THE PACIFIC CABLE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 January 1909, Page 4

THE PACIFIC CABLE.

[by telegraph—per press association,"

WELLINGTON, This Day. Mr John Mil Ward, manager in the Pacific for the Pacific Cable Board,' is visiting Wellington in the interests of the Board. When Seen by a Dominion reporter he said that the cable was .still working very well indeed, and giving no trouble in any way. Against the popular idea that money is being lost annually. Mr Wilward contended that the gradual repayment of capital ought not to be regarded ns a recurring deficit. The position was that the Imperial Government had advanced two millions sterling, which was being repaid at. the rate of £77,000 per annum, while £33,000 per annum in addition was being set aside for the renewal of the whole of the cable, which would be necessary at the end of fitly years. The fact that the Governments concerned wore contributing annually towards tbo repayment of the capital did not, he contended, justify the public in considering that the cable was being worked at a loss. In any case, the money was well spent, as it lias led to tlie lowering of the rates. Asked whether in his opinioil the further lowering of the rates to a penny a word as proposed by Mr llonnikor Heaton was practicable, Mr Milward replied, “No, certainly not, if the ordinary cables are to be worked so as to meet ordinary expenses. Thu carrying capacity of the cable is limited. We can only send a thousand words an hour over (lie Pacific cable, and no main ocean lino has a much greater capacity than that. It is easy to see that at a penny a word the revenue could not exceed £30,000 a year, and our present working expenses are twice that sum.” Mr Milward looks with favor on the proposal to link up the islands of the Pacific by wireless telegraphy. Such a scheme would provide the Pacific cable with feeders from localities where submarine cables would not at present be profitable. At the same lime, lie considered that wireless telegraphy was not in its present stage of development sufficiently reliable for commercial work over long distances, though it was distinctly useful in its sphere.