CIHM Microfiche Series (IVlonograplis) ICI\/IH Collection de microfiches (monographies) m Canadian Instituta for Historical Microraproductions / Institut Canadian da microraproductiona historiquaa 1996 Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Notes technique et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available (or filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming are checked below. 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I I Opposing pages with varying colouration or ' — ' discolourations are filmed twice to ensure the best possible image / Les pages s'opposant ayant des colorations variatiles ou des decol- orations sont filmees deux fois afin d'obtenir la meilleur image possible. D Adcitional comments / Corrnnentaires supplementaires: This ittm is filmad at the rtduetion ratio chackad below/ Ce doctmiant «t filmi au taux de rMuctton indique ci-dessous. IDX 14X 18X 22X u — □ 1 J n XX Tht copy flliiMd h*rt h«« bMn rsaroducad thankt to th* gaiwrotity of: National Library of Canada L'OHomploir* fUmt fut rtproduit grte* t la gm ihk ;toAHn or tradf should lu Stiiioownel. The Inml lol-piipln ol tim I'lilinl King- dom, Now ZiMliuiil, Ilio Aintnilliin States, Imliu nn,[ .South AlViiM, iifo nh-ciiily iintioii;ili:',i'il iiiul mimiiilstiTi'il liy tlic Tont l)(J|ci.. Oiiiaihi ia the only cxce'ption ; hut ihc tniH*r of thi^ ('iiniitlian trlo^'iajili lliios to the I'o-it Hillie, tojjcthcr niili tho laying of n State o . ik-iI inblo ncrow tho Atlautii', N we arc hifoiiupl iiiRlcr Iho considi'nitloii o( -'ic Govciiinicnt, and It may ho assumojl that Canada will not lonR re main i lie only conntiy within ihiEinpIro wlicio thu tcloKrapli system U not, ill llio puhlic int-Tcsts, controlled by the .State More than a year iiffo the sihemo of worhl enclnlinj,' telr(;riiphs was earnestly tonsldered hy this Board, and rcsfjluilons wore then pa&sed pointing out the nwessity tor cstablishiig the I'uciflu Cable aa the Initial link in such a system of State-owneil Cables. It Is n matter of great gratiflcatlcn to the Board to know that the Pnciflc Cable is now being established, under a joint agreement between the Homo Ooveniment anil the .vcrnmeiits of Canada, New .South Wales, Victoria, Queensland an>i .Vew Zealand, and that there is every prosiiect of Can.ida being connected with the United Kingwa. Inntic oconnt IwtHit'ii I'ortli nnd Loii.ioii, pmtMnccst tho follow. Ing works, vix ; 1. Ciibli' fiom Western Aiistrnlin vii» (',lf from .South Africa vin Astc, sioii .thiI lijirlwilocs to Itormiida, tli'iira to Cniimlii and th; United Kinr -loin— C,BOO miles. These two sections toscthcr mnko l.\700 nantifiil miles, wliilr- tho distance from London to IVrtli liy the Tanadian route is nlxint the same, the arluai distance heins a fc«- hundred miles less. Thus it will 1«^ seen that tukinn into account l)raneli cables to connect all tho 1). itish possossioiM, half tlic who! • work is already or will shortly Ijc nccompUshod. Since the projected Imperial Postal Tahlo .ser\ice was fornnWIy 8iil)initte.| to tlio .Secretai." of Slate for the Colonies in 18!W, certain telefiraph companies have tieeii lermitled to l.iy piivnto cables on the sections east and west of South Af'ica ; i nia\ liowcvor bo as- sumed that in n matter which has b,fn c^iiHily described as of transcendent importanci' to the British [wple even wh. .care has been, taken by tlio ,i(,jexp;.o, priate these cables, whenever in the public uiteresis ;y mey !jo required. The papers appended set forth tho schenj in dei ample cxplunations on all essential points. Tli.-sc doci the matured judgment of .Sir .Simdford Fleminp. a m, Board, who has given more attention to the subject than man, nnd in whose views tliis Board entirely concurs, these appendices it is pointed out that it was larRcly own, action and influence of the Chambers of Commerce of the 1, ii. c'om that tho Postal Telegraph Service was intioducod thiri\ ago in the Mother Country. Similarly we believe it to be 'lish itain •f tho ly other ■lie of ■ the ■«- ft CIUCULAH LITTIR mOM Till BOARD Of TRAOI. I^Hcr ol the various bodies ipprewnllng Trade mi-.vsli-m o( Klectric TiiWiw fci the F npire. Li>ilcr to the Hinht Honoii ruble .Joseph CliimilKMlnin, roloniid .Soci-clnry, Ott. 2», \»0S. 3. .Stnte-Owned Ti'legraphs (or the Einphe. Letter to the Right Honoiiriible the Enrl of HoiKitomi, (Jovcrnoi-lieuenil of Au.stralia, Dec. ,lid, 1900. 4. 1 Stnte-OwiiC'i Tclcpraph .Service Girdling the Ololx?. Letter to the Hon. Wm. Miilock, I'ostinaHlor fjeneral of Canada, January 1st, 1901. .■>. Proposal to Nationalize the Telegraph Service of the Empire. Letter to i..ieut.-Coloncl Deniaon, President of the British Empire League in Canada, Feb. 13th, 1901. 6. A Pan-Brittanic Cable .Service. Rcsoliiiion of the British Empire League in Canada at the Annual Meeting, Feb. l.'Uh, 1901. i I i i r f POST OFHCE REFORMS IN THE VICTORIAN ERA THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN IMPERIAL CABLE SERVICE.