The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-21
The Pacific Cable.

Great Britain recently laid the last
link in her round the world cable system
the 1900 miles between Fiji and Fan
ming Island-and thus brought the whole
empire In electric communication with
the governmental nagnates in London.
The removal Of the obsta ces in the way
of work on the American Pacific cable by
the Commercial Pacific Cable company, as
announced from Washington. opens the
way for the consumma ton of the project
for linking Washington with our oriental
dependencies and the Chinese Geographic
system, involving the laying Of. 1000
miles of cable to- the, Hawaiian islands;
thence to Manila and Guam, nearly 1000
miles in all from the Pacific coast.
The Commercial Pacific Gable company
undertaking this work has secured con-
cesslons which will enable it. to extend the
line from Manila to Shanghai, 1900 miles
furt Their, and, in consideration Of this and
the pledge of the. company to make con-
cessions in cable rates to the United
States, the latter has consented to turn
over to- the company the soundings made
by the navy department along the route
from Honolulu to Manila, the data being
essential to the effective work of the COM
pany.
The only remaining question to settle is
whether the company shall make connec-
ton at Shanghai with the land lines of
other companies in China. Our govern
ment has taken position adverse to this;
but as business necessity, consent is
likely to be given to such connections.
The government will get all the bene-
fits in Geographic transmission, by con-
tract with the Mackay company, which it
could possibly obtain by laying cable it.
self to the orient and will be relieved of
large expense and trouble. Our govern
ment would not be able, as a sovereign
state, to obtain concessions from China
and Japan for landing Its cable and estab-
fishing offices in either country. Japan
has already given exclusive rights to the
Northern Gable company to land it's
cables on the Japan coast. The Mackay
company has expressed it's readiness to
fixing Of the cable rates for government
messages and, certainly, nothing more
than that could be asked reasonably.
AS to the public, the cable company has
given assurances that the future cable
rate to Manila will be fixed at not more
than dollar a word. Some American
firms doing business with the orient have
been paying from $4,000 to $40, 900 year
at the rate Of s2.46 per word over the
roundabout route via London. -On the
Atlantic cables the rate is % cents a word,
which is a reduction from SO cents word,
secured by the competition of the CONNER
cial Gable company, and, under the pro-
posed dollar-a-word rate on the Pacific
cable, the government WILL, under the
present rule, get so per cent reduction
anyway.
The Commercial Pacific Cable company
is an Incorporated American company
and our government will have what it de-
| sired-an American cable laid and oper-
ated by an American company, with low
rates for messages and liberty to take
| control Of the line, If necessary, in time
of war. That it will be a profitable In
vestment for the company is evident from
the estimates Of expert engineers, who
show that, If the rate per code word,
averaging eight letters is made fifty cents
from San Francisco to Manila, the cable
need not operate more than four hours
day to place the enterprise on a. sound
financial basis.
The speedy actualization Of the Pacific
cable project will first give us easy and
direct communication with Hawaii, now
only reached by steamer, and this is es-
sential for government and private bust
ness needs The connection with Manila
and Shanghai will proclaim to the world
that we have Asiatic interests which will
be nurtured and protected, and, notably
that we intend to play our part and play It