A PENNY A WORD.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 187, 2 May 1908, Page 5

A PENNY A WORD.

6 WORLD-WIDE EMPIRE CABLE SERVICE. PROPOSAL BY;MR. HENNIIiISR HEATON. BT.TKLEGn.APn—PREGS ASSp{3IATION----COpyRIOIIX k , London, April 30. Mr. Hcnnikcr Heaton, in'the "financial Review .of Reviews,'' advocates. a penny a worcl for. telegrams,' throughout tho .Empire, and pventually, throughout''tiie world- ( Hp, urges % Home. qnd Colonial povprnmoiits shqulcl acquiro ajCt(i'p ;Und liiios and iiiter-Imperial cables at a',fair valuation, and )vork them for thp beiicfii of. the whole people. . ;■.' Spino years ago an ihiglishman was looking after his busi»o"ss'at: a station far "up couiitry''. in New SpiitinValVs,-' ■ He'■ was talking ivitVhis men.- when j;he mail" arrivcd.'''Eew bf-them received letters'; but : the lucky' few: reacl 'their hows" for tho" benefit of the 'rest,'.-ivho 'tqok' as keen an'interest in the" welfare of 'the old' folk at "Home'~as 'if tliey'were' 'relations'; of : their own; The incident' made a deep'-impression on the Englishman's mind. 'A'few years'later he. caine. Jfomei aiid 1 chanced to outer'ri'village post officey where' a womah'was"inquiring-' 'the postage,., to.. 'Austraji^.' She; cciuld :-not' "afford the' requisite - ' and ' the Englishinau paid it' for "her. v He' learned'subSfquqntly' from 1 the" parson "off the. parish' 'thatthis."outlay" brought' ;the old lady';'a.'fei£ittancd "of M by return of "p,o.st, for had at last been' brought lnto' cbiiimunicafioo.' 1 ' The Englishman laid"thcse things iip.'m hjs heart', ai)d' determined' to"friakq'-'it "his mission iii' life to cheapen the means "of " communication bfetween'the old follfs'il'|: Homeland their "kith aii'd kin bey'pnd' the seas'". The hero'of this pathetic taje is slr. John jHtsnnikir'Heaton, "who had gono to seek his fortuho in SJetf Squs' Wqlfis, aud : who' married 'the oiily daughter' of lato -Mr'. : Sainniel_ Bennett, a' yealfliy ''newspaper proprietor'in' that"colony." He returned to Euvopo, and got himself ' elected in 1885 Conservative Jf,?; for '• Canterbury. But his real constituency. is a larger'one. He is the inomber for Postal Reform; the .Martin Luther of tho Post Office, and his assiduity has. extorted from successive" Postmasters able fefornis,' including- the'lmperial Penny l'ostago sehomo, which he carried; in . 1893, the introduction of telegraphic money orders, parcel "post to France, and " tiny "number 'of other - boons. His public services have' been l recognised by tho freedom'of'the City of London in a gold" casket. He is a native of Hochester, was educated'' at -King's College, and has been a member of tho human family sinco 18-18. 1