Grey River Argus and Blackball News PUBLISHED DAILY SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17th, 1910.

Grey River Argus, 17 December 1910, Page 4

Grey River Argus and Blackball News PUBLISHED DAILY SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17th, 1910.

8 One of the last as well as the most natural means of. facilitating the linking up of all parts of ---— Empire is the cheapening- of cable rates. Anything- done in that direction must I be regarded as a .national service. I A great deal has already been 'done | in breakinja: down 'the prohibitive cable rates which the public a few years affee were forced to pay, ano* for which there was then no remedy. I Since then, however, various causes have been at work to still . further [ Dreak down '■ the prohibitive charges.

Tho number of cnbles has been increased and tiie directors of cable com panics have been forced by competition and more cnlanrcd experience to realise the wisdom of introducing popular tariffs by .doing more work for less imonev. and so brinjrinp: their cable services more within tftn reach of the mass of the people. But more remain? to b R . done". Mr Mark Co-, hen, a Dunedin journalist, and one of those who attended the Imperial Press Conference, grave iome interesting information on the subject to a Post reporter a few days affo. The subject is one to the study of which Mr Cohen has given a good deal of. attention, which with an All Red s'ram service would be of inestimable value in lipilting: up tlie '^Empire. The subject is of unusual interest io us all at present, if only from the fact that Sir Joseph Ward intends, amongst the questions to lay great . stress on, is an Empire cable and an All 'Red' steam service, each' or which means cheaper communication between, all Darts of the Empire. According- to Mr Cohen, who on two visits Home, got behind the 'scene's a good deal, the _ real lion' in the path hitherto in preventing- th e desired reforms were vested interests. Although this was shrewdly suspected to be the ~ real hindrance, it was scarcely conceivable that the vested interests were so extensive or so widely ramified as appears to be the case. The vested interests, referred to were not only powerfully represented in the conference itself," but are even found in the highest places in the Old Land. It was ■ a hard and at times a bitter -fight; but in 1 the end victory lay with those -who % advocated an extension of- the principle of State partnership, . which to-day finds embodiment in the Pacific Cable Board. . The immediate effect t'Says ...Mr Cohen), of the- conference of the representatives of Canada— the ablest of the : delegations at 'the conference — of South Africa, of New Zealand, and by a section of .the Australians was that the Pacific Cable Board reduced, the press charge from one shilling to ninepence per word. High praise is given to the executive of that board for their efforts: to meet the wishes of the oversea dominions .on the question of cheaper cable communication. On the other hand, no~ -praise seems, to be due to ithe •directors of the cable companies for any reforms made. Like . most monopolists, their hand had to be forced. It . was the generous terms offered by the. Pacific Cable- Board tnat comr>elled the Eastern. Extension Company to ' acquiesce and follow their lead. The Canadian and Australian Press representatives endeavoured to obtain advantages for the public in the cable charges, but a majority of the Conference were .of the' opinion that they were simply Press reprsentatives. and not authorised to act for the public, so that the sood intent of the delegates failed: They consequently had to . confine their energies to advocating a reduction in the Press rates. Subsequently Mr Cohen availed .himself of every opportunity when travelling through Canada of enlisting the support of her public men for a scheme of deferred cables which „he submitted to the Pacific Gable feoard before hp. left. London. At this point it is as welL to let Mr Cohen speak for himself. He said. "I spent •nearly a month in .Australia in bringing this j-eforn\ under the notice of Australian statesmen, and succeeded in enlisting the co-roperation of the then Commonwealth Premier (Mr Deakin) of \ his Ministers, and of many prominent statesmen, including Sir George H. Reid, Mr Josiah Thomas (the present Postmaster-General of the Commonwealth). . and of the Hon W. M. Hughes (now acting--Premier of the Commonwealth.) Moreover, J the past British Chambers of Comimerce Congress, sitting at Sydney 'in September last, pronounced emphatically in favour of cheap cables, and its- president (Sir Albert Spicer, M.P.) not only took charge of th© resolutio. v endorsing cheap cables, but on his reiurn to England' exerted his influence; Asked as to why the scheme is hanging fire after securing such a large measure of ~ support, the answer was still "vested interests." The;, Pacific Cable Board resolved Ho give the " scheme a trialj and it would have been in oi>eration ere this only such a project reauires to be confirmed by the International Telegraphs Bureau. The 'people of Great Britain, conjointly with the peoples of Canada. Australia and New Zealand are responsible for. the working: and upkeep of the Pacific cable and they should be able to operate it. as [they choose. The only remedy is thai recently suggested by Sir Joseph Ward,' when he said :—— •■ - . ■ 'consider that the Pacific CabV Board, having agreed to their own rates, should be able to carry them out without any . recognition whatever of any international cable ag-' xeemen't. I think, myself, that the Home Government: should certainly remove the embargo so far as -the State-owned cable to these countries is concerned. . It seems to me most unsatisfactory — >tc put 1 it mildly— that where we. as owners of the cable, have decided to make a reduction in the rates, in response to represen'fations' made, we are barred because of objections to parties to a "compact which has relation to the' Atlantic cable services — -to services across the British Channel and the Continent— and ! tfc© linteiiweiaving' ovesrliand tielegraph -systems in connection with the^caole companies" in the OW Country. . . . Speaking for the Government of this country, so far as lam conceomed, I will' do all-in my power by. way 'of protest and representation to., see that we have freedom of action in cannection with this important matter of Stateowned cables. ■'" .' WEile this lets the cat out of the bag to a great extent, it is something for the public to know 1 , and ponder over— that foreign influence and American capital are 'the chief obstacles to ..getting 1 cheap cable rates. The. ■ reduction of 25 per cent' to the Press comes wholly from the owners

of the Pacific" cable. The position is dominated by the American cable "bosses," and it is likely to remain in that position unless the Imperial Government "can be persuaded to take action that will relieve the oversea dominions from- the incubus they now suffer from. It would seem, in the light of the information - afforded, by Mr Cohen, that the speediest and •most practical 'solution of the difficulty is '.o have a State-owned cable across the Atlantic and our own land lines across Canada. Jttdginc by» the tone of some of the Borough Councillors on Thursday -evening on the question of drainage for the Dispatch Foundry's new buiiiirg, it was .suggestive of a big law suit, aid a great deal of trouble. But it is satisfactory to learn that there was more sound and fury than anything else; "Tor it is understood that thefoundry will get the required drainage done after all, and will now doubtless pay the few pounds due-for sanitary rates. It is equally, satisfactory to note that there ; will" be ro | lawsuifc for the recovery of interest on the amount paid for the waterlogged land taken by the Harbour Board the Borough Council having agreed to forego its claim for interest. A cheque was .given for the amount yesterday, which will be handed over to the Public TrusteeV the Council being entitled to the interest only, according to the law on the matter. While they may do what they like with the interest of the money received from the Harbour Board, the principal must remain as intact as •the land that it represents,' until the law is altered. It is good that both parties are now perfectly satisfied: the Borough Council has; got what was due to it; the Foundry will getXt araifißtfe in 'dv« course, and tlierf will be no case for those learned in the law. . ' .-"' . ; j