New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-28
BRITISH CABLE SCHEMES.

The project of connecting all important parts
OF the British Empire with submarine cables
wholly under British control has assumed new
phase 1t has recently aimed chiefly at the lay
ing Of British cable across the Pacihc NOW
Sir Sanford Fleming. a particularly practicai
and energetic man, who has been the leader IN
the Pacific cable movement, has preached ma
terial expansion of the scheme and has enlisted
I'm it the interest Of Mr.. Chamberlain. The plan
is to connect all parts Of the empire with cables
landing solely on British ground and owned
and operated not by private companies, Dut by
the imperial Government itself.
Sir Sanford argues strongly In favor OF the
latter feature using the land telegraphs OF the
United Kingdom as an example. The latter are
owned and operated by the Government; why
should not the cables be? The requirement OF
the tclcgraphs by the Government has been
profitable to the Government and has resulted
in n great reduction Of rates and Improvement
Of service, and consequently In much greater
use of the system by the public Thus. the year
before the Government took possession OF the
lines less than seven million messages were
transmitted Within year after It's acquisition
OF them the patronage Increased fully 90 per
cent and in the tenth year thereafter no less
than twenty whine million messages were carried
and the surplus of revenue over expenditure
was more than S1,72O,O0O. Similar results, he
believes would follow governmental acquisition
OF the cable systems. OF course, the taking over
OF telegraph lines IN this country would be a
considerable novelty and would be strenuousy
objected to by many on various grounds In
Guiding even the idea that II would be Social
istic" The most judcious would regard IT,
however AS merely involving question OF
economic expediency So far as propriety goes
It seems 10 be no less within the sphere OF
Government to transmit telegraphlc than to
carry written messages.
That, however. 10 not the most important Gle
ment Of the scheme. The essential thing IL that
there shall DO n purely British network Of
cables connecting MI British colonies. posses
sions and coaling stations. Sir Sanford Elem
ing would divide It into three general systems
one in the Atlantic. one In tho Indian and one In
the Pacific Ocean. Tho FIRST. which In already
largely In existence. would connect Great Brit
ain with Newfoundland and Canada Bermuda,
the Bahamas Jamaica and the Lesser Antilles
British Honduras, British Guiana. all the set
Elements on the West Coast Of Africa down to
Cape Town, and even the islands OF Ascension
| 81. Helena, Tristan da Cunha md the Fak-
lands, though the last two might be omitted
The Indian Ocenn system would take In all the
East Const Of Africa from Alden to Cape Town,
SOcotra, Seychelles and Mauritus, the coasts Of
India, Ceylon, the Straits, Cocos Island and the
West Coast of Australia. And the Pacific sys.
TEN would include Australia, Tasmania New
Zealand, Hong Kong, BoFn"o, Fiji, New-Guinea,
Tanning Island and the West Coast Of Canada.
Moreover, all these would he doubly connected,
for Canada would Join the Atlantic and Pacific
Systems, Cape Town would join the Atlantic and
Indian and Australia and the Straits would j0ia