THE CAPE CABLE.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11110, 31 October 1901, Page 4

THE CAPE CABLE.

The great work of laving a cable to connect England with Australia; via the Cape, is Bearing completion. According to a cable message published this morning, it is expzcted that the final section of the cable, from. Fremantle to Glenelg, will be completed by February nest, so that ifc will not be long before the Commonwealth will have the benefit of a, cable service which, it is claimed, will lessen the time of transmission to and from ; Europe by half, besides providing direct communication with South Africa. The work of laying the cable was commenced by the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company in July, 1899, at various points, a start being made from the English terminus and in both directions from the Cape. The line touches at Mauritius and Cocos both British possessions—on the rowfe from South Africa to Australia- From Durban to Mauritius is about 415 nautical miles, Mauritius to Cocos Island 2297, Cocos to Fremantle 1318, and Fremantle to Glenelg, the Australian terminus, 1634; so that the total length of the line from Durban to GJendg is 6165 milee. An enterprise of such magnitude naturally involves a considerable outlay, and it is not surprising to kern that the cost- of that portion of the cable between South Africa and Australia, is over £1,000,G00. In. return for a guarantee from the Australian State Governments, the Eastern Extension Company offered in 1899 to waive at once its right to a renewal of the cable subsidy and guarantee against competition; to provide the cable now being laid from the Cape to Glenelg. and to make an immediate reduction in rates to England from 4s, 10d

per woti to 4s Ay word, with farther redactions da a eliding scale to & 6d a ward. The charges to Souwj Africa were to Jt* reduced from. 7a Id to 2a a word. In retain, tfee company required that it should be granted the privilege of directly dis-, triboting and collecting international cablei grams from its own offices in Australia, as it has always done in Great Britain. An assurance was given by the company that when the rates bad once been reduced they would not be again increased. All the States except Victoria and Queens--1 land have dosed tilth the offer, the amount guaranteed being £227,000. Victoria was i considered to have pledged its support to the rival Pacific cable scheme, which. Queensland also had accepted- < The States which agreed to company's proposals | received an immediate reduction in rates as promised, from 4s 10d to 4s a word, a farther reduction to 3s 6d was made last year, and in January next the charges will be again reduced to 3s a word. . The agreement was modified at the Conference of Premiers last year to the extent that the company's right to open offices in Australhb might be exercised "on the laying "of the Pacific or any other competing cable," toe last words being deemed necessary as a protection against * possible French or American line. It is claimed that from a strategic point of view the Cape caible is preferred by the Imperial Government to the Pacific caible, but whether that dq the case or not, the great value of the Cape cable in assisting in the development of the Australian Commonwealth, is undeniable.