SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH TO AUSTRALIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2932, 2 June 1870, Page 3

SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH TO AUSTRALIA.

The following report on the proposed extension of th«i'submarine telegraph to the Australian continent has been furnished to the Postmastergeneral of Queensland by Mr Cracknel!, the superintendent of electric telegraphs in that colony. The report is dated, Brisbane, May 10 :

I have the honour to inform you that copies of certain correspondence between Commander Noel Osborn, now in Adelaide, agent for the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company, London, the superintendent of telegraphs, South Australia, and the chief secretary of South Australia, relative to the proposed extension of the electric telegraph to this continent by the British Australian .Telegraph Company, have been published; and as the matter is of great importance as regards the telegraphs of this colony, I do not hesitate in reporting on the subject. On 19th April, I received from your office, copies of letters, dated January last, from Captain Sherard Osborn, R.N., managing director of the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company, to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, forwarded under cover of despatches to his Excellency the Governor, and from Captain Sherard Osborn to bis Excellency the Governor, stating that the British Australian Company bad been formed and contracts entered into for landing a cable at Port Darwin, and constructing a land line thence direct to Burketown, requesting that every countenance and support might be given to Commander Noel Osborn, R.N., the agent of the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company, to enable him to carry out the land lines, and urging that the Queensland Government lose no time in completing their portion of the work as far as Burketown.

Accordingly, this department is now vigourously pushing on its works to Normanton, which will be completed early in 1871. The additional 110 miles to Burketown might be carried on simultaneously with the works of the Telegraph Construction and Mainteqance Company, from Port Darwin to Burketown, a distance of 750 miles.

Commander Noel Osborn arrived in Adelaide by the April mail, to treat with the Government of‘South Australia for permission to erect the land line through their territory, from Port Darwin to our western boundary. The superintendent of telegraphs, South Australia, has since recommended, in a report to his Government, that they should undertake to introduce a measure, immediately after the new Parliament meets, for providing, by means of a loan, for the construction, at once, of a line of telegraph from Port Augusta to Port Darwin. This report has been adopted by the Government, and the company communicated with, urging the termination. of their line at Port Darwin, on the northern coast of South Australia.

The estimated- length of the proposed line is 1600 miles, and cost of construction, £120,000; annual cost for maintenance, £BOOO.

With regard to distance, I observe that little or no allowance has been made for deviations necessary to avoid natural obstacles, such. as broken and flooded country, swamps, &e., and to secure permanent water: —10 per cent, may be safely added for this purpose. The description given by Stuart in his journal of a journey across the continent during 1861 and 1862 would seem to show that the route proposed offers few facilities for the construction of a line; the country for the most part being described as intensely hot, devoid of necessary timber, and, owing to its sandy nature, permanent water is exceedingly scarce. Under these circumstances, it is not at all improbable that the work would cost considerably more than the amount estimated ; and experience obtained in this colony would show that, owing to the many unforeseen difficulties to be surmounted in constructing long lines through unsettled districts, it is hardly possible to frame a reliable estimate of the cost of construction until the country has been examined and its nature thoroughly ascertained.

It is proposed to finish the line by the end of 1871, in order to be in readiness to meet the company’s cable on its being landed at Port Darwin. When the nature of the country is duly considered it may be anticipated that under the most favourable circumstances the work would occupy three years, and perhaps a longer period. Only four stations are considered necessary. In this colony it has been found that a line cannot be depended upon for constant communication, unless repairing-stations are placed at distances not exceeding 80 miles. In the event of an interruption occurring during a rainy season on a line with stations so distant as proposed, and no assistance being obtainable, the necessary repairs could not be effected perhaps for weeks or months. In the settled districts it is proposed to depend upon the settlers to make the necessary repairs. This arrangement would never answer, as, not being employed working the line, they might remain weeks unaware of an interruption. With a proper number of stations, the cost of transit of provisions and stores would be considerable. If it were intended to make this line the means of carrying the whole Australian business, it should be in the highest state of efficiency, and always workable. Altogether, the estimate for maintenance may be considered too low. The mere fact of the telegraph line passing through unsettled districts would do little or nothing to promote settlement. Up to the present date, I am not aware that South Australia baa any line extending into unsettled districts, or a greater distance from her capital than 300 miles, and Port Augusta, the present northern terminus is not 200 miles distant from Adelaide. „ , It is a question of little moment to Queensland whether the South Aus-

tralian proposal is carried out or not,! provided they do not interfere with l existing arrangements as regards this colony. This would seem to be their purpose by attempting to induce the British Australian Telegraph Company to terminate their works at Fort Darwin. The proposed line, if constructed, could not successfully compete with the line now in operation by the eastern route, which is already selfsupporting.

I think that the importance of Port Darwin has been greatly over-estimated, with regard to this work, and have always advocated, as a means of communication more reliable and less expensive to maintain, that the cable should be brought direct to one of our settlements on the Gulf of Carpentaria. Fort Darwin might then be provided for by a branch line from the nearest cable station, say Melville Island. By this means the heavy cost of constructing and maintaining a land line from Burketown to Port Darwin might be avoided, and the cable when once laid, would require but little attention. The action lately taken by the South Australian Government will, I fear, tend to delay the completion of this great work ; and I would therefore respectfully urge the desirability of at once communicating with the British Australian Company, and taking such steps as may be deemed necessary to secure to this colony the advantages which the present position of our telegraph lines in the north would warrant.