THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, MAY 26, 1908. THE PACIFIC CABLE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9098, 26 May 1908, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, MAY 26, 1908. THE PACIFIC CABLE.

The Pacific Calile is apparently not the success that was promised for it. Possibly it may be too soon for the predictions to be fulfilled, but the man of commerce in ever anxious for improvement, and restless when confronted with a recurring loss even in a good cause. It was recently stated in the Imperial Parliament that the estimated loss on the Pacific cable for the current year was £69,000. The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies asserted that this very considerable annual loss is "being; reduced in a satisfactory manner," but such an opinion will hardly be endorsed by colonial users of the service, or by the New Zealand Postrmister-GeneraU "For Sir Joseph Ward has not been backward," the "New Zealand Herald" remarks, "in pointing out that the cable could be made to pay expenses if it were kept fully employed by a sufficient reduction of rates; so that,

as things stand, the public has not only had to pay unduly heavy cable charges but has to provide the funds to meet tho consequent deficit. Few ppople would object to the payment of what is practically a cable subsidy if thereby a cheap service were obtained, but it appears absurd to pay the subsidy for the mere purpose of maintaining excessive charges. We recently suggested to Sir Joseph Ward that he should exert his influence in a direction he openly advises, the cheapening of cable communication with the United Kingdom and the rest of the world. At the present time there is nobody with authority and standing who is devoting any great attention to this most important problem. Yet the burdensome character of existing cable charges are notorious and are keenly felt everywhere. Instead of an attempt to reduce rates we are threatened at the International Telegraph Conference with an attempt to limit the coding to which commerce has been driven, and to limit is practically to increase rates. At the public might expect reasonable treatment from the Pacific Cablo Board, and as the cable might pay expenses at a rate to London of one shilling per word, it is utterly unreasonable that nearly £70,000 should have to be publicly provided in order that a rate of three shillings may be maintained."