BRITISH CABLE RATES

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 March 1937, Page 11

BRITISH CABLE RATES

CONFERENCE TO BE HELD. [per press association.] DUNEDIN. March 15. The Postmaster-General, (Hon. F. Jones) said to-day that advice had recently been received from the British Government of its intention to convene an Empire Committee to consider cable rates throughout the British Commonwealth. This committee would consist of the chief administrative officers from Great Britain, Canada, the Jrish Free State, India, Australia, and New Zealand. “The function of the committee will be to examine the incidence of cable traffic and rates, and to submit reports to their respective Prime Ministers or other representatives- at the Imperial Conference,” said- Mr Jones. “The whole matter will then be the subject of discussion at the. Imperial Conference early in May.

In considering the suggestion of the British Government that the Dominion b© represented on the committee by' the permanent head of the Post and Telegraph Department, the Cabinet was fully appreciative of the great importance of quick and cheap cable communication, not only’ to commercial and business interests in the Dominion, but to the people as a whole, and deemed it highly expedient that (lie Dominion should receive adequate and expert representation on the body to be set up. To that end Mr. G. McNamara, Director-General of the Post and Telegraph would he leaving for England in a few days.

Mr Jones added that the Imperial Conference of 1928 recommended that the cable concerns of the .British Empire, including the Pacific Cable Board, should he the subject of purchase by a now British company. This was later brought into effect, and the purchasing company was now known as Cable and Wireless, Ltd. In the articles' of purchase it was 1 provided that tho company should be an entirely British one, and. that it should not dispose of the cable- or increase cable rates without the prior concurrence of the Empire governments. •’ Incidentally.” said Mr Jones, “this means that cables required for strategic purposes are safeguarded from disposal. The development of wireless competition has, however, had serious repercussions on the financial struclwre of the new concern, which has for many years been carrying on its business under somewhat extraordinary and unprecedented difficulties. It will be well appreciated that nothing of the nature of a. breakdown should occur in cable communications between New Zealand and Empire countries in particular, ami it is therefore in the iiitoicSts not only of this Dominion, but of till component parts of the British Commonwealth that the organisation be consol hl a and placed on a sound and workable footing.” . ' The Minister added that it was possible that a solution of the problem would be found in stabilising the affairs of the company by some more effective Control ami interest on the part of tho Empire governments concerned. In any case, he had every bop*, that the result of the discussions would prove to be of permanent benefit to cable users.