CHEAPER CABLEGRAMS

Otago Witness, Issue 3017, 10 January 1912, Page 25

CHEAPER CABLEGRAMS

BERLIN, January 3. The cheap rates for deferred cablegrants apply to German messages for Australia and New Zealand. MELBOURNE, January 8. Mr Henniker Heaton, who is advocating cheap cablegrams, says that while each of the four or five lines to Australia has a yearly'capacity of 10,000,000 words, the total number sent over them is only 7,500,000 words. He contends that some of the lines are deliberately kept idle by trusts. SYDNEY, January 5. Tho Daih r Telegraph, discussing Mr Henniker . Heaton’s remarks in regard to penny-a-word cablegrams, says : “By all means let us have communication compatible with necessity and common sense, but there is no need of a reduction to a penny, and there is no probability of such an idea being attained. It is to wireless we must look for cheapness. The prospect of its competition discourages any but a moderate policy on submarine lines.’’ FREMANTLE, January 3. Mr Henniker Heaton says he is of opinion that soon there will be penny-a-word cables throughout the Empire. He says we shall never have a perfectly developed and unassailable Empire until we annihilate the time of communications. January 4. Mr Henniker Heaton declares that the deferred cable concessions have been made out of alarm, as the result of an agitation for reductions and concessions. They are amusing and illusory, and will merely benefit the millionaire and prove unsatisfactory to Australia and New Zealand. He will not be satisfied till people are able to cable 12 words for a shilling between England and Australia or vice versa. This is within the range of practicability.