Proverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1896. THE PACIFIC CABLE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7540, 22 January 1896, Page 2

Proverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1896. THE PACIFIC CABLE.

At the cable conference, held in Sydney a few days ago, two delegates were appointed to represent the Australasian colonies at tho Imperial conference to be held in London in a few weeks' time ; the route for the cable was discussed and approved ; and it was decided, that the cost should be borne in equal thirds by the Imperial, Canadian, and Australasian Governments. The necessity for a cable under the Pacific has been continuously advocated in tho colonies for many years, as it has been pointed out that it ia advisable that our means of communication with London should not bo exposed to the danger of being cut off by tho strange and sometimes hostile peoples through whose territory the telegraph wires extend. The recent important events in South Africa, Eastern Europe, and the United States, have shown that there is a real need for the extra means of communication which the Pacific cable will afford, and ns the Hon. Mr Chamberlain is favorably disposed towards it, we may hope to see it laid within the nest two or three years. When completed, the Pacific cable will bo of most valuable service to the Australian colonies and the Empire. Within the past month there have been several occasious on which tho telegraphic communication between Adelaide and Port Darwin failed, and quite recently, when people in Australia and New Zealand were all anxiously awaiting news from England about the course of events in the Transvaal, a break occurred near Alice Springs,' close to the MaoDonnoll ranges—a place that seems to be responsible for more breaks than at any other parb of the whole connection with Europe. As stated at the meeting of the conference in Sydney, the South Australian Government completed the telegraph line, nearly 2000 miles in length through most difficult country, and for 1400 miles of the distance the region through which the line passes is wholly unoccupied by white men. For a length of 600 miles the lino runs through country totally destitute of serviceable timber, and in consequence of the absence of water, wells had to be sunk at several points before the work of transporting the wire, insulators, etc., could be proceeded with. Tho first telegraph poles used wore of wood, but subsequently these were replaced with iron, and the total cost to tho South Australian Government has reached nearly half a million sterling. As before observed every interruption on the Port Darwin lino strengthens the argument in favor of tho Pacific cable, as securing us against the possibility of being cut off from the outside world. Upon the maintenance of cable communication the safety of these colonies may at some time depend, and for that reason it is most desirable that a second means of communication should be provided at as early a date as practicable.