THE CABLE QUESTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15549, 5 March 1914, Page 9

THE CABLE QUESTION.

INCREASES IN SPEED. TmOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] London, January 23. Giving evidence before the Dominion's Royal Commission, Mr. F. C. Crawford, Chief of the Submarine Cable-laying Department at Silvertown, said, that the general effect of recent developments in cable telegraphy was that speed bad been increased by 50 per cent, or more, while accuracy ot transmission had improved. With regard to land lines, an ingenious system of photographic telegraphy, known as the Pollak-Virag apparatus, had been proved to be capable of receiving as much as 45,000 words an hour. It was not suitable for submarine telegraphy, as it required two cables. An Atlantic cable, such as that proposed to link up the All Red service via Canada, giving a speed of about 40 words per minute, was generally estimated at about £500,000. Mr. Hollo Appleyard, Chief of the Submarine Coremanufacturing Department at Silvertown Works, said that at all important transmitting stations handwriting had been largely replaced by typewriting machines, with a saving in some instances of 10 per cent, in the time of handling a message. Questioned as to the relative merits of cable and wireless systems, witness said he did not know what the "speed" of the latter was. The ordinary cable was more constant, more trustworthy, and certainly more secret. The advent of wireless had in ho way diminished the activities of the cable companies; in fact, the tendency had been in the opposite direc- j lion.

A PORT FOR TAHITI.

GREAT FRENCH ENTERPRISE

[from our own correspondent.] London, January 21. France has now made up her mind to have a commercial port in the Pacific as soon as the Panama passage is open. A Government Bill has been laid before the Chamber of Deputies to grant a concession for the construction and working of a harbour and coal depot at Papeete. The Bill provides for two kinds of works, viz.: —(1) Matters of urgency, i.e., which must be carried out within a period of two years from the passing of the Bill; and (2) those of less urgency, to be carried out as necessity may arise. The urgent matters are the erection of lighthouses on Tatahiva, Matahiva, Tatiora, and MoTea, for indicating the route, and some lights at Papeete. The concessionnaire will have to erect beacons and deepen the entrance channel to 12 metres, and make it 100 metres wide, provide a floating dock, build repairing shops, lay down a coal depot, with elevators, erect an electric station and a wireless telegraphic installation, and provide an extra tug. The preliminary estimate of cost is 10.000,000 francs '(£400,000). The State will participate to a certain extent, and the colony will provide 900,000 francs (£36,000). On the other hand, the company obtaining the concession must have a capital of 3,000,000 francs (£120,000), and issue bonds, the interest on which will be guaranteed by the State. The State reserve to.itself the right of erecting the lighthouses, the wireless telegraphic stations, and the quays. The Government and the concessionaire will bear the risk jointly.