* : AND Read before the Royal Society o( Canada May 22nd, 1901, BY SIR SANDFORD FLEMING. At an early date the postal service cvervwheip was of the most primitive chm'ac-tei-. Tlie KiiRlish reeon"l points out that at one time foot earriei-s -.vei-e emrioycd to convey the mails and that they travelled at the rate of 10 or 18 miles a day. Frequently two months elapsed before any answer to a letter could be received in London from Scothind or Ireland. Great Hrifain has taken a leading part in post office reform. Ihis fact is universally recognized. When our great and good Queen came to the ilirone, the service Wiis still deplorably unsatis- taciory. It is now 64 years since a process of transformation commenced which has been marked by distinct stages of develop- ment, each stage o|)ening a new chapter in tlie history of the Post ittlice service. The last chapter, yet unwritten, may" be regarded as having bc.-n o]ieiied on the closing day of the century, when the contract for establishing tlie Pacific Table was signed on behalf of the Home Governnient and the Governments of Canada, New .South \\ ales, Victoria, Queensland and New Zealand. The liritish Post GfHce to-day is admirably administered, and when the final development shall have boon consummated it will ill all probability take rank as one of the most ix-rlect and most beneficent of all human organizations. In referring briefly to tlie development of the Post Office it will Ix- convenient to allude to some of its functions and operations in connection with t'le following reforms : 1. The adoption of ix>nny postage in th(- United Kingdom 2. The adoption of the postal telegraph system in tlie United Kingdom. .3. The adoption of penny postage throughout the Empire. 4. The adoption of a Postal Cable .Service Ijetwecn all parts of the Empire. All these great advances are associated witli the Victorian Era. Ihe first took its origin in the year wlien the young Princess ^yiiie Empire Review for July. lO POST OFFICE KEFOKMS. Victoria nsfciidod tlio tliiniK, and the last was iiiitiitod a tew weeks licfoi-c, wlion MS Qucou Knipioss, slio jmsscd away. It i-omaina for King r.dward VII. to sec i-oiiii>lcf('(I, a service of transcondoiit im- ))ortaiic'c to tlie vast iiihoriiaiice bcqucatlicd to liiin by his illus- trious Mother. THE ITHST REFORM. The annals of the Post Ofliie show, that, before the reign of Queen Vietoria, jiostal services were generally defective ; that the postal rates were most liurJensomo ; that the charges on letters vai-ied according to the distance tr:insinittod and were in eonss- qnence exceedingly inconvenient: that in some instances the post- age oxccoded the rate now levied more than twenty fold, and that it averaged nine times the present idinrgc. In 18:1" a rcmarl Iho oriil of IH.'IT, ami iip|X)intC(f a committed of eniiniry, wliidi sat ilii-ouclioiit tli- session of 1H:)8 and examined many witnesses. Tlie lesnlt of ilie investigation is well known. I)ut it is not pei-l.aps so well known that the resolution establishiji!,' the vital principle of the i-efoi'm was uuTied, only, by the casting vote of Ilie ch.ii) man, Mi-. Holcrt Wallace, memhef for (iiwnock. The puliliiation .jf the wpnrt of the <'ommittee, cmlxidying the aif;unicnts in favour of peimy post- age, pave an exti'aoi-dinafy imp(>tus to the demand foi- the prouised measure, and but a shoit time elapsed bi-forc Pailiament ijrantcd one of the greatest boons ever confei-red on n people. Penny postage came into force tliroughout the United Kingdom in January, 1840, and befoi-o many years had passed, all thi- evil forelK) lings respecting the loss of revenue were falsified. Tlie Ikmio- fits resulting from the change were conspii^uous, and were not i-on- fined to the United Kingdom. .Six .veara later, a public sulisciirition was raised throughout the country in recognition of .Sii- Rowland inil's services, and tlic Knightiiood bestowed on him bv his .Sove:'- eign was another attestation of iiis meiit. At a hiter day. Lord Palnierston. after iKiinting out in the House of Commons, the ad- vantages which penny postage liad liestowe i on tile nation, con- cluded by moving •■ that the sum of £-jn,i)W) .sterling be granted to ller JIajesty ,is a provision lor Sir RowlamI Hill," a man whose name .shoidd te i-ememliereil in every counti-y. for every coun'ry has b.-'nefited, and will continue to'lrcncfit 'tVoni his thou'diifiil labours. Hai-iet Martineau descrilies tlie great postal letbi'mer as "a man of .slow and hesitating speech, but so accurate, so earnest, so irre- fragable in his facts, so wise and ixaicvolent in his intentions and 90 Hell timed in his scheme, that .success was cei tain from the b'- ginning." Hy the year l^.■l4, the postal improvements resulting honi .Sir Rowlanil Hill's initiative had been adopted more or less coiniih'telv in nearly every civiliz'.>d country. .Speaking in the United Stntes ■Senate in 187U, Charles Sumner referred to .Sir Rowland Hill iis :— '• The son of a .schoolmaster, of simple life, and witliout any connec- tion with the Post Office, he conceived the idea of mdical 'le'orni-— he became the inventor or author of cheap postage— there are few more worthy of honour ; and since what is done for one coiiiitrv becomes the common property of the world, he belongs to ti'ie worlds lieiiefactors." In 189", tlie year of Her late llajestys Diamonil .lubiiee the British Post Office gave a new significance to theexinession •',,eni,v Ijost.ige" by increasing the weight of letters for wliiidi a ]ieiin\- suffices to pay the carriage within the United Kingdom, from one POST OFKICE REFORMS ounce to foul" oiincTs. country in tin- