The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1897-03-09
THE PACIFIC CABLE
Cost Of Laying Estimated By Ja-
panGSG Commission.
RECEIPTS WOULD INCREASE
Line to China Seems Most
Feasible in China.
Japanese Government Said to Wish
Removal of Emigrant
Restrictions.

The Hong Kong Weekly Press of
February Sd, discusses the Pacific ca
bic scheme from the point of view of
China. The Press says:
The question of laying a cable across
the Pacific from some point on the
West coast of North America to japan
and Eastern Asia is still under very
careful consideration, not only in the
United States, the Dominion of Canada
and Great Britain, but also in the land
of the Rising Sun. In the latter coun-
try commission has recently been
sitting to investigate the question and
to collect information. They estimate
the cost of laying telegraphic cable
from Japan via Hawaii to San Fran
cisco at $13,68O,OOO, including two
steamers. The gross receipts per an
mum are estimated at 81, ,674 900, and
the expenditure at 1899 900. The Pa
cific Gable Commission, sitting in Lon
don, is still at work, but it's delibera-
tions are conducted in such secrecy
that nothing is known as to what is
likely to be the result. According to a
Canadian press dispatch the reports of
the doings of the conference, which had
previously been issued by the Colonial
Office. have been stopped owing to the
desire of the existing companies to him
der the project. The same authority
states that the Canadian delegates had
been instructed to make it a sine qua
non of Canada's support that the cable
shall not touch on foreign soil not
even at the Hawaiian Islands. What
special views the Australian delegates
take we are unable to say, but the
Australian Colonies and New Zealand
are very anxious to have cable COM
munication, over a British line, with
Canada. A scheme for laying a cable
from San Francisco first to the Hawaii
an Islands. and thence to Hong Kong
via Luzon, is now before the United
States Congress, and the people of
California are pressing for this to be
with all the influence they
can muster.
1t will thus be seen that there are
at the moment rival projects for sup
plying the great want of direct tele-
graphic communication between East |
ern Asia and the American Continent. |
That one of them will before long
into the domain of accomplish !
ed fact there can be small reason to |
doubt The present system is not only |
and tedious, but it consti- |
tutes an expensive monopoly which |
will not long be tolerated in America, |
whatever may be the case in Eastern |
Asia The Joint Telegraph Companies |
an exceptionally strong posi- |
ton. and will naturally do all they can |
to retain it. They have been able, oW-
ing to the high rates maintained, not |
only TO pay substantial dividends, but |
10 build I'D large reserve funds The |
Great Northern Telegraph Company, |
in particular, has done well IN this |
respect. having accumulated reserve |
of nearly a million sterling, and their |
c1O shares are now quoted on the |
stock market at e25 per share. The |
companies have unQuestiOnably main |
tanned a good and efficient service, and |
in numerous ways have studied the in
terests of their constituents. The re- |
cent reduction made in rates TO south |
arn countries. to India, TO Africa, Aus
rraIasia. and elsewhere, and the prom |
ised reduction in the rates from Eu- |
rome in July next show that they are |
not unmindful of public opinion, which |
demands a cheaper rate for telegraphic !
means of communication. The increase !
in their rates to Europe and America |
on the 1st of August last, Immediately |
on the conclusion of the Telegraph |
Convention at Peking in July, was GER |
tainly unfortunate, as it drew public /
attention most prominently to the |
high cost Of teIegraphing, and awoke |
an agitation against the monopoly Gre |
ated by that convention. It also served |
to direct attention in very marked !
manner to the handsome profits reaped |
by the telegraph companies, and thus
the chances of that very Op- /
position they were so desirous of avert |
ing. 1t cannot be doubted that the at
tention of the Japanese was thus spec /