THE PACIFIC CABLE

Southland Times, Issue 17244, 15 January 1913, Page 2

THE PACIFIC CABLE

OPENING CELEBRATION. FELICITOUS SPEECHES. (Per United Press Association). AUCKLAND, January H. The completion of the laying of the direct Sydney to Auckland cable was to-day commemorated at the Town Hall, when a number of leading citizens assembled at luncheon at the invitation of the Pacific Cable Board. Mr John Milward, Australasian manager, presided, and those present Included the Postmas-ter-General (the Hon. R. H. Rhodes), the Mgyor (Mr C. J. Parr) and others. In proposing the toast of "The Post and Telegraph Department,” coupled with the name of the Hun. R, Heaton Rhodes, the chairman said that nowhere In the world did the population enjoy greater benefits in Hie way of postal and telegraphic facilities. New Zealand, in fact, 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 said, and readily admitted that all 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 fine 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 (he future, the Minister said that the work of Hie future would be to lay an Independent cable across the Atlantic. That would be the final link in the State-owned cable. The Hon. Mr Eraser, Postmaster-General of the Commonwealth, was to meet him in Wellington shortly to further discuss this question. Canada, of course, was every bit as much interested, and ho hoped that ere long something definite would be. done in regard to an Atlantic cable. Then there was the problem of wireless deevlopmenf. and as long distance trials succeeded there would he an Increasing possibility of making greater use 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 Ills hearty congratulations, to the Pacific Board on the completion of the direct cable to Sydney.

Mr Milward, in responding, said that he would like to draw attention to the fact that the laying of the Pacific cable was undertaken by a unique partnership of the Imperial, New Zealand, Australian, and Canadian Governments. It represented what he might claim to be the earliest attempt to embody in concrete form the. principle of co-opera-tion 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 the Imperial Treasury, and was being repaid from the revenue earned by the cable, in fifty yearly instalments of £77,000. In addition revenue was expected to provide £33,000 per annum towards the renewal fund, besides paying all working expenses. This meant that within fifty years the original capital with interest would have been repaid, and the sum necessary to lay a second cable throughout the world would have accumulated.

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 tlie British Empire in times of national danger. The second was to fund more closely together the parts of the Umpire that up to that lime had no direct telegraphic communication, especially Canada and Australasia. The third object was to give the commercial communities of the Empire the advantage of some competition in cable business. The new cable between Sydney and Auckland, besides providing a very much quicker and more reliable service between Australia and New Zea-land-generally. and duplicating the connection, would, it was hoped, reduce the working expenses by cutting out one or two transmissions. Similar benefits would result from the new cable laid from Auckland and Doubtless Bay, which enabled them to cut out that station entirely.

Mr tV. A. Beddoe, Canadian Trade Commissioner, said that lie felt proud on tliiss occasion to represent the Canadian Government, because they owed if primarily to the far-seeing Imperialism of the Canadians 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 them a scheme for spanning the Pacific Ocean by cable, which, in connection wit It the overland telegraph of the Canadian Pacific Railway (of which lift 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 Sand ford Fleming was still hale and hearty in his Sath year, and had lived to see his dream, realised. He had just sent away the following cable to his Government at Ottawa; —“Have participated in function of 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 business in perishable products to be arranged by mail, and without the cable trade could never have developed to its present magnitude between the two countries.