The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1896-11-27
Believes it Will Land Here
if Government Wishes.
No Subsidy Wanted Just a Few
Observation-Disclosures Have 1g5
Been Furnished.

cific Telegraph Company, is on visit
to Honolulu, and was seen yesterday
regarding the possibilities of cable
line between Vancouver and Australia
being built. Mr.. Wilson spoke assur-
ingly of the matter. and feels positive
that within a year the construction of
the line will begin.
you have seen the dispatches an
nouncing the meeting of the Gable
Congress in London. To me that is
assurance enough that the line will be
built and it remains for the Govern
ment here to say whether or not there
shall be a landing made here. The
plan proposed is to have one line from
New Zealand and another from some
point in Australia. These lines will
run to Fanning's Island, one of them
touching probably at Suva first. From
Fanning's the lines will merge into one
and continue to Vancouver, connect
ing there with the Canadian Pacific
tTanscOntinental line.
The men interested in building the
British Pacific cable have gone to the
extent of inviting estimates for the
construction, submerging and main
tenance of the line, and have found
that the cost is considerably less than
the estimate given by Sanford Elem
ing. You will understand that as yet
there is no company; a conference has
been held by men interested in the
construction of a cable across the Pa
cific, and as an outcome of this con-
ference it is probable an organization
TO be known as the Pacific Gable Com
pany, will be formed. One unsettled
point is, who shall have the mainten-
ance of tia cable company or the
Government"
Would the cable company you speak
of be one in which Sir Audley Coote
is interested"
Not at all. Mr.. Coote's company is
French organization, and would not
be considered in this Nor would any
of the Atlantic cable companies be in
terested. The Pacific Gable Company
would be an entirely different organi-
cation. AS to the maintenance, it is
possible that it would be controlled by
the Government, as the telegraph lines
in Great Britain and Australia are. In
Canada and British Columbia we are
Independent. The Canadian Pacific
controls those in British Columbia,
and its lines extend from the Atlantic
to the Pacific, but in Eastern Canada
there are two other lines"
Would there be any American CAPT
tai in this new company" was asked
Mr. Wilson.
That l cannot say, but fancy not;
there is an abundance of loose capital
in Great Britain and Canada, so that
it is hardly possible that any outside
capital will be offered or required"
DO you believe, Mr. Wilson, that if
the Hawaiian Government would offer
a concession, with certain privileges,
but without subsidy, the projectors of
this British Pacific cable scheme would
be willing to land on these islands,"
while not authorized to state it as
a fact, / have not the slightest doubt
that the company will land the cable
here. l have heard it said since my
arrival here that in case the line runs
direct to Vancouver from Fanning's
Island, a local company will build from
Honolulu to that point. This would be
a foolish waste of money for the rea-
son that the transmission of a message
from Honolulu to the United States
in that way would cost double; the
route TO Fannings Island and from
there back to Vancouver. 1t is calcu-
lated that we can send messages from
British Columbia to Australia at 81 a
word; the present rate we have to pay
is double that figure. There is no
reason why the 81 rate should not pre-
vail on the Pacific cable. l am famil-
lar, of course, with Col. Spalding's
scheme, and it would be a very good
thing for the Islands if the line could
be put in operation. Still, there seems
to be a doubt about its contamination,
and il would appear that the Govern
ment should do something towards Sc
curing prompt and rapid communica-
ton with the outer world. l under
stand. also, the intimate relations be-
tween this country and the United
States, and / have been told that there
is an objection to granting any con-
cessions to a company not organized
and controlled in the United States.
Il have been told, also that the OBJ
lection is based on the supposition that
with the close relations existing be-
tween the two Governments the Unit
ed States does not care to have Brit
ish capital control the cable. While l
am not familiar with the treaty exist
ing, l should imagine that with all the
interests of Americans here the Unit
ed States would lend material aid to
the furtherance of a scheme that would
enable the Government there to COM
municate to its representatives here,
or to this Government by the quickest
possible means. But failing in this,
and it is generally understood that the
United States opposes subsidies, l do
(ot see where it would interfere in
ANYWAY with the existing relations to
have British cable. One man went
so far as to say that it would not be
polite to send official messages over
a cable not controlled by the United
States. Considering that but one Amer