THE COLNIST. NELSON,TUESDAY,AUGUST19,1879. THE TELEGRAPH CABLE.

Colonist, Volume XVI, Issue 1661, 19 August 1873, Page 2

THE COLNIST. NELSON,TUESDAY,AUGUSTI9,IB79. THE TELEGRAPH CABLE.

The advantages obtained by, Australian merchants over those in New Zealand from -, having the means of telegraphic communida- | tion with the rest of the world are bo great and numerous, that it haß long been seen if our trading community ib to hold its own it can only be by having equal opportunities of availing itself of the changes in the Home markets as Boon as they are made known in the Colonies. When Mr. Vogel was in Australia, a conditional agreement was entered into with the representatives of New »Bouth Wales and Queensland for a joint guarantee on cables connecting New Zealand with Australia and Queensland with Singapore. The terms proposed are exceedingly favorable to this Colony, as our maximum payment, after providing for only £12,000 a-year working expenses and maintenance, can amount to no more than £17,000, and all receipts beyond the sum for expenses are to- be applied in reduction of the amount payable by the three contracting Colonies. It is supposed the whole cost will not much exceed a million, and of this the New Zealand cable is expected to absorb £400,000, so that/ the guarantee being five per cent, we are to contribute £3000 a-year less than our share in proportion to expenditure, and as the number of messages passing, through the ; cable from Normantown will in all probability produce *far more than twice the amount paid for those sent by our cable the gain in that direction also is ours, as the whole of the' receipts are to be "taken" into account in estimating our annual contribution to the subsidy. When the question was before the House, it rwai thought by,;sDm^;-that it would be more to .our;ttfjfajj^y^ be : free -from »i»y \ monetarjr' cbntt^ipja "with the Singapore line as the chancei of it getting out of order are much greater, in consequence ■of passing through a coral sea: There was a general agreement on the importance of the work, and the only other question discussed was the-form of contract. A letter from,; Mr. D. F. Gisborne has since,been laid on the table' of! the House in which he endep^ir" to make it appear that the prospect; of speedy execution is not so favorable as; we anticipate, and lie advises the Government to guarantee our own line at once without waiting for the extension; from Queensland. It must not be forgotten in estimating the value'of this gentleman's' counsel that he ii the representative of, hostile tenderers, and that Messrs Siemens Brothers have offered to do the work at; a.price.be rponsiderji insufficient. The -present, arrangement secures to New Zealand all the benefits of Mr. Gißborne's proposition, and in addition . .a less annual payment of a least £3000 a-year with an amount of revenue probably much - greater in proportion* x Besides it is only by being united an this-project with the other' Colonies and through that union with lines extending to Europe that we can expect to secure the low rates proposed to, be charged for messages, without; which our merchants would find telegraphy far' Coo expensive for frequent use, and the balance against us would be seriously increased. Now that it has been,decided to connect New Zealand with Europe by cable, it would be the height of folly to adopt a new proposal falling short of completeness; and at a considerably extra cost; These coritinaal efforts to disturb, the public mind should be discouraged, and though much;might be^said in favor of suspending action. for a few years till the Colony is more populous, not a single reason can be adduced for "discarding our allies and wasting our means on the sentimental plea of securing. complete and undivided control., . ' lf