AUCKLAND-SYDNEY CABLE.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14564, 15 January 1913, Page 7

AUCKLAND-SYDNEY CABLE.

CELEBRATING THE COMPLETION,

CONGRATULATORY SPEECHES

{PRESS ASSOCIATION TKI_GRJU_.)

AUCKLAND. January 14

Tlie completion of the laying of a direct Sydney to Auckland cable was to-day commemorated at the Town Hall, when a number of leading citizens assembled at luncheon, at the invitation of tiie Pacific Cable Board. Mr John Milward (Australasian manager) presided, and those present included the Postmaster-General (the Hon. K. H. Rhodes), and tho Mayor (Mr C. J. Parr).

In proposing the toast of ''The Post and Telegraph Department," coupled with the name of tlie Hon. Mr Rhodes, the chairman said that nowhere in the world did the population enjoy greater benefits in the way of postal and telegraphic facilities than in New Zealand. .New Zealand in his opinion, possessed the cheapest and best telegraph service in the world.

The Hon. Mr Rhodes, in reply, said he realised th-? truth of what Mr Milwaid had said, and readily admitted that all the credit there was had to be laid at tlie feet of hi s predecessors, and most ot all was due to Sir Joseph Ward The Minister paid a tribute to the very fine work done by the Department and its staff in New Zealand.

In proposing the toast of "The Pacific Cable Board," the PostmasterGeneral said that he had to admit that it was only since taking office that he had taken a stimulated interest in cable matters. They knew that the entry of the Pacific Cable Board into the cable business had been welcomed as breaking up an existing monopoly. Speaking of cable work of the future, the Minister said the work or the future woulJ.be to lay an independent cable across the Atlantic. That would be the final link in the State owned cable. Tho Hon. CE. Frazer, Postmaster-General of the Commonwealth, was to meet him in Wellington # shortly to further discuss this question. Canada, of course, was every bit as much interested, and ho hoped that ere long something definite would bo done in regard to an Atlantic cable. Then there was the problem of wireless development, and as long distance trials succeeded there would be an increasing possibility of making greater use of tho wireless system. Tho Minister concluded wi_i a complimentary reference to the part Sir Joseph Ward and Sir Sandford Fleming had played in securing the Pacific cable and offered his hearty congratulations to tho Pacific Board on the completion of the direct cable to Sydney.

Mr Milward, in responding, said he would liko to draw attention to the fact that the laying of tho Pacific cable was undertaken by a unique partnership of the Imperial, New Zealand, Australian and Canadian Governments. It represented what might claim to bo the earliest attempt to embody in concrete form tho principle of co-operation between tho Mother Country and tho oversea Dominions in regard to practical matters of common Imperial interest. The original capital of £2.000,000 was advanced by the Imperial Treasury, and was being repaid from the revenue earned by the cable in fifty yearly instalments of £77,000. In addition, the revenue was expected to provide £33,000 per annum towards tho renewal fund, besides paying all working expenses. This meant that within fifty years the original-capital, with interest, would have been repayed and a sum necessary to lay a second cable throughout would havo accumulated. Continuing Mr Milward dealt briefly with the three princip.il aims of the cable. The first was to provido an alternative rotito between the Motherland and the more outlying parts of tho British Empire in times of national danger; the second was to bind more closely together tho parts of the Empire that up ts that time had no direct telegraphic communication, especially Canada * and Australasia; the third object w*as to give the commercial communities of the Empire the advantage of somo competition in cable busrness. The new cable between Sydney and Auckland, added Mr Milward, besides providing a very much quicker and more leliablo tervico between Australia and New Zealand generally, and duplicating the connection, would, it was hoped, reduce the working expenses by cutting out one or two transmissions. Similar benefits would result from the new cable laid from Auckland to Doubtless Bay, which enr 1 d them to cut out that station entirely.

Mr W. A. Beddoe, the Canadian Trade Commissioner, said .he felt proud on this occasion to represent the Canadian Government, because they owed it primarily to the far-seeing Imperalism of Canada that the Pacificcable was completed. Sir Sandford Fleming, who was known as tho author of the Pacific cable scheme, made the first overtures to the Canadian Government in 1879, when he submitted to them _ scheme for spanning /ie Pacific ocean by a cable which, in connection with the overland telegraph service of the Canadian Pacific Railway (of which he was chief engineer), would complete tho electric girdle of the globe, and bring Great Britain. Canada. Australia New Zealand, South Africa and India into unbroken touch without passing over foreign territory. Sir Sa l'ford Fleming was still hale and hearty, in his 85th year, and had lived to see his dream realised. Mr Beddoe said that he had just sent away the following cable to his Government at Ottawa: —"Have participated in function opening direct Pacific cable Auckland to'Svdney; another strand in imperial bond;" Referring to the commercial 'aspect. Mr Beddoe said the Pacific cable had played a very important part in bringing the Canadian markets within reach of New Zealand produce. The distanco was too great to enable business* in perishable products to bo arranged by mail, and without the cable trado could never, have developed to its present macnTtncle between the two countrif;. (Applause). . Th) toast or the Press was proposed by the secretary to the Post Office (Mr Morris), and responded to by Mr H. Horton. .