The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-12-03
PACIFIC CABLE.
commercial Company Has It's Line
Almost COMPLETED


n URING the fail of 1901 a communica
1 j ton was addressed to the secretary
of state. asking whether permission
would be granted by the president to a
corporation to lay a cable from a point
on the California coast to the Philippine
islands by way of Hawaii A statement of
conditions or terms upon which such cor
poration would undertake to lay and op-
crate cable was volunteered.
InaSmueh as the congress was shortly
to convene, and Pacific cable Hesitation
had been the subject of consideration by
the congress for several years, il seemed
70 me wise 70 defer action upon the APP
plication until the congress had first an
opportunity to act The congress ad-
journed without taking any action. Ieav-
ing the matter in exactly the same condi-
ton in which it stood when the congress
convened.
Meanwhile it appears that the CONNER
cial Pacific Cable company had promptly
proceeded with preparations for laying
its cable 1t also made application to
the president for access to and use of
soundings taken by the United States
steamship Nero. for the purpose of dis
covering a practicable route for a trans
Pacific cable. the company urging that
with access to these soundings it could
complete its cable much sooner than if
II were required to take SOundingS upon
its own account Pending consideration
OF this subject, it appeared important and
desirable to attach certain conditions to
soundings, if il should be granted
In consequence of this solicitation of the
cable company, certain conditions were
formulated, upon which the president was
willing to allow access to these sound
ings and to consent to the landing and
laying of the cable. subject to any alter
ations or additions thereto imposed by the
congress This was deemed proper, eS-
pecially as it was clear that a cable con-
nection of some kind with China. a for
eign country, was a part of the COM
panys plan. This course was, moreover.
in accordance with a line of precedentS.
including President Grants action in the
case of the first French cable. explained
to the congress in his annual message of
December. 1875. and the instance occur
ring in 1879 of the second French cable
from Brest to St. Pierre, with a branch
to Cape Cod.
These conditions prescribed, among
other things, a maximum rate for COM
mercial messages and that the company
ippine islands to China, there being at
present. as is well known, a British line
from Manila to Hongkong-
The representatives of the cable com
pany kept these conditions long under
consideration. continuing. in the mean
time, to prepare for laying the cable.
They have, however. at length acceded
TO them, and an all-AmeFican line be-
tween our Pacific coast and the Chinese
empire. by way of Honolulu and the
Philippine islands, is thus provided for,
and is expected within a few months TO
be ready for business
Among the conditions is one reservins
the power of the congress to modify or
repeal any or all of them. A copy OF the
conditions is herewith transmitted.
Of Porto Rico II is only necessary to
say that the prospe rity OF the island and
the wisdom with which it has been gov
erned have been such as TO make it serve
as. an example of all that is best in in
To- F1r1~TW lfr Tor