Evening Post. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1886. A PACIFIC CABLE.

Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 129, 15 October 1886, Page 2

Evening Post. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1886 . A PACIFIC CABLE.

The cable news which we published yesterday announced that Mr. R. H. Want, the London solicitor for New South Wales, is about to register a Pacific Cable Company with a capital of two millions. The announcement is an important and pleasing one at the present time, as the prospect thus opened up of serious opposition, will no doubt tend to deter the Eastern Extension Company from any attempt to abuse its present monopoly. In regard to Mr. Want"s proposed scheme, we find that in July last Mr. Edward Palliser wrote to the Times stating that the project of a Pacific cable had been taken up with energy by Mr. Want, and that the Canadian Government, by Order-in-Council, had authorised their High Commissioner to confer with tho Agents-General for Australasia as to the proposed cable. Mr. Sandford Fleming, C.M.G., had taken the matter up on behalf of Canada. Mr. Palliser stated that the United States frigate Tuscarora has taken soundings from San Francisco to Auckland, via Sandwich Islands, and he added;— " The reasons for tho British Admiralty not taking soundings from Esquimalt to the Sandwich Islands are plain. The new arsenal has hitherto been too remoto, and telegrams to it from England went via United States ; hence it would have been useless to go to tho cost of soundings. Now, thanks to the Canadian Pacific Railway, all is changed, and Canada and Australia are bound to remain no longer isolated." Canada cannot take the neoesaary soundings, having neither the necessary ships, officers or men, but he strongly urged thq, desirability of tho work being undertaken by the Imperial Government. With regard to Esquimalt, in Victoria, Vancouver's Island, from which tho cable would start, the Army and Navy Gazette writes:— "This arsenal dominates the Pacific, and commands the rear of the New Hebrides Islands. The importance of a cable in a military sense is immense. It at once suggests the gradual growth of Esquimalt into a power now littlo understood. Only fifteen days by sea and rail from Plymouth, the latter entirely through Her Majesty's territory, this new arsenal is being formed under the protection of a bravo and hardy military people. It is not only within easy reach of Plymouth, Woolwich, and Aldershot; but an attempt to capture it would be met by the full force of the Canadian people in arms. In view of this now feature in the Pacific, Vladivostock, Lazaroff, the New Hebrides, and all such are distinctly on the wane; while Australia, Port Hamilton, and Hong Kong will feel the strong arm of a great protector where least expected and most wanted. The Agents-General for Australasia and the High Commissioner for Canada have met in earnest consultation about the proposed communication. To lay a cable and start linos of steamers of great speed and capacity on the Pacific, as set forth by the Canadian Premier in his late speech at the new arsenal, is worthy of Canada and Australia. It is a further proof of their inestimable value in securing on solid, well-considered measures those communications without which the empire has hitherto been, in a military sense, disjointed." It will thus be seen that Imperial considerations strongly favour the construction of this new line of cable communication, and it may be assumed that the Imperial Government will be prepared to join Canada and the colonies in subsidising any company which will undertake the work. Although not specifically mentioned in either of the articles we have quoted from, it is, we believe, understood that the lino of cable will touch this colony. The Government should take immediate steps to ensure this being done. We should then have a duplicate line to Australia as well as to England.