THE PACIFIC CABLE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1667, 10 February 1904, Page 13

THE PACIFIC CABLE.

SUGGESTED NEfWS SERVICE.

INTERCHANGE OP MESSAGES.

Sir Joseph Ward has received the following communication from Sir Sandford Fleming, Ottawa, regarding the Pacific cable: — “ The Pacific cable was completed on October 31st, 1902. and; on that date the globe was telegraphically encircled for the first time in the world’s history. A few weeks later the Stale-owned trans-Pacifio telegraph was in all respects ready for use, and was opened for general business on this day twelve months ago. Since then it has been continuously employed . with singular success in the transmission of telegraph messages. Month by month the number .of words sent by the cable has steadily increased, and the volume of traffic which it has attracted. now exceeds the estimate of the Imperial Cable Committee of 1897, of which Lord Selborne Was chairman. The Pacific cable has ■proved itself eminently'* fitted for the

■accomplishment of all that its sanguine , Mends predicted. In one respect, however, the results have . been disap-

pointing. It was expected that Canada, New Zealand and Australia would become telegraphically neighbours, but only failure in this respect has resulted so far. It ie fitting on this, the first . anniversary of the opening of the line __ of communicatdon for public business, to inquire into the cause of failure and seek for the remedy. The advocates of the Pacific ? cable indulged the hope that

in the interests of trade and commerce, no less than in friendly feeling and

political kinship, the newspapers would have frequent, reports of all current affairs, and the British people at j jtbo

termini of thqreable would thus establish closer relations and deeper friendship. Strange, jto say, suoh has notjbeen the case. There is no evidence to show that during the whole of the first year of the existence of this splendid means of instantaneous communication a single press message has passed from

Australasia to Canada, or from Canada to Australasia. In our Canadian papers every issue has more or less of English news. We have likewise frequent cable news from all parts of the world, if we except Australia and New Zealand. We only hear of the

sister .colonies in the South Paoific at wide intervals, and never by direct cable. It is a strange fact that news reports when reach us at all; are second-hand, are but- meagre driblets copied f newspapem., No Austra lasian Mflbpaper is without Eqropean news, bdt the European" press messages do not passthrough Canada. Long 9 . . -.;’iq z: , • ,Tlov

before the Pacific cable was completed its great antagonist, the astute Eastern Extension Company, alive to its own interests, took time by the forelock, and made contracts with the leading new®-; papers of the, on wealth (who intheir turn dominate the lesser papers); for the of press cablegrams. Thesp,’ ■cppflraots extend over a; term dr years, aqd thus the whole of the Australian newspapers are tied to the Eastern Extension Company. As a consequence, the people of the Australian States obtain no telegraphic news from England or from any part of the world except through the Eastern Extension Company. We have, indeed, a direct, line of communication which oould do the work. We have a Stateowned telegraph of the very highest class between Canada and the ■Commonwealth, but notwithstanding this modern means of enlightenment. Australians are kept in the dark respecting Canada as much as Canadians are kept in the dark respecting Australia. The Pacific cable has been in existence for a year. The two countries are telegraphically united; not a. week, not a day passes, without something transpiring which we wo lid wish to. know, or which they would wish to know, and which we both ought to know, but no, provision whatever is made for a cable news service of any kind between the two countries. "As a single illustration of tli9 condition of ignorance respecting current Australian affairs in wh cli we in Canada remain, I may instance the animated discussion in the Australian Par-

liament on a subject of much interest to ns. It was in relation to an agreement between the Australian. Government and the Eastern Extension Company, which required the ratification of Parliament. The Governments of Canola and New Zealand and the Home Government had protested against the agreement as inimical to the Pacific cable. The discussions in the Australian Parliament were in July, August and September. They were wholly unnoticed in the Dominion,.for the reason that they were wholly unknown. Not until the mails arrived in October did we hear of them. Not until November 6th did we learn definitely that the ratification of the measure was not concurred in. ’ Had there been a cable news service between the two countries we would have had intimation of its fate on September Bth. It was nearly two months after that date before we had any certain knowledge of the fact that a measure held to be hostile to the interests in which Canada is concerned was abandoned in the Senate of the Commonwealth. That is only one illustration of the need of a new service. Cases continually arise. If inquiry be made at the Department of Trade and Commerce it will be found that there is abundant evidence establishing that opportunities of developing various branches of trade are lost for want of that knowledge of what is going on which a press service would continually furnish. The Canadian Government, desiring to take full advantage of the newly-laid cable., passed an Order-in-Ccwxncil on March 7th, 1903, pointing out that a news service was much needed, that such a. service would tend to promote trade and extend commercial intercourse between the British countries at both enjds 1 of the cable, and that other advantages' would result. Australia and New- Zealand! were invited to unite with Canada in taking steps to establish a press-service across the Pa* cifio which would be free of charge to all. newspapers, and that the limits shojuld be five hundred words transmit-

ter both ways daily for a period of three months. The Government of New Zealand responded in favour of the proposal, but the Government of the Com-' imonwealth raised objections to it. .Upi tfli the present the objections raise#; ;fiave, not been removed. We are now; iat) !the beginning of the second year qf j ther(-operation of the Pacific cable, and, #f:>Australia does not., yet see the way; ■to - co-operate in a most important 1 movement, there seems no goo-d reason why Canada and New Zealand should any longer be denied a measure of the benefits which the cable established in tli© common interests is capable of conferring. No expense has been sparql to render the Pacific cable a perxeot means of telegraphic communication. .It is equipped in the fullest manner with the best of everything sc ence can suggest, including the latest automatic instruments ; it is provided with a complete staff of carefully-selected officers and operators. In this undertaking the State is in possession of a peerless medium by which intelligence can h© instantaneously conveyed. “On the authority of Mr Reynolds, its manager, the cable would be able ; to carry in an emergency a very large traffic —in fact, t,ho whole traffic of Australia at a ‘pinch.’ Already, we are told, it is doing a good business, and tho traffic is steadily increasing. Alii this is satisfactory, and yet those who know the conditions affirm that in two hours each day it would be possible for the cable and its excellent staff to transmit all the messages now sent, pro-

vided they were transmitted in a continuous stream. These facts go to show that the Pacific cable has ample capacity for an enormous increase of business, that all the press news desired to he sent for public information may easily 'be transmitted without in the least interfering with other traffic, without increasing the working staff, and without adding a single shifting to the working expense. Having regard to these indisputable facts, and all the circumstances of the case, what course shouild be followed in the matter ? Perhaps the original proposal of the Canadian 'Government of .March last cannot be carried out in its entirety until the Australian Government sees its way to co-operate with the other partners in the cable; but meawhile, is there any reason why a limited new service oannot be inaugurated between New Zealand and Canada? Theoriginal proposal contemplated transmitting five hundred words of press news daily. A Zealand service 6timply might be commenced with a reduced nuimber of words, or > less frequent transmission. Even five hundred words a week woulld be infinitely better than hawing, os at present, <no news service whatever. lam sure that a free news service, occupying thei cable and its staff no more than half an hour a week in the exchange of information for the mutual benefit of the people of New Zealand" and Canada, would be productive of much good in many ways. I feel satisfied that a limited service of this kind would prove to be the forerunner of a full daily press service, in which the people -of the Australian Commonwealth would be willing participants.”