877.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5013, 18 April 1877, Page 2

New Zealand Times. (PUBLISHED DAILY.) WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 1877.

Ouk readers may have observed that when our London telegrams appear in print in New Zealand they are generally antedated two or three days—viz., the date at which they left London—though there are certainly exceptional cases in which the news is published only twentyfour hours old. Such instances, however, are few and far between. Now, with a full knowledge of tho discrepancy of time between London and Wellington, wo still think our nows should reach us with more celerity than it does. Wellington is about cloven and a half or twelve hours at a disadvantage respecting time as compared with London. When it is noon at London, tho corresponding time here may be set down as midnight. Under these circumstances, and allowing for the unavoidable delays in transmission, it does appear that considerable improvement might be effected. With this conviction we hare made some inquiry into the matter and have become enlightened as to various causey of delay in the transmission of cable messages; but as tho most of these take place outside New Zealand, they are not under our control and need not bo enumerated. In one instance, however, it appears to us that something might bo done by our Government to expedite tho publication of cable

news—always interesting and important, and doubly so at this particular juncture. It appears that, in strict conformity with the telegraphic regulations of the colony, tho station at Wakapuaka closes punctually at 8 p.m., and if tho intelligence that Constantinople was sacked, or some other equally terrible item of news, came along one minute after 8, tho officer in charge may refuse to take it in order it may be passed on to a people hungering for the latest news. Though a strict adherence to cast iron rules is very commendable in its way, yet there are exceptions when the relaxing of those rules is required, and we submit that this is one. It is true that all receiving stations in the colony close at 8 o’clock at night, and it may therefore

bo urged that it can be no injury to anyone if Wakapuaka be also closed at that hour. On this point, however, we differ, and maintain that great inconvenience is caused to the public by this seeming uniformity. Although all the stations in tho colony are shut at 8 o’clock, so far as receiving telegrams go, the officers may bo hard at work all night clearing off the work accumulated during tho day; and no operator is allowed to leave his instrument while any work remains to be sent to his station, and ho generally knows beforehand if there is anything waiting for him. With Wakapuaka tho ease is different. The operator may know that messages for New Zealand are on the cable; but if tho charmed hour of 8 o’clock has arrived, ho need trouble himself no further that night. He naturally thinks that next morning will be quite early enough. It is this laying up of telegrams all night that we complain of, not so much in the interest of the Press as on behalf of the public generally, whom we are proud to serve. It appears to us only reasonable to expect that there should bo, so to speak, a telegraphic connection, just as there are railway connections between the lines of rival companies, whose time-tables fit into each other solely for the convenience of the travelling public. Now, there has been no attempt on tho part of New Zji.land to approximate the time at one end of the cable with that at the other end. The Cable Company, on tho other baud, do all that can be reasonably expected of them. They keep their office open every night till 9.30, which corresponds with 8 at the Sydney end; and we are given to understand that they would be willing to keep open still later if the exigencies of the New Zealand public required it. Our office at Wakapuaka closes inflexibly at 8, corresponding with G. 30 on tho other side, clearly far too early an hour at which to close a telegraph office, especially when it is remembered that in the Australian colonies the telegraph stations are kept open all night, or nearly so. No doubt a similar custom will obtain in this colony some day, and that perhaps not a remote one. It is merely a question of a few years. It appears to us, however, that in tho meantime something could be done for tho convenience of the public without making any very serious change in the existing regulations of the department. In the first place, it would be a great advantage if the Wakapuaka office kept the same hours as the Cable Company’s office. That is an alteration which would entail no expense and cause no great hardship. Another plan has been suggested to ns, however, which, though entailing some slight dislocation of the existing arrangements, need not be expensive, and certainly would meet all the exigencies of the case as our requirements stand now, and as they are likely to remain for many years to come. It is this: say, if an operator at each of the first-class stations were instructed to be in attendance at his office at 10.30 or 11 at night to receive any cable news for this colony, his detention need not be long, and the public would have their European news in the following morning’s paper. The cable messages, whether for the Press or private persons, are necessarily short, and as tho wires are usually clear by that hour, their transmission would be most rapid. We submit that such an extension of courtesy to the public would bo a graceful one, and is not too much to ask for; and from our long experience of the many improvements already made by Dr. Lemon in the organisation of the telegraph system of the colony—which by the way we can honestly say compares favorably with that of any of the Australian colonies—we think the matter needs only to be brought under his notice to ensure his favorable consideration. The suggestions thrown out above are only our rough ideas on the matter, and would of course be subject to modifications by those possessing matured experience and technical knowledge in making telegraphic arrangements.