THE WAR.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 11 August 1914, Page 4

THE WAR.

THREATENED CABLES

According to a New York report,. sT^ German cruiser has been seen in thevicinity of Newfoundland, grappling for the Transatlantic cables. That attempts, will be made to cut the ocean cables, that link Britain with her overseas dominions may be expected. Britain has. much more to lose than Germany by a dislocation of the cable system. Of the 208,000 miles of submarine cables now existing, 160,003 miles are owned by Britain. The United States owns 50,000 miles, Fiance owns 25,000 miles Denmark owns 11,000 miles, Germany owns. 10,000 miles, and other nations own 1-2,000 miles. The globe is now almost encn-citd by British cables. There are--17 cables across the North Atlantic, most of them belonging to, or eowtrolled by, the Commercial, Anglo-American, and Western Union Companies. TheEastern Company affords direct communication to Capetown, via Madeira, St. Vincent, Ascension, and St. Helena' and, in conjunction with the Eastern Extension cables, this is continued to Australasia by way of Mauritius and tr-o Keeling Islands, in the Indian Ocean. 1 his forms an all-British route to Australia and New Zealand. Between Great Britain and India, the Eastern Company's cables run via Malta to Alexandria, and thence through the Red Sea, via Aden to Bombay. The Eastern Extension cables continue this route from Madras to the Straits Settlements and Singapore, and from there they branch) out to Hongkong. Manila, and* Shanghai, and also connect with the Australian land lines. The British-Pacific Cable, which was opened at the end of 1902, runs from Vancouver to Fanning: Island, in the North Pacific. Fiji, ami Norfolk Island, and thence to New Zealand and Queensland respectively. Oil Newfoundland most of the cables connecting Europe with North America, converge. The Anglo-American Company has four cables between Newfoundland and Ireland, and three cablesbetween Newfoundland and the American Continent. The Commercial Cable Company has two cables between Newfoundland and Ireland and Newfoundland and America, and other cables restine «t Newfourdland are wned by the Direct? Cable Company and the Western Union.