, 1881-06-11

a field for telegraphic enterprise ever in.
duced capitalists to be SO unwise (as the
event has proved) as to lay Cables 10 the
West Iudies." Such being the case, the
Colonies are surely not to blame, and
being without blame may rightly hold
themselves exempt from sharing TIE
Judged, the system Of the Company was
put together in a very costly manner,
the cables were rotten, and mismanage-a
ment has cursed the enterprise from be-.
ginning to end. To call upon the people
OF the West Indies to make good losses
incurred bv ridiculous mistak es and ridi-H
culous muddles is as indefen sible as it
would be to call on the people OF England
and lher United States to compensate, the
shareholders of the g Great Eastern.
steamship for the losses resulting from
the failure Of the Leviathan, which is
quite as much an I" engine Of civillsation"
and a bond of international union as the
cable We are all ready to admit the
p6stulate that telegraphic communication
is@ a civitisino influence and " a neces-
sity of modern life and commerce. but it
does not follow from the admission that
the Gable Company has moral claims on
US, as Mr.. Gfosvenor Insists. To the
contrary, it follows that the Company
having failed in its mission, from causes
that might have been avoided, now has
no moral claim at ali.
Leaving the moral claims of the Com
pany IS not worthy of serious cousilera-
ton, we come to. the practical bearing of
the question. The other colonies are
satisfied mat they will get along very we'll
IN case the Cable Company drops out Of
existence. This, too, is the belief of the
Imperial Government, which 8. has kind
ly limited that the Company must take
its chance, and thar If it becomes insolvent,
1t lives In hope TINT another one will come
and take its "lace.7 In jamaica we have
loQg entertained this opinion. If the
Company tails. its properly will be bought
up tomorrow at n low aud reasonable
Inquire by some new organisation which,
not embarrassed by a load of debt. can
replace those cables which have al eaGy
outlIVed the term allotted them, and eau
work the system chearIy. Perhaps the
Company's lines would not be worth
buying. La that event, West Indians are
sangnIne that as new cable companies are
already putting down lines in this quarter
OF the gIcbe, they could at a moderate
cost include the islands Of the Caribbean
in their system. Mr.. Grosvenor states as
a reason why the Company does not
increase its rates, that ii would be 9 en-
couraging The formation of rival under
taklngs to come into competition with
them" As for stoppage Of Communication,
while the new cables are being laid, the
present Company has SO accustomed US to
that inconvenience that we would endure
it willingly for ano her season ia hopes
Of tte good time coming. fs-a esg 81.
The claims of the Company to an
increase OF subsidy are weakerJin respect
to Jatnaica than in respect TO he other
Colooies. jamaica is a first link in the
company's system, supplies a large amount
OF business, and costs little Tor mainten-
ahce. The number Of persons availipg
themselves of the News and Prices Bul.
letlns here is immaterial. The conpany
has only to bear the first cost, to meet
which 1t receives G2,000a yeat, aud our
local Post Office relegraphs do the rest,
feeding the cdb'e,tindeed, to some exteIt by
bringing snlote districts into COZ oturreecc1tiioio
with it. Considering that the, news and
prices FURNISHED to Jshaica 90 to a score
OF, other places, the subsidy, of 20. 0O0