SYDNEY-AUCKLAND CABLE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15662, 15 January 1913, Page 6

SYDNEY-AUCKLAND CABLE.

COMMEMORATION OF OPENING.

OFFICIAL LUNCHEON.

IMPORTANT SPEECHES.

(Pkr United Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, January 14. The completion of the laying of the direct Sydney to Auckland cable was today commemorated at the Town Hall, when a number of leading citizens assembled at luncheon at tha invitation of the Pacific Cable Board. Mr John Milward, Australasian manager, presided, and those present included the Post-master-general (the Hon. R. H. Rhodes), the Mayor (Mr C. J. Parr), and others. In proposing the toast of " The Post and Telegraph Department," coupled with the name of the Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes, the Chairman said that nowhere in the world did the population enjoy greater benefits in the way of postal and telegraphic facilities. New Zealand, in fact, in his opinion, possessed . the cheapest and best telegraph service in the world.

The Hon. Mr Rhodes, in reply > said that he realised the truth of what Mr Milward had Baid and readily admitted that all the credit there was had to' be laid at the feet of his predecessors, and most of all to Sir Joseph Ward. The Minister paid a tribute to the very fins work done by the department and its staff in New Zealand.

In proposing the toast of the Pacific Cable Board, the Postmaster-general said that he had to admit that it was only since taking office that he had taken a stimulated interest in cable matters. They knew that the entry of the Pacific Cable Board into the cable business had been welcomed as breaking up an existing monopoly. Speaking of the cable work, of the future, the Minister said that the work would be to lay an independent cable across the Atlantic. That would be the final link in the Stateowned cable The Hon Mar Frazer, j.ost-master-generaJ of the Commonwealthj was to meet him in Wellington shortly to further discuss this question. Canada, of course, was every bit as much' interested, and he hoped that ere long something definite would be done in regard to an Atlantic cable. Then there was the problem of wireless development, and as long distance trials succeeded there would be the increasing possibility of making greater we of the wireless system. The Minister concluded with a complimentary reference to the part Sir Joseph Ward and Sir Sandford Fleming had played in securing the Pacific cable, and offered his hearty congratulations to the Pacific Board on the completion of Hie direct cable to Sydney.

Mr Milward, in responding to the toast of "The Pacific Cable Board," proposed by the Postmaster-general, said that he would like to draw attention to the fact that the laying of tho Pacific cable was uudertakekn by the unique partnership of the Imperial, New Zealand, Australian, and Canadian Governments. It reoriented what might claim to be the earliest, attempt to embody in concrete form the principle of co-operation between the Mother Country and the dominions in regard to practical matters of common Imperial interest. The original capital of £2,000,000 was advanced by, tlie Imperial Treasury, and was being repayed from the revenue earned by the cable in 50 yearly instalments of £77,000. In addition the revenue was expected to provide £33,000 per annum towards a renewal fund, besides paying all working expenses. This meant that, within 50 years the original capital with interest would have been repaid, and a sum necessary to lay a second cable throughout would have accumulated. Continuing, Mr Milward dealt briefly with the three principal aims of the cable. The first was to provide an alternative route between the Motherland and the more outlying parts of the British Empire in times of national danger. The second was to bind more closely together the parts of the Empire that up to that time had no direct telegraphic communication, especially Canada Australasia. The third object was to give the. commercial com.munities of the Empire the advantage' of some competition in the cable business. The new cable between Sydney and Auckland, added Mr Milward, besides providing a very much quicker and more reliable service between Australia and New Zealand generally and duplicating the connection, would, it was hoped, reduce the working expenses by cutting out one or two tranmissions. Similar benefits would result from the new cable laid from Auckland to Doubtless Bay, which enabled them to cut out that station entirely.

The Mayor responded to the toast \of " The Guests."

Mr W, A. Beddoe, Canadian Trade Commissioner, said that he felt proud on this occasion to represent the Canadian Government, because they owed it primarily to the far-seeing Imperialism of the Canadian Government that the Pacific cable was a completed enterprise. Sir Sandford Fleming, who was known as the father of the Pacific cable, made the first overtures to the Canadian Government in 1879, when he submitted to it a scheme for spanning the Pacific Ocean by cable, which in connection with the overland telegraph of the Canadian Pacific Bailway (of which he was chief engineer) would complete the electric girdle of the globe, and bring Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India into unbroken touch without passing over foreign territory. Sir Sandford Fleming was still hale and hearty in his eighty-fifth year, and had lived to see his dream realised. Mr BeUdoe said that he had just sent away the following cablegram to his Government at Ottawa:—"Have participated in function opening direct Pacific cable Auckland to Sydney, another strand in Imperial bond." Referring to the commercial aspect Mr Beddoe said that the Pacific cable had_, played a very important part, in bringing the Canadian market within reach of New Zealand produce. The distance was too great to enable busineta in perishable products to be arranged by mail, and without a cable trade could never have developed to its present magnitude between the two countries.— (Applause.)

The toast of "The Press" was proposed by the Secretary to the Post Office (Mr Morris), and responded to by Mr H. Horton.