PENNY CABLES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13905, 12 November 1908, Page 5

PENNY CABLES.

HENNIKER HEATON'S SCHEME " ONE OF HUMANITY'S NEEDS."' By Telegraph— Association.—Copyright. (Received November 11, 11. p.m.) London, November 11. Ix an address delivered at the Colonial Institute last evening, Mr. Hennikcr Heat-on, M.P, again advocated his. universal penny-a-word cable scheme. Mr. Heaton believed that the collapse of the , relentless opposition that had been offered to Imperial penny postage justified the belief that the cheap cable scheme would be successful in the nearest future. If political frontiers were abolished or ignored by an arrangement with foreign Governments, the chief obstacle would be removed. If that were impossible, he relied on Marconi. The Postmasters-General of the Empire ought, he considered, as a first step, to meet in London and tho- Home and colonial Governments should offer to construct land lines to portions of the Empire along the route to British oversea possession*. The money the various Governments now expended oil cabling was more than sufficient to pay the interest on all the cables and land lines it would be necessary to acquire. While he thought the cable companies had been ungenerous and unwise, still he was unwilling to deprive them of a single farthing of their just reward. • English merchants spent five millions a- year in cabling, though only three millions were spent on inland messages by the whole of ' the United Kingdom. Anglo-Saxondom longed for more intimate communication. In Government hands the cables would cost only a million a year, instead of four. Mr. Heaton blamed the Imperial Post Office for never advocating the lowering of the cost of cabling. The | marvellous Pollak-Virag system would enable the cables to cope with the rush of messages that would ensue with popular rates. The conces- j sion must increase the cohesion of the Empire. Penny a word cables were one of humanity's needs. If the cable monopolies would not move in the direction of reducing rates, reformers were, he declared, independent- of them. If a cable to Canada were constructed the land i lines would do the rest. The 11a- i turn! trade route to Australasia was via India and China. The British and colonial Governments together i could either buy out tho cable com-1 panics at the market price or act as indicated. The first step was to call an Imperial conference, and then a conference with the American postal au- i thorities, and also to link up the land lines of Europe with India, ; China, and Australia j A CANADIAN PROJECT. London', November 10. , Mr. R. Lemieux, Canadian Post-master-General, who is visiting England, will discuss with the Imperial Government the construction of an Atlantic cable at the joint expense of Britain and Canada. It is proposed that the ordinary commercial rate be five cents a. word, and the press rate a penny a word. Mr. J. S. Larke, Canadian Commissioner for Now South Wales, sneaking in Sydney last week, said the project for penov-a-wtnd cables was prjctiaillv impossible so far as Australia v;a concerned. He predieted, however, that- when Dr. Coulter, Deputy PostuKwtar-'JoiHiwl a Canada, got/ to New Zealand—li.,» i-« at present on an official visit to Australia—he would find the people there tstiong in their agitation for induced cable rate*.