The evening times., 1900-01-25

A number OF bills have been introduced
during the present session Of Congress, re-
ferring to the construction o. "a trans
Pacific cable. These bills may be divided
into classes as follows
The first class consists Of bills similar
to that introduced in the Senate by Mr..
Mcmillan. and in the House by Mr. Cor
Uss. which provides for the appointment
Of a Pacaic cable commission to consist
Of five members, which commission is au-
thcrized to build a cable. which when built
is TO remain under the control of the cable
commission until Congress otherwise pro-
vides The acts appropriate 100000 at
once. and authorize the cable commission
to make contracts not 10 exceed $4,000, 600,
to be hereafter appropriated.
Another bill looking toward the con-
struction Of the cable by the Government
is that introduced by Senator Hale, which
provides for the construction OF the cable
under the supervision Of the Secretary Of
the Navy, appropriates the sum of S11,-
100000 for the work, and provides that
when the cable Is built the operation and
control thereof shall be transferred TO the
Postmaster General
The second class OF bills provides for
the construction OF the cable by private en-
terprise. without risk or expense 10 the
Government. or this class are the bills
introduced in the Senate by Mr.. Lodge
and in the House by Mr. Sherman. which
are identical, and provide for the making
Of a contract by the United States Govern
ment with a private corporation, as the re-
suit Of a public advertising for two
months, which corporation. under proper
guarantee is. at its own expense. 10 es-
tablsh a trans-Pacifc cable touching at
Honolulu. Guam. and Manila. with a
branch from Guam to Japan, the said act
providing that the company making the
lowest bid for the establishment Of this
line-tnat is, not over S40O. 600 a year for
twenty years-is during such period to
carry Government messages free over the
said system, and also 10 Hongkong and
Shanghai. and providing, further, that af-
Ter the expiration Of twenty years Gov
ernment messages shall forever thereafter
be carried at One-half the rate charged to
the public.
These bills further provide for the es-
tablishment of a duplicate line Of cable
between the places above named, or the
establishment of duplicate service by
means u Nlnult agreements Win existing
lines, having the same effect as a dupli-
cate cable. The amount paid by the Gov
ernment-that is not 10 exceed $500 600
per years. TO be kept by the company as
reserve fund, to be used only for repairs
and renewals no part TO be used for divi-
dends, and annual sworn statements of
the condition Of this reserve fund are TO
be made TO the Government. The rates
are 10 be % cents to Honolulu and 81 to
Manila, Japan Hongkong, and Shanghai
that is. less than half the existing rates.
The question which Congress is TO decide
is which Of these two plans to adopt
Whe ler il is better for the Government
tO lay own. and maintain a cable or 10
obtain the same or better service from a
private corporation, without risk TO the
Government.
The successful operation Of any ocean
cable system requires the use OF a land
system covering the territory at each Of
its eNtremities II not actually in cOmbi-
nation with these land systems. some mu-
tual and very close business arrangement
must be effected. In the Atlantic Ocean
cable system rival corporations each act
ually own its cooperating land system in
the United States. The equitable routing OF
traffic and division OF tariffs between the
cult and complex IT, then, the proposed
Pacific cable is operated by a private cor
poration it is plain, so il is argued. that
tho more or less close combination with
particular land corporations will necessa-
riiy res'It as in the past and will operate
TO enlarge and perpetuate rather than