THE CABLE SERVICES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 92, 23 April 1902, Page 2

THE CABLE SERVICES.

peb nms ahooutiow. I Lokdok, April 21. The Timet support* the noder-De-pxrtniental Committee's c*bli r#oommendations in regard to mi'iimum stragetic requirements of the Empire, namely, a cable from Rod-'gun or Oooob ti Ceylon, or Ooaoa to Siogtporat land liu«s from Straits Settl aent to Burmah, and a cable from Jamaica to Saint Lucia.

Received 22,10.64 p.m. Lofdok, A pril 2#. The continuation of tke inter-De-partment Committee's report reoognisee the great service the cable mmpaniw reader oommfwHly and etntegioalif to British ioteieas.

| The committee oppose the proponb of the State to purchase the onMee. The estimated value of Brit<ah own* p\niea' stock is 625,000,000, bat expnrionce has shown that the State has failed to obtain favourable tarn* for transfers of property to its*!'. When transfers am ma le fchore is a oonstaat pressure for d wages to tb* working staff, and for inaifquate reductions in rktes.

The wmmittee report:— 11 No rf* tailed c'<lc»!a!innß are laid be« fore us to show how a penny r»t>> to or A could be I ■■ ;< \ ■ Indeed, the advocate* rf 'ho•nlioint) down iltogothor when ooss exiinitifl j on tne point, and we are clearly of opinion that the moot of such a rate on a commercial basis is impossible. Wi'h regard ♦» aH proposals for a large reduction ift exiitins rateß, these are impraotioable. There is little aniloey bs'wwn submarine cables and the poet. Ob the othor hand we are not is favour of either the woiking of the ciblfs by the State at a loss or of eub(•id sing private ctbles on «s opposed to strategical, ground*, both rf which courses would burdan tk» taxpayer unfair]" for the benefit of • spef-i«l We are not prepared to say the exis'ir.g r *t#s are exoMriv* the exception of tboe* to the GeUt Coast and Nigeria. We rroommend that a reduction b« attempted ia oonnection with the renewal of the Eaatern Extension Cable Company's ltadhif rights at Port Ournow."

Sir Joseph Ward h«g receive**a ™bl.' fmm the Agant.Ge&ural infarmiog him that in the opinion c>f >llOll as eminent authority aa Lord Kelvin it wan practicable ta connect Faaniog Island and Honolulu bit» I'relate telf» caphy, a distance 0 f about 1000 mB) M , Sir Joseph replied that New Z«aW would t»ke no ha«ty aolfon; that h* view of the remarkable d*ve*opniMl if wireless telfgnrthy a wai*in{ policy, la order to ascer- in whether i, couIJ b» s\j."oe^ f nlly «*>ablish»l oi-«r tuck m (ti'tannf, would be followed. Sir ; Josiph points out tfa«t a deep «ea cable over the distance would out £800,00% while Mtrnoni'a inetranenra oodd bt installed for a few buodredi,