THE CABLE CONFERENCE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1247, 23 January 1896, Page 36

THE CABLE CONFERENCE.

Sydney, January 17

The Pacific Cable Conference will be opened this afternoon. Mr Thynne will represent Queensland : Mr Huffy, Victoria ; Mr Cockburn, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania ; Mr Hooves, New Zcaland. It is considered that the chief lion in the path will be south Australia’s vested interest in the present cable, she having spent .£500,000 to connect the cable terminus at Port Darwin with the Eastern colonies, but the delegates arc hopeful ol an amicable adjustment of the matter. The proceedings of the Conference will be more or less of an informal character, audits results will be more in the way of suggestions to the Commissioners who are to be subsequently appointed than laying down hard and last lines for their guidance. The Daily Telegraph strongly advocates the appointment of Lord Jersey and Mr W. P. Beeves as the Australasian delegates to

the Imperial and Colonial Ccmmiissicm to discuss the Pacific cable. The writer addsthat the Agents-General cannot be tocr closelyin touch with the existing feeling in Australia on the subject, and while Mr Reeves is* thoroughly up to date in everything Australian, he will also go from the Sydney Conference fully- seized with its views. Sydney-, January 17.

The Pacific Cable Conference sat late tonight, but came to no decision which could be made public. The Conference will sit again to-morrow. It is thought likely that Lord Jersey and Mr Reeves will be appointed delegates. Sydney, January 19. The Pacific Cable Conference has concluded its deliberations.

It has adopted recommendations in favour of the construction of a cable touching only' on territory- owned by the British Empire, the costs to he borne in equal thirds by Great Britain. Canada and the Australasian colonies, the route to be via Fanning Island, Fiji and Norfolk Island, thence bifurcating to New Zealand and More ton 13 iy T . The Agents-General of New South Wales and Victoria were selected as the Australian delegates to the Imperial Colonial Conference to ho hold in London to discuss the question. . . r The position of South Australia in regard to the new line was discuss°d at great length, the Conference recommending her to join in. Finally it was resolved that Dr Cockburn should make a proposition embodying the terms on which his colony was prepared to come in. It is understood that the proposal is that the other colonies should meet South Australia by pooling the cost of the Port Darwin line on the basis of the business done over it during the last five years.