Evening star., 1902-02-17
THE PACIFIC CABLE
Majority Report Of the House
Committee Filed.
GOVERNMENT OWN IT
CABLE TO BE BUILT, LAID AND
OWNED BY UNITED STATES.
It's Immediate Construction a Public
Necessity-Revenue From Opera
tion-Estimated Cost.
GOVERNMENTAL OWN IT

the majority Of the members Of the House
committee on interstate and foreign COM
merce on the subject of a Pacific cable
was filed today. The report indorses the
Corliss bill, which provides that the cable
shall be built, laid and owned by the Unit
ed States government. 1t was drawn by
Mr.. Corliss and discusses every phase of
the question from that standpoint.
When the committee took action on this
subject the vote stood eight to seven in
favor of the Corliss measure. Two men,
bers of the committee were absent, Messrs.
Miers of Indiana and Davey of Louisiana,
both of whom Mr. Corliss says are in favor
of his bill. He also stated to Star report
er today that two of the members of the
committee who voted with the minority
had since changed their views and would
join in support of his bill.
THE United States, says the report, ''by
the annexation of Hawaii and the acquisi-
ton of the Philippines and other islands
through the ratification of the Paris treaty
assumed the responsibility of maintaining
peace in the Pacific ocean. This obligation
was deliberately undertaken by our coun-
try and approved by the united voice of the
people.
A Public Necessity.
s'The immediate construction Of Pacific
cable is crying public necessity. The
gress the Importance of speedy action.
The efficient management of our navy and
the proper direction Of the army in the
Philippine Islands. as well as the civil gov
ernment thereof, demands the construction
of this cable. Congress has been consider
ing the subject for a long time. Numerous
schemes have been presented, but the
wheels of progress have been heretofore
blocked by the greedy clutch of the cable
monopoly, who first sought to obtain this
public utility with subsidy from our treas
ury, failing in which they now hope to OBJ
tain this franchise with an excessive tariff,
which would insure to them a greater rev.
enue than the subsidy originally asked for.
The time for action has arrived. The ques-
ton before the present Congress Is whether
we will surrender this great public utility
to the cable monopoly of the world. or hold
it for the people and the future progress OF
our nation.
Ownership.
Il contend that the Pacific cable should
be owned, controlled and operated by the
government of the United States. 1t should
be made by an American manufactures,
laid by an American ship under the Ameri-
can flag, and operated at actual cost for
the dissemination of knowledge. the proper
direction Of our army and navy, and the
advancement Of our trade and commerce
in the Pacific.
THE right to construct and operate the
Pacific cable is public utility or franchise
held by the people. Its control is in
herent right of the nation; its construction
and operation will necessarily become, Tor
a great many years, a monopoly and should
not be transferred from the control OF the
people.
1--WE should take into consideration the
action of other nations. For fifty years
England has been constantly acquiring, by
purchase and construction, cable communi-
cation with her vast possessions until she
hoe de6 a
lion dollars for this purpose, and operates
her own cable lines connecting her colonies.
France, Germany, Russia and other ma
tions are not sleeping upon their rights, as
the people of the United States have been,
but are establishing government telegraph
ic communication with their respective
possessions.
Survey and Route.
"a complete survey has been made by
our navy at the expense of at least hail
a million of dollars to our people and
route established extending from Caiifor-
MIA to Hawaii Guam, Wake or Midway
and the Philippine Islands. There is no
longer any doubt as to the practicablllty OF
this project from a technical and eng1n-
eering point Of view. The distance IN
nautical miles along the proposed route,
including 10 per cent for "clack In laying
amounts to q total Of over 1000 miles.
1.-The longest span of this cable Will be
from San Francisco to Honolulu. 22oo
miles. 1900 miles shorter than either the
British Pacific cable now being construct
ed, the French cable now In existence
extending from France to Cape Cod, Mas
sachusetts, a distance of $3.50 miles. Whhe
the depth of the Pacific Is somewhat great
er than the Atlantic, 1t is no greater than
the depth of water through which cables
have been laid to the Windward Islands
Asia and other points.
Revenue From Operation.
THE cable tolls of the War Department
alone, to the Philippine Islands during the
past three years. have averaged over $sOo,-
GOO per annum and 1t Is a safe estimate to
say that the cable messages Of our govern
ment, since the Spanish war, to the Phh-
ippne Islands, China and Japan LOT gov
ernment purposes have been equal 10 the
entire cost of maintenance, repair and oper-
alton above mentioned for the Paclnc
cable. This does not make allowance Tor
the large sum Of money for special trans
portation to Hawaii, the use Of d1spatch
boats, etc, rendered necessary In the ia.
cific during this period The capacity OF
the proposed cable would be equal to H.
100000 code words of eight letters each per
annum, which at fifty cents per word. the
toll established to Manila, would earn. II
worked to it's full capacity, revenue OF
$5.90OOO0 per annum. The present tarin
for cable communication to Manila is $2.25
per word, and at this rate, the proposed
cable would not have to be operated over
income above mentioned. If the rate was
established at 81, as proposed by the
Mackay Co., the present messages or
the government would earn a revenue equal
to the entire cost of maint tenance, repair
and operation. and the capacity Of the
cable at this rate, IL used constantly. would
be equal to over S10,O0O,OD per annum,
equal to the original cost Of construction.
Cost OF Construction and Operation.
General Greedy, chief oflthe signal SER
vice Of the War Department. who has
charge Of the telegraphic tines owned by
the government and who has given the
subject careful consideration and con-
structed several hundred miles OF cable
under the control Of the War Department,
estimates the entire cest including ships
and all possible contingencies. at $4,000, 600
His judgment Is continued by the opinion
of Rear Admiral r. B. Bradford, u. 8. N,
chief of bureau OF equipment. who SUBJ
mits as q basis OF the cost the following
figures, in which he allows % per cent for
slack" and deviations from direct route:
Making and laying 1884 knots. at
$1,050 per knot. s. 7OS, 100
Two cable-maintenance steamers,
fully equipped for making repairs. 1,OOO, 900
Two station tugs, one each at Mid
way Island and Dingaia bay. GOOOO
Cable Office and store house. San
Francisco. equipped. ............. $1,000
Cable Office and store house, Homo
lnln eu,YirDed IN ta00