THE CABLE SERVICES

v POSITION OF NEW ZEALAND SMALL DANGER OF INTERRUP- *' | TION. Would the cables between New Zealand and the outside world be cut in the event of war between England and another Continental Power? This question is of some interest at the present time, when Great Britain may at any moment be drawn into the great war which now confronts Europe. 16 may fairly be assumed (says the Ghristchurch Sun) that one of the first movements of a hostile force would be directed against the' cable services from and to Great Britain. In these days of wireless, complete isolation of an enemy can hardly bp effected, but the severance of the submarine cables would go a long way towards cutting the overseas dominions off from the heart of the Empire. The possibility of a successful move against the cable services is somewhat remote. There are two services from Australia to New Zealand — a duplicate cable from Sydney to Wbakapuaka is owned by the Eastern Extension Company, 1 and one line from Auckland to Sydney, owned by the Pacific Then there is the Pacific line from Auckland to Bamfield (Vancouver), via Norfolk Island, Suva, and Fanning Island. From Vancouver- the line goes across Canada, via the Canadian-Pacific, to the east coast, where it joins the American lines to England. Apart from this Pacific line, New Zealand's cable service is bound up in the fortunes of the services between Australia and the Old World. Australia, however, is in a much stronger position than New Zealand. The Eastern Extension cable 'goes from Fremantle to Cocos Island, where it branches off in two separate directions. One branch goes from Cocos to Batavia, thence by Singapore, Madras, through India, Bombay, Port Said, through Suez, Cairo, Malta, Gibraltar, and finally lands at Port Hourne (Cornwall). The other branch goes from Cocos to Mauritius, thence by Durban, Capetown, St. Helena, Ascension Island, St. Vincent, The Azores, to Port Hourne. In addition to this line, there is an overland cable from Adelaide to Port Darwin, and a double line from Darwin to Banjoewangi (Sumatra), thence to Singapore, Madras, Bombay, Port Said, etc. Another line goes from Broome (North- Western Australia) to Banjoewangi, Batavia, Singapore, Madras, etc. An American cable from San Fran* cisco goes to the Sandwich Islands, thence to Midway Island and Ladrone Islands, where three cables branch to Tokio, Manila, and the Celebes. The line from Celebes connects to Banjoewangi. The only danger to New Zealand would arise from the presence of a hostile fleet. In the event of Germany and England being in opposing camps, there would be some interest in the doings of the German Pacific fleet, which has its headquarters in the Samoan. Group. That squadron, however, would hardly care to invade Australian waters. One very interesting feature of the cable situation 'is the position of the German line from Emden, in the North Sea, to the Azpres, and thence to Causo, in Canada. Its terminus is on British soil, in Canada. Britain also haa a station on the Azores. The Germans control very few cable lines, and several of these have landing stations on British territory.