THE PROPOSED COOK'S STRAIT TELEGRAPH.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1994, 10 December 1863, Page 7

THE PROPOSED COOK'S STRAIT TELEGRAPH.

J (From the Wellington Independent, Nov 28th.) 3 Tue fact that Mr Wood has been Treasurer to j three successive Ministries would seem to imply s one of two things — either that he is a trimmer shifting his sails to every freeze, or that his \, knowledge of and qualifications for the duties s of that particular office are such as to make s him, for the time being, a political necessity. 8 Judged of by his speeches his political views c are moderate, and though never shy of expresau iug his opinions when occasion requires, he apd parently likes business very much better than i- debate. That he is a man of business the re- >- suits of the visitation tours, which Mr Wood y has several times made through the provinces, d have clearly proved ; and we believe the testimony is universal, that he is as conciliatory and

agreeable in manner as he is desirous to fulfil impartially the duties of bis position. With us Mr Wood has always been a favorite, and his conduct in the trying crisis of last session (when lie resolutely refused Mr Domett's tempting offers to leave Mr Fox in the lurch, and only consented to accept office when '.hat gentleman pronounced him at liberty to do so) has impressed us with a conviction that so fur from owing his successive continuances in office to political trimming, he has entirely owed them to the straightforward character of his business habits — to the confidence which is generally felt that he endeavors to hold the scale evenly, as regards the rights of individual provinces, irrespective of the party to which the representatives of those provinces belong. When any of us are suspicious of a man we very naturally put au unfavorable construction on what he says or does, but when the woidsor actions of those in whom we have confidence are doubtful, we as naturally put the best possible face on them. In Mr Wood's speech on the Budget, he made some observations on the necessity there was for the Government at once connecting the South Island provinces with the Northern shore of Cook's Strait, and the Spectator, being very suspicious of the Ministry, puts thereon the most unfavorable, and, as it happens, a wholly false construction. It is therefore worth while to understand what the intentions of the Government are, and as a reference to the Parliamentary Papers supply the information, we shall proceed to show bow honest and satisfactoiy Mr Wood's telegraphic proposals, as regards this Province, really were. Mr Wood says in his speech on the Budget: — ! "We likewise think it advisable that a sum j of money should be set apart for the purpose of constructing an electric telegraph, where it is possible that an electric telegraph can be constructed in this country. It; can be constructed throughout the whole of the Middle Island, and carried by submarine cables across Cook,s Strait. We propose that measures should be taken almost immediately to commence a woik of that kind in conjunction with the Provincial Governments of the Middle Island, who hays already taken steps in the matter. And though I myself have indicated a plan to continue that submarine cable from D'Urrille's Island to the Mauakau, yet, upou further consideration, we think it better not to undertake a scheme so extensive as that at present ; but rather to wait another year to see if it may not perhaps be possible to continue the telegraphic communication from Cook's Strait to other parts of this Northern Islaud. It would be impossible, of course to do it at the present time ; but it is not perhaps too wild a supposition to suppose that it may be practical to comiueuce it in another year. At any rate weproposea sum of £150,000 to be set apart for the purpose of constructing electric telegraphs." Ou the first blush, Mr Wood might be supposed to mean that the Electric Telegraph was to be laid down from Southland to Nelson, and from thence to Manakau, completely cuttiag off I Wellington. Those who believed in Mr Wood's honesty of purpose^ would immediately say that he could not intend to isolate, and utterly diimage Wellington in that fashion ; while those wbo are suspicions, — those who believe that every Auckland Minister is perpetually studying how best he can ruin us, think as the Spectator thinks in its Wednesday's article: But perhaps the tendency of the proposed action oi.the ministry is shown in nothing s<> clearly as in that which relates to the Electric Telegraph. After answering the representations recently made by the Chamber of Commerce here on the subject of connecting the two islands by a telegraphic wire laid across Cook's Strait to the effect that the Government were about to propose a plau for this purpose, it is now proposed to terminate the line at D'Urrille's island. Mr Wood gravely adding that it had been his plan to propose a continuation by a submarine cable from thence to Manakau, but it was thought better not to attempt so much at present. That it should thus have been intended to pass by the whole coast of Wellington and Taranaki — adopting for this a costly submarine cable instead of the comparatively inexpensive mode of wire above or immediately beneath the surface of the earth— has something in it of so monstrous a character that we dare not trust ourselves to characterise it. It says but too plainly. The Middle Island is clamorous and strong — therefore unite it to Auckland and thus preserve Northern Ascendancy, but Taranaki, Hawke's Bay, and Wellington, are aot worth so much as evea a passing notice. We cannot for a moment believe that our representatives will tamely consent to this. Turning to the «• Postal Report" for 1862-3, written by Mr Wood as Acting PostmasterGeneral in the absence of Mr Ward, we find the whole scheme fnlly detailed. The " monstrous character" of Mr Wood's plan turns out to be the very reverse, and if any province has occasion to endorse that description it is certainly not ours. That reports tell us that Southland, Oiago and Canterbury, have arranged for making a line from Invercargill to the kelson boundary, that the materials are scut for, and that the work is to commence this summer. As no difficulty stands iv the way of extending it to Marlborongh and Nelson, telegraphic communication from Foveaux to the Southern shore of Cook's Strait is only a question of a few mouths more or less. "It will be impossible for some years (writes Mr Wood) safely to attempt the construction of an extensive inland line of telegraph in the Northern Island ; but there is no reason why arrangements should not be made during the ensuing session of the Assembly to connect the principal settlements of that Island with the Middle Island by means of a submarine telegraphic cable. There is no practical difficulty in the way. It is now fully recognised by telegraphic engineers that cables laid in a depth which is under 100 fathoms are seldom broken and can be easily repaired, and are not liable to those accidents to which deep sea cables are constantly exposed. The shortest distance across Cook's Strait is from Wellington Head on the South shore to Cape Terawiti on the North, it does not exceed 12 nautical miles; the soundings however are too deep, varying from 110 to 150 fathoms, to render it advisable to lay a cable between these points. From Rununder Point to Sinclair Head is 21 nautical miles, and the deepest soundings are only 80 fathoms ; a cable laid down there would be in shallow WBter, be out of the great tide rip so common in the narrowest part of the Strait, and would connect Wellington with the Middle Island. From Cape Stereus, the extreme Northern point of D'Urville's Island to the Manukau Harbor, is 210 nautical miles. The deepest soundings in crossing the Straits to Cape Egmont do not exceed 54 fathoms. From Cape Egmont to Manukau the greatest depth does not exceed 46 fathoms, and off that Cape there is no greater depth of water. A cable along that line would connect Auckland with the Middle Island, and a short branch cable from the main line to Taranaki would include that settlement in the great line of telegraphic communication. Should engineering difficulties, as is very possible, presen

I themselves in connecting Cape Stevens with ' Nelson by land, thsre is another line which is Ino longer, and with no deeper soundings from Cape Farewell to Manakau. In none of the proposed line does the bottom present any difficulties, throughout the whole distance it is either gravel, sand, or mud." The cost of the land telegraph is about £60 a mile, that bj sea when laid in less than 100 fathoms deep is about £400 a mile. Thus the the two lines above mentioned, would cost about £94,000— saj Rununder Point (near Cloudy Bay) to Wellington £9000, Nelson to Manakan £85,000. The Strait must be crossed somewhere, and that it must be crossed close to Wellington is not disputed. Mr Wood's proposition for a sea line from Nelsou t<\ Manakau being only intended to prevent the isolation of Auckland, consequent on the Native disturbances preventing the line from Wellington thence being at present carried out. On account of the great expense Mr Wood has since withdrawn the Nelson and Manakau line, in the hope that another year may afford the prospect of uniting Auckland with Wellington overland; and looking to the immense saving which the overland route would occasion (not less than £65,000) besides embracing the intermediate provinces, there can be little doubt that Mf Wood has acted wisely and well. A telegraphic engineer has been appointed (Mr Alfred Sheath) whose duty it is to advice with the Provincial Governments as to the direction of the line, undertake its general sspervision, and see that the system is so arranged, in each of its Provincial portions, as to form a whole which the General Governnaen can pre* sently take into its own hands for the benefit of the Colony generally. Under this arrangement the line can be simultaneously commenced and. prosecuted in all the Southern provinces, and what the Wellington Government has to do is to iirrange that the making of the submarine cable should be put in hand without delay. The Strait being colonial and not provincial property, the General Government will of course order, lay down, and pay for the line across it: but even should we be called upon to pay for it in the first instance, the cost (9000) is such a mere bagatelle that it cannot present an hour's hinderance. But from another Parliamentary Paper it appears that this estimate of £400 per mile is double what it ought to be. it is true that the Malta and Alexandria cable, which is 1300 miles loog cost £500,000, and the Java and Australia cable, a length of 1830 miles, ia offered to be laid down for £725,000; but Messrs Sir Charles Bright and Clark, engineers of the Atlantic, Indian, and other great telegraphic undertakings, state themselves prepared to lay down « line between Australia and New Zealand at about £30 a mile, the cable costing in England £150 a mile — or when laid down say from £180 to £200. This price is home out by Mr Walters, th« agent general in London for South Australia, who explains to the Duke of Newcastle that £400 a mile is the prjee which a Company would charge if it had to lay the line on the " guarantee of interest" principle, but that if the colonial governments paid cash £150 a mile would certainly be saved. This by the way is a wrinkle worth noting, viz, that when even respectable companies agree to take a guarantee of so much per cent on the cost, there is a probability that they will cook that cost into double its real amount, and so get twice as much interest as it was ever intended they should get. The whole cost of connecting Southland and Auakland, via Wellington, at the highest rates is £160,000, and this amount the Government propose to include in their intended loan. We hope the earliest moment will be taken to survey the bed between this and Cloudy Bay, and that by the time the wires are ready on the other side the cable will be ready for submerging. Meanwhile we tbink we have done good service by removing the very unfavorable impression of the ministerial intentions which our contemporary has so hastily induced. — ♦• ■ .