New-York tribune., 1896-11-26
PACIFIC CABLE FAVORED.
THE BILL TO BE PUSHED AT THE COMING
SESSION OF CONGRESS.
GREAT INTEREST SHOWN IN THE PROJECT fo"
ESTABLISHING TELEGRAPHIc CoMMuNlcA-
TIoN WITH HAWAII. JAPAN AND CHINA
PROVISIONS or THE MEASI RE.
fry TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBuNE.l

PROVISIONS or THE MEASURE
1BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBuNEl
washington. Nov. 25-It is expected that an effort
will be made at the coming session OF 'o"t ="
secare the passage Of the bill TO tac',''o ''e
s,r,sse,on and maintenance OF teegraphic conmuhi'
oa,,In betwsen the United States. the Hawaiian
Islands Jaran and China. and 10 promote com
merce" This measure favorably reported ny
the Senate Committee on Commerce ana the Ooi'-
rntttee on Interstate and Foreign commerce Va .'o
Ho,Ie OF Representatives at the last session. "e
reoor, Of the latter committee was not suoh''''u
until within a fortnight of the end OF 'he seSSio'
and TOO late for any action TO be taken. Much III
terest In this project has been shown IN 'o"Si'S7
for a number of years past. ana especl"'S SIN
Hawaii became a republic and made oVer'"'es '''
annexation TO he United States. ana IL y ""No
Gated by many Of the stronger and more in'iuehia'
members of that body. 1t is not believed 'h"' ''e
failure of the effort to obtain an enlargement OF
the concession granted by the Hawaiian Govern
ment IN favor of the enterprise will unfavor"py
affect the prospect Of the measure now pending III
Congress.
PROVISIONS OF THE BILL.
BY the provisions of the bill reported TO the House
of Representatives on May % the Postmaster-"eh-
eral Is authorized enter into contract WIN 'he
Pacific Cable Company for the payment thereto of
500 COO year payable quarterly for twenty years.
for the construction and operation of an electric
submarine cable from San Francisco 10 Honolulu
and such places the coasts OF Japan anu 'n'h"
as the company. with his approval. may seiec'.
provided that within five days of the passage OF
the act the said company shall deposit with the
Posfma ster-General 10000 in bonds OF the United
States to be forfeited the United States in case
the company shall fail n enter into or fulfl its
part Of the contract
Section of the bill requires the company TO nave
completed and in operation on or before January
l. 1898. submarine cable between San Francisco
tlo Of fran spoift
than fifteen words a minute. and within year
thereafter 10 have its line extended and in opera
tion with like capacity to Japan and China. ana
to maintain and renew the same as may he neces-
sary during a period of twenty years The quar-
tery payments OF s25 0o0 each are to begin only
with the completion of the entire line. If from
any cause which, in the judgment OF the Post
master General. the company could have controlled
or avoided it shall fail or neglec; to convey the
messages of the United States for any period. pro
rata reduction shall he made in. the quarterly pay
ments and if such failure neglect shall continue
for one wear the Postmaster-Gener may cancel
the contract.
The company have the right to establish
landing stations for its cables the Midway ISL
ands, in the Pacific between Hawaii and Japan.
said Islands belonging 10 the United States. All
United States Government; messages are 10 be
forever transmitted without charge and have the
preference in transmission. and on any failure
TO do this the charter and all the franchises of
the company shall terminate and be forfeited. all
payments to it by the Government shall be re-
turned n nd a lien in favor Of the Government shall
thereafter exist on the property of the company
Including the cable. The rate for ordinary pri-
yate messages between the United States and
Japan and China shall not exceed 81 q word. and
between the United States and Honolulu 30 cents a
word and press rates shall not exceed one-fourth
the rates ordinary private messages.
In case of war. rebellion or other emergency
the United States may take possession OF the line
and keep the same long as necessary and the
company shall he indemnifed by the United States
for any loss which ii may suffer on account OF
such seizure and control. The company is TO be
exempted during period of twenty years from
the payment Of harbor port duties or charges
except pilotage account OF any vessel exclusive
Iy engaged in laying repairing or maintaining any
Of the company's cables.
In its report in favor OF the passage OF 'he plii
the House committee among other things. said:
"The Hawaiian Islands, from their geographical
position look upon the United states as theli
natural commercial ally, and the United States
has a great and growing interest in the commerce
of these islands, well as with Japan ana emma
Trade between the United States and these last
named countries being only as yet in its infancy.
cheap and efficient cable communication between
the United States and these countries is essehial
for all trade development between them Nlthlh
the last few years the United States Government
men-of-war for purposes OF communication be-
tween California and the Hawaiian Islands. owing
the lack of means of cable communication, and
so far as Japan China and other portions OF the
Asiatc continent are concerned the present ra.eS
charged for messages between the United States
and these countries are so high as TO be praciGaiy
prohibitive except where matters OF the hiEnest
Importance involved
ROUTE OF THE PROPOSED CABLE.
.'Ine proposed cable will start from San Fran
cisco and proceed to the Hawaiian Islands. dis
tance Of 2Gs7 miles, and thence to Japan via the
Midway Islands and such other islands IN the Pa
cific as shall be determined after a further care
ful examination and Of the route. the total
distance from San Francisco TO Japan being in
the neighborhood of $500 miles: and as the cable
will be laid considerable depths and will require
at least l6 per cent OF slack. inward OF 100 nadi-
countries above named by this route. The cost Of
ms,ed sns saps @ sns See n oTde 10 Dssiabsh
cessful transpacihc cable IL will he necessary later
called for by this bin to lay a duplicate line of
cable so that the total expenditure on the COM
redords " Of the uneS show
that in the List Congress the Senate Committee on
of $4,000 gold per year for twenty years for the
establishment OF a cable similar to tha' now pro
posed and in 1891 the Committee on Foreign Affairs
OF the House reported bill for the Incorporation OF
a company to lay cable TO the Hawaiian Islands
alone with a yearly subsidy of $4,000 In the LID
Congress provision was inco porated by the Sen
ate In the Diplomatic and Consular Appropriation
vaie &c company TO construct lay and maintain a
submarine cable between the United States and
Honolulu. IL will be observed that Japan and
China were not included in these subsidies and
therefore the present proposition Is far more favor
able 10 the people of the United States than any
that has yet beeen suggested.
Another point to be borne In mind Is that no
payment is to be made by the United States Gov
ernnent to the Pacific Gable Company Of New
York until its cable Is laid and in efficient working
operation Therefore, appropriation Will be re-
Quired this year
1T should be remembered that this cable will be
the longest cable in the world. Il will be laid In
unknown ocean for thus far Of the cables In
the Pacific have been laid at any considerable dis
tance from the shore. The soundings show that at
one point il will be in 3lS fathcms Of water Under