CHEAP CABLES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 272, 10 November 1908, Page 2

CHEAP CABLES

MR. lIENKIKER IIEATON'S SCHEME

Received 10, 0.45 a.m. Loudon, November 0. Mr. Helinik'er Heaton, in a letter to the Times forwards messages lie lias received from Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, Sir Joseph \\ ard, several Lord Mayors, many members of Parliament, bunkers and shipowners in favor of universal penny-a-word telegrams. He proposes that tlie Governments of tlie civilised .world buy at market prices the cables now in the hands of monopolists, and remarks that the British and colonial Governments now pay yearly a quarter of a million for official messages, a sum which would go far towards the interest on purchasing the cables, empha-1 sising tile vital importance and time saving by telegraph compared with postal communication. He considers that the first step is to call a conference of European postmasters to establish a penny rate.

THE TIMES' COMMENT. Received 9, 11.30 p.m. London, November 9. The Times says that the reduction in rates or the buying out of the cable companies ought to be submitted at an early date to a special Imperial conference. The Government had rejected commercial preference on the grou'id that an improvement in imperial communications would be a better and saf ;r way of union, which the colonies ill common with us desire. "Unquestionably," adds the Times, "the lack of mutual knowledge is at the root of most of our Imperial .dilliculties. The Government will now have an opportunity of proving the sincerity of its professions. it can count on national support irrespective of party, if it decides not to allow the opportunity to pass."