F.—4a,

8

. APPENDIX. TELEGRAPH CABLE COMMUNICATION. Memorandum by the Commissioner. The Commissioner of Telegraphs is very much impressed with the necessity which exists for the Australasian colonies coming to a common understanding, and acting in concert in future, with respect to cable communication with other countries. At the recent Telegraph Conference at St. Petersburg, they were not represented, though subjects of great interest to them were under consideration, and somo resolutions were arrived at from the effect of which they already suffer. The Commissioner specially alludes to the tea-letter per word regulation, and to the regulation imposing an increased charge for inquiry concerning, and correction of, mistakes. It is believed that outside Europe these regulations were left to the discretion of the companies ; but it is a significant indication of the little consideration these colonies have received, that even the results of the Conference do not appear to have been officially communicated to them. The Commissioner does not doubt that if the attention of the English Postal authorities be directed to the subject, arrangements will be made to admit of the Australasian Colonies being represented at the nest Conference. To enable this to be done, however, it is necessary they should arrive at an understanding between themselves. The Commissioner is under the belief that by means of these Conferences, and otherwise, the various Governments of Great Britain, Europe, and India exercise great control over the cable companies. The two companies communicating with India, as also the one which from India communicates with Australasia, are certainly to a considerable extent under the regulating influence of the Government of India. It was alleged to the Commissioner, during recent negotiations in England, that the Indian Government would not allow the two companies working between India and Europe to compete with regard to prices, but insisted upon a certain tariff not being reduced. Probably the action of the Indian Government was not correctly described, or there is some good reason to justify it; but it would be important to these colonies to understand what that action is. The Government of India always show courteous attention to these colonies, and doubtless would answer any inquiries. But it would be better that the inquiries should proceed unitedly from the colonies, than from a single one. It would be still better if the Government of India would depute some one to represent them at a Colonial Conference. It is not too much to gay that Australasia is dependent upon India for the nature and facilty of its cable communication. At the Conference of the Australasian Colonies, held at Sydney in 1873, the opinion was entertained that it was undesirable the charge of cable communication between Australia and England should be in private hands, and the whole people subjected to heavy charges, to profit shareholders in joint-stock companies. The idea was that the Imperial, Indian, and Australasian Governments should jointly raise the money necessary for either purchasing or constructing a through line, and that while each country and colony should retain the revenue received in its hands, each should contribute to the interest, maintenance, depreciation, and charges, in proportion to the revenue it derived. This proposal found no favour in the eyes of the then Imperial Government, and there does not seem to have been any communication with India on the subject. But the policy of the present Imperial Government is widely different; and a project which would give to Great Britain, India, and the Australasian colonies a national line, would probably not be unacceptable to a Government that has shown so much interest in keeping open the road to India and Australasia. The purchase of the Suez Canal shares, with the presumption it establishes that England will at least insist upon the neutrality of that highwa}', affords the means of an unbroken communication between England, India, and Australia, without passing through any foreign country. The Lisbon Station avoided, and the Canal neutral, the through route of the Eastern Company might be considered free from any foreign complications ; and, by avoiding Java, the same would be the case with the Eastern Extension route. At any rate, the subject is well worthy of revival. Considering that the interior systems of telegraph of Great Britain, India, and the colonies are all in the hands of the respective Governments, a connecting Government cable appears to be a natural consequence, whilst to allow the cables to remain in private hands seems to be wholly inconsistent. Another pointy apparently not of much present moment, but one that with time will gather importance, and which cannot be too soon dealt with, is that of the naming of towns and cities. When a telegraph station has a name of which there is no duplicate in any other part of the world, the expense of designating the part of the world may be avoided in transmitting a message. But when it possesses a name similar to another elsewhere, the cost of sending messages to it is always enhanced; and with a rate of 10s. 6d. a word, the consideration is not a slight one. Eor example, for messages to Auckland, Dunedin, and Christchurch, the name New Zealand is unnecessary, but for messages to Wellington it is otherwise : there are Wellingtons in other parts of the world. Even in New Zealand itself, there are several cases of two towns of the same name, and there are similar examples on the Australian Continent. The transmitter of a message to Maryborough, for example, would have to designate whether he meant Maryborough in Victoria or in Queensland. Simple precautions would prevent the duplication of names in future. There are other matters, relating to both internal and external telegraphy —such, for instance, as tariffs, conditions, regulations, &c. —about which uniform action by the colonies is most desirable. These various considerations point, in the opinion of the Commissioner, to tho desirability of the Australasian colonies coming to some understanding in relation to the telegraph. It might be desirable to have a Conference, or else for the colonies, by correspondence, to take united action.