The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1897-03-12
MORE CABLE TALK.
WORKINGS Of Present System in.
Japan.
YOKOHAMA IS DISSATISFIED
Reuters Agent Proposes
New Contract.
Japan Lies Outside Circle of Tele-
gaphic Communication
of World.


for supplying news to the far East, the
Japan Mail, in its issue of Feb. "a,
presents some facts showing the value
of the present system to Yokohama.
The article in the Mail on the subject
is occasIoned by a circular issued by
the agent of Reuters Telegram Com
pany on the expiration of the contracts
entered into with the Gazette and the
Mail The proposition in the circular
is that should sufficient private sup
port, at 500 per annum for each sub
scriber, be forthcoming, new arrange
ments could be made for supplying te-
legraphic news of the chief events of
the world. By the new arrangements,
each subscriber would receive private
information of all the events prior
to their appearance in the papers.
The Mail says that during the past
year the public has received kilograms
from Shanghai, representing an out
lay of 600 yen monthly. Of that
amount 400 yen was paid by the Japan
Gazette, the Japan Herald, and vari-
Gus subscribers, and 200 yen by the
Japan Mail. We ourselves never be-
lieved in the wisdom of the arrange
ment. Japan lies outside the circle
of Geographic facilities. 1t costs four
times as much to have message wired
from Shanghai to Yokohama as it
costs Shanghai to procure the same
message from Hongkong. Shanghai,
in short, lies at the end of a chain OF
stations-Hongkong, Singapore, Col
jumbo, etc.-each of which contri-
butes to defray the expense of trans
hitting a commonly useful telegram
from London, and all have the advan-
tage of a special press rate. One OBJ
vious result is that these places re-
ceive from Europe items of news not
too dear at six pence word. When
however, Yokohama is invited to pay
lNO SllllAlE5S q NOIh III lA4C oeAAA4N
intelligence, sent across from Shang-
hal, the question whether correspond
ing value is obtained for the quad
rupled charge becomes well worth
considering. The experience of the
past twelve months seems sufficient tc
furnish an answer. Has the commun-
ity received a fair equivalent, or any
thing like a fair equivalent, for the
heavy outlay involved?
OF course Reuters Agents in Shang-
hal and Yokohama have spared ne
pains in performing the service, but
the point is that the material avail
able for Transmission to Yokohama
was, in great part, not worth the cos
of transmitting it. So long as tbs
present scale Of rates remains un'
changed, the sensible plan, we ven
ture to think, is to procure the cream
only of the Shanghai kilograms. 1
the whole of the Geographic news re
CGlNtu lutIc AIOku 1OANOA MSiS iOA
warded to Japan, the expense woulc
be about a thousand yen monthly
Yokohama has, therefore, been get
ting sfx-tenths of the service approx
mately, during the past wear and ha
been paying for il nearly two and !
half times as much as Shanghai paw
for the whole. A careful examination
of the kilograms received here unde
the arrangement just terminated
shows, we think, that. on the mos
favorable estimate. not one half @
them were worth what they cost. NOV
that fresh subscriptions are invited
these facts ought to be taken into con
sideration.