Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-01
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THE COMMERCIAL COMPANY
WILL NOW ENTER FIELD.

dispatch from Havana says: On De-
cember the people Of Havana will rejoice,
particularly the business community. On
| that day the exclusive right to operate
submarine cable between the United States
and Cuba will expire. Just forty years ago
this unpopular privilege was given to the
International Telegraph Company. and the
| monopoly has become more and more exas-
perating as its life continued. The business
of the city has grown far beyond the capac-
ity of the company to properly handle, and
| the lack of healthy competition has not
been for the good of the service. for which
good rates are exacted.
Four years ago the Commercial Cable
Company tried to get into Cuba, thinking
that under the American occupation its eff
forts to end this monopoly would be sue
cessful. But it was set up that the original
Spanish grant to the International COM
pany was sacred and this view was sus-
tanned by the State and War departments.
Now there is another American occupation
and the Commercial company Is making
another attempt to give the people the re-
lief they have waited for so long ana pa
over was filed before the change of gov
eminent and probably would have been
granted by President Palma If he had con-
tinued in Office.
In the upheaval of things political the
matter remained Enacted upon, but has
just been brought to the notice of Pro-
visional Governor Magoon by Carlos de
Zaldo. an attorney, who has called atten-
ton to this letter. sent to the Cuban secre-
tary of state on October O.:
Ready for Competition.
81 beg to state to you that the cable
company named 'Compania Telegrafica In
ternacional Oceanica obtained on Decem-
Der 8, 1865, a concession from the Spanish
government to install in some place in the
Island of Cuba the terminal of a submarine
cable line for the period of forty years.
LAS said term is about to expire and 1t
would not be admissible for the Cuban
government to prorogue said privilege, L
beg, in my capacity special attorney Tor
| the aforesaid Commercial Cable Company
of Cuba, to solicit the necessary permit to
install In the place that may be agreed with
| the corresponding authorities in tie coast
| of the Island of Cuba the terminal of cables
that will start from the seashore OF the
United States.
TT is practically unnecessary to state
that as the privilege that was granted will
be in force until December of the current
year and the. Compania Telegrafica Inter
nacional Oceanica will continue to enjoy
same up to that date, the company whom l
represent has no intention of infringing
said privilege. and, therefore. the petition
for the permit at the present moment does
not involve the intention of beginning the
exploitation of the cable before the above
mentioned date.
But as the preliminary works and the
time it is necessary to solicit the permit
| with due anticipation, so that the exploita-
ton Of the new cable line can be begun on
| the date when the old privilege will cease.
Preparations Under Way.
Therefore, I beg to request that you
grant me- in my capacity of attorney for
the Commercial Cable Company of Cuba.
the permit request, within the usual con-
ditions and in order to commence the ex-
ploitation of the cables to be laid from De-
cember of the current year."
1t is understood that the Commercial
company is going ahead with it's laying Of
the cable from Key West to Havana, and
will get ready to promptly begin business
as soon as the right to do so is granted by
the existing provisional government. Gov.
Magoon has referred the application to Col.
Crowder for report as to whether there Is
anything in the Spanish grant to the In
ternational company to prevent him allow
ing new company to do cable and tele-
graph business with the United States after
its concession has apparently expired.
The governor is aware of the inconveni-
ence of having only one cable company
here 1t was proven in the recent storm,
when he was cut off from Washington, and
1t is evidenced every day ny the expressed
desire of merchants and shippers to have
more facilities in communicating with the
markets of the world. AS it is not thought
by any who is in has been to the
palace that the International company can
present anything more than a mere request
that rival shall not be allowed to COM
pete with 1t, and as the governor does not
believe in monopolies, and says he can now
see no reason why the Commercial COM
pany should not come in, there is every
reason to believe its application will be
granted, and Havana will soon rejoice in a
vastly improved cable service to the states