The Hawaiian gazette., 1902-05-30
CABLES AMO
THEIR COST.
Governments Are
Not Making
Success.

while in San Francisco and from
u the technical press. do not think
there is much to be expected from the
possibility mentioned by Congressman
Coriiss, az to the presence OF many ca
blcs In the Pacific Ocean" said 3. +.
Dickenson yesterday. while discussing
the probabilities which we're mentioned
in the dispatches from Washington. Il
did hear that there was a chance that
there might be laid a cable In the Pa
cifc Ocean. to Join the German pos
sessions. This, however, ] believe u
largely In the air.
There would be nothing more natur-
al " the Germans believe that the pos
sessions under their flag In this ocean
are worth holding. that they would
want to have them Joined by wire.
There has been, however, not the great
est success attending the laying and
operation of cables by governments
For instance. there never would have
been q cable laid in the Pacific Ocean
by the British Government. II the COM
panies had been willing to undertake
the project. But not one of the con-
Germs would make any bids for the
laying of that line, even though there
was offered a bonus. ! think the East
ern Extension Company perhaps made
an error in the matter. but 1t was not
until every company had refused that
the government decided that 1t would
put down the cable itself.
1.-THE state of affairs In the United
States now is such that II there was
passed bill for Government Pacific
cable II would take years of preparing
for the line. For instance the making
OF cable Is matter for experts.
There would be no way for the building
up of n mandatory without weaving
away from some of the established
manufactures the experts who have in
charge the making of the cable. This
Is shown in the care with which the
great makers guard the secrets of their
business. Unless a visitor is very well
known indeed he is not permitted to
see how the gutta percha, for the coat
ing of the conductors. is treated.
Such plant as is needed would
mean an Investment of millions, too
and ii would seem that the Govern
ment would hardly feel justified in in
vesting such sums. and certainly there
Is no private corporation in the states
that could hope to earn the interest on
such an investment when the United
States would lay perhaps only one ca
BILE. The business is one which takes
years OF work in the laying of the
technical grounds for the establishment
and success comes only after many
trials. There are now cables which
were laid at high cost and which have
never been OF great use to the con-
structors.
'Since my coming here I have re-
a ha
gard to the progress of our work, as
the people there are waiting for my re-
ports as to what / am doing here.
Meanwhile can only wait for develop
ments. While in San Francisco / saw
paragraph which said that the Por-
tuguese cables would be sold to a Ger
man corporation and there would be
later an extension of the cables to the
German Pacific Islands. This may have
given rise to Mr.. Corliss' remarks
cannot see, either, why there should
be any prohibition of the landing on
American soil of any foreign cable, and
am or opinion that there would be a
majority of Congress which would OPP
pose such action"
s., recent number of the Journal of
the American Asiatic Association has
the following concerning the Pacific
cable:
THE present condition of the Corliss
bill is briefly this: The House is rather
behind In it's general work, and the i'm
portant business of the session will oc-
cupy the time from now on pretty fully.
There Is every indication that the ca
BILE question will not come regularly be-
fore the House since, under existing
conditions, it cannot be brought up
without special rule which probably
cannot be had. Should, however, the
situation change and the Corliss bill
pass the House. it would unquestion-
ably be allowed to die in the Senate.
II the bill does not pass this session
the cable will presumably be completed
to Honolulu before the opening of the
next session, and in face of such a
demonstration Of the efficacy of private
enterprise to carry out this great work
there would be still less excuse than
there is now for any interference by
Congress"