IMPROVED COMMUNICATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11799, 31 October 1901, Page 4

IMPROVED COMMUNICATION.

Communication with the United Kingdom, which many have thought had reached its highest possible level, is still steadilj improving— both in mails and telegraphs. We have repeatedly pointed out that one of the great advantages of the 'Frisco route is that it places us in direct connection with the greatest transit services in the world— by rail across America, by liner across the Atlantic. On the latter section a remarkable improvement is being prepared. This morning's cablegrams detail the formation of a company, strongly capitalised, to establish an Atlantic line of turbine steamers which will cross from Rhodes Island to the new Irish mail port of Bearhaven in less than four days. The turbine principle has been already demonstrated as thoroughly sound and workable and as capable of producing an unprecedented speed. The difficulty has been the enormous coal consumption entailed, but it is intended to overcome this by the use of oil-fuel, a process increasingly in use. The success of the scheme will place Auckland within 25 days of London as long as we retain the 'Frisco mail, an advantage which will only be ignored by those Southern partisans who cannot see any good in fast mail services so long as Auckland is the terminal port. Our telegraphic communication with London is already feeling the beneficial influence of the Pacific cable„ although that national undertaking is still in embryo. For the Eastern Extension Cable Company, perceiving its monopoly of the Australasian trade broken down, has decided to reduce its extortionate charges from the coming New Year. After January 1 the rate from Australia to and from Europe will be three shillings per word for general and one shilling per word for press messages. This rate is still too high, as a charge of one shilling per word

for general messages would be amply ; remunerative when once the public realised that cabling was not an unattainable luxury. But it 13 a marked improvement upon the present prohibitive charges and is due undoubtedly to the necessity felt by the Eastern Extension managers to allay the irritation and ill-feeling aroused by their short-sighted policy The reason advanced is that the Cape Cable reduces the distance to be traversed, but we have only to compare the moderate charges to Asia Minor and Persia— there is keen competition— the immoderate charges to India and Australasia—where there has been no competition— see that distance and outlay and cost of maintenance have nothing whatever to do with Eastern Extension charges. We hope that Sir Joseph Ward will bear in mind the advisability of securing the Shilling Cable to London and the Penny Cable to Australia which the Pacific Cable makes possible. It is totally incorrect to say that cabling does or can obviate the necessity for fast and frequent mail services, but cheap cabling would be a boon to all classes of the community and would help tremendously in the noble work of binding together the scattered peoples of our common race. For the same purpose, we would suggest to the PostmasterGeneral the necessity of securing a reduction in international newspaper rates. The various illustrated weekly publications of the colony are very largely forwarded by our colonists to their friends and relatives in ihe United Kinglom and other countries. We think Sir Joseph Ward will agree with us that no other means of advertising the colony, exhibiting its resources and spreading practical knowledge of its conditions, is so popular or so effective. This advantageous public work performed by private individuals would be still more generally indulged in were it not for the really oppressive international newspaper postage. A letter can be sent to the United Kingdom for a penny, and we hope it will soon be possible to write to Australia, to the United States and 'o other important countries for the same small payment. But it takes three or four times the sum to prepay postage on illustrated weekly papers, whose distribution advantages the colony even more than the writing of letters. Penny international newspaper postage does not seem an unreasonable proposition to make in these days of cheap and improving communication.