THE PACIFIC CABLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11581, 20 February 1901, Page 5

THE PACIFIC CABLE.

JOINT PURSE PROPOSAL.

VIEWS OF THE POSTMASTERGENERAL.

A Herald reporter waited on the Hon. J. G. Ward, Postmaster-General, prior to his leaving for Gisborne last night, and asked his opinion concerning the joint purse proposal in connection with the Pacific cable scheme, as stated in the cable message from Melbourne published in yesterday's HERALD. Mr. Ward, in reply, said: Personally I am of opinion that the proposal to have a joint purse is at this juncture a very unsound one. The whole question of the Pacific cable in its general bearing upon the several contracting countries should be looked at and carefully considered in discussing such proposal, and it seems to me most unbusinesslike for the contracting countries to talk about a joint purse and the fixing of the proportions that the owners of the Pacific cable and the Eastern Extension Company should respectively receive before anyone is in a position to know what business the Pacific cable is going to acquire. It must be obvious to anyone that until the Pacific cable is established, and even an approximate estimate can be furnished of the business that is going over the line, none of the contracting parties are in a position to say what would be a fair proportion for the several State owners of the Pacific cable to receive or to be assessed by anyone as the proportion they were entitled to. For my own part I have been unable to understand why any haste should be displayed, lb seems to me that the owners of the State cable, while treating the Eastern Extension Company fairly, if they are in turn treated with proper consideration, have nothing to gain by precipitate action, nor anything to lose by taking time and waiting until their own cable is established, and they can fairly ascertain what business it is likely to receive, nor have I been aide to understand why there should be any necessity upon the part of any of the colonies to enter into agreements at this juncture to ensure the lowering of the rates over the proposed Cape cable. One of the principal objects in establishing the Pacific cable was to ensure to the people of the several countries a lower standard of rales for cable communication between the old land and the several countries concerned. While I would not advocate a. cut-throat policy with a view to divert--1 ing unnaturally the business which the Pacific cable might be expected to obtain, I am certainly of opinion that proposals for a joint purse or agreements between any of the countries and the Eastern Extension Company must bo in the direction of joint action by both cables from their very inception, and consequently the natural and proper course in the interests of the owners of the Pacific cable is surely to stand oft" and get their own cable completed, and then for the Pacific Cable Board, which is entrusted with the management on behalf of all the parties concerned, to fix their cable rates at as low as ! they can see their way prudently to do. Then it must surely follow that the rates by the Eastern Extension Company will certainly not be higher, and applying this reasoning to the position, 1 am inclined to think that the right thing to do is to keep clear ' of agreements or any proposals for a joint purse at the present juncture. The Pacific cable will have a great advantage in a material respect—that is, that it will go . through very few countries ; it will naturally have the good Mill of the respective Governments that are jointly with England responsible for its establishment ; and' whyshould there be any fear at its very inception displayed by the respective owners, or anything done that might possibly, to a very material extent, minimise its usefulness or destroy one of the principal purposes for which the respective Governments have become responsible for the capital for the laying of the ctfrjlo ? Speaking for myself, I. hope that the good sense of the respective ' countries will prevail, and that the Eastern i Extension Company will realise that the Pacific cable has come to stay permanently. Anything in the shape of precipitate action ! on the part of the countries that own the j State cable is from a business point of view j not only undesirable, but indefensible. j