PACIFIC CABLE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1257, 12 October 1911, Page 5

PACIFIC CABLE.

THE NEW LINE. DOUBTLESS BAY SUPERSEDED, AUCKLAND TO SYDNEY DIRECT. In tho llousc of Representatives last night the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Word) moved a resolution approving of tho laying by the Pacific Cablo Board of a cubic between Doubtless Bay, or any moro convenient point, and Australia, cither directly or partly by means of a. subterranean cable across tho North Island. In moving this the Premier said that it was to give effect to a resolution of tho House, passed last year. It was intended to do away with tho Doubtless Bay cablo transmitting station, and bring tho cablo by a subterranean lino from Doubtless Bay to Auckland. All tho business would then bo done at tho Auckland Chief Tost and Telegraph Office, and cablo messages would be gent direct from Auckland to Australia.. Similarly, there would be no transmitting station at. La Perouso, in Australia, as the cablo would g6 by land from there to Sydney. Thus, !? scu r "'i'ng cablegrams from any part of -New Zealand to Sydney, two transmissions would be saved. The Pacific Cable Board would construct tho new line out of its reserve fund, which stood at <£215,087 on March 31, 1910, and had probably reached ,£275,000 by March, 1911. ihe work would cost .£175,000, and there would be left in tho fund .£IOO,OOO, as required by tho Act of tho Imperial Parliament. The propos'ed new work was urgently required if tho Pacific cablo was to retain its business. Thero had been a considerable loss of business owing to delays in transmission. Ho had been urging for some time that increased facilities should be provided. Tho new scheino was expected to save .£BOOO per annum in , ln " expenses, besides tho gain in efficiency and rapidity. Mr. W. P. Massey, Leader of the OpSaid the report of tho Pacific Cable Board should havo been laid on the table before this mattor was brought up. It might bo tho proper thing to do away with the station at Doubtless Bay, but a groat deal of pioney had been spent there. He would liko to know why so much less business was done bv'New Zealand through the Pacific Cable last year than the year before. Tho Post and telegraph report showed a considerable falling-off in this respect, and a corresponding increase in tho business done through the Eastern Extension Company, lie would like to know whether there was any prospect of the cablo rates being reduced in the near future. Sir. J- P. Lnko (Wellington Suburbs) advocated cheaper cablo rates for press messages He approved of tho Prime Ministers statement. Mr. J. Allen (Bruce) said tho Past and telegraph report showed that Now Zealand had only given the Pacific Cablo J-.118 per cent, of its messages to Australia lost year, as nmiiiist 53.07 iwr cent, the year before. Tho Eastern Extension Company also appeared to liavo been gaming ground tuniinst the Pacific Cablo in regard to press messages. Sir J. G. Ward said the figures quoted referred only to messages sent by the general public. All the Government mcssages were sent via the Pacific Cablo. iho .hasten Extension Company had sent canvassers to New ■ • Zealand, and bad thus lnoreissd their business, but the 1 acific Cablo Board had sinco dono tho same, and its business had begun to show an improvement. Tho deficiency on tho cablo had been, reduccd from ,£10,057 in 1902-3 to <£6621 in 1909-10. He was suro that matters would never bo quite satisfactory until tho Governments concerned in the Pacific Cablo owned a cablo across tho Atlantic, as proposed by him at tho Imperial Conference. The different countries would*never get the fullest value until that was done. There was J, consensus of opinion at tho conferenco that there must bo a reduction in tho Atlantic cable rates, and that if a sufficient reduction was not mado the Governments of Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, which were the contributors to tho Pacific Cable, should own a cable across tho Atlantic. A good arrangement had been mado with the Canadian Pacific Railway Company in regard to its line across Canada, but he thought' tho contributing Governments should eventually own tho lines all the way from Now Zealand across Canada and tho Atlantic to England. When that was brought about, he expected tho rates could be reduced to Is. a. word, and even to Gd. a word. In regard to press messages, lie hoped that those in,control of tho press in this country would not renew tho existing agreement under which tho service of cable messages for tho Now Zealand press was attached to tho Australian service. It would bo incomparably better to have an independent service, and lie believed the Government would bo prepared to subsidiso such a service, just as the Commonwealth Government was already subsidising an independent serrico for Australia. He would also like to see moro New Zealand news in tho English papers, and this might be tho caso if tho cable rates wero reduced. Oho might bo in London for weeks or months and scarcely know from the newspapers that Australia or New Zealand existed, while Canada was appearing in the press every day, to the great advantage of that country. Mr. James Allen asked if tho Prime Minister could give a rough idea of the estimated cost, of the cable between New Zealand and Australia, and tho two subterrnnean lines. The Prime Minister stated that tho estimated cost was .£175,000. This would include the subterranean lines.