BUSY PACIFIC CABLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 82, 6 April 1922, Page 5

BUSY PACIFIC CABLE.

AN IMPORTANT EMPIRE LINK. DUPLICATION IMPERATIVE. WORK WOULD COST £2,000,000. Over 7,700.000 paying worda of international traffic were sent across the Pacific cable dining the past year, and to this must be added the 2,600,000 that passed between New Zealand and Australia and the Pacific Islands. Business has increased to such an extent that ac the annual report puts it "the capacity of the single line is inadequate whenever special circumstances cause a heavy ru3h oi traffic. The board's main cables have been singularly free from interruption. Between Bamfield (Vancouver) and Fanning Island and between Fanning Island and Suva the long stretches of cable have not once, in the nineteen years they have been laid, suffered a single interruption. And it should be remembered that between Canada and Fanning Island lies the longest uninterrupted stretch of cable in the world. There were only two interruptions during the year to the whole cable, and oddly enough one of them was not on any of the long ocean stretches, but on dry land where a plough got foul of the trenched cable Which runs into Auckland from the coast.

At present in. Auckland is Mr. John Milward, the manager of the Pacific •Cable Board. He told a "Star" reporter this morning that the boa, , was seriously considering the questir.i of duplication, which was necessary not only to secure continuity of the connection between the overseas Dominions and the Old Country, but to give a greater carrying capacity. It was shown conclusively durinjj the war that the single cable was not equal to fulfilling the extra demands that were made upon it. The cables have been singularly free from interruption, but the margin of safety must necessarily decrease as time goes on and it would he unwise to rely on future immunity. A break on one of the long sections would interrupt communication that might extend into many weeks and that would be very grave if it occurred at a time of crisis or if it coincided with an interruption on the other routes that are available.

On this question of duplication the annual report states that a definite scheme had been submitted by the board to the partner Governments, some of which had approved it, and the board hopes that their unanimous assent might be obtained at an early date.

Mr. Milward when questioned about the cost, said the jiriee of metals was coming down, and the probable cost of carrying out the duplication would not be iess than £2,000,000, as compared with the £1,750,000 which the present cable cost nineteen years ago. The work of the duplication would take about eighteen months, though Home of the sections would be working before the end of that period. As far as the route of the second caWe is concerned, it would of course crose the Pacific, but instead of landing at Norfolk Island as the present ea'ble does, the duplicate would probably go from Auckland to Fiji direct. Mr. Milward says the cheaper rates which were in abeyance for some time are now in force again, and the public are making considerable Use of the week-end rate which enables quite a long cable to be sent at a comparatively small charge.

Asked what he thought of the competition to be expected from wireless, especially since the Commonwealth is going in for direct communication with Great Britain, Mr. Milward said he did not think the cable business would he interfered with. It was felt that wireless was not sufficiently certain for the commercial requirements of the country.

Regarding the effect of the Commonwealth's direct wireless with the Old Country it is interesting tonote that a Sydney man with wide experience comnientincj on the point, says:—"Until atmospheric difficulties have been overcame (and a? far ac I know that in a long way from 'beingr the case) the cable must reign supreme. Anyhow, it will probably be a couple of year* before the high powered stations are ready and lots of things may happen in that time." The proposed rate per word by the Commonwealth direct wireless is 2/ against the 3/ which is the present cable rate. and deferred messages will be sent at 1/ •per word ac against the 1/6 of the cable.

While he does not think wireless will noticeably affect the Pacific Cable Board's business Mr. Mflward points out that it has its place and might he a distinct advantage as a link in the chain of communications between tlic different parts of the Empire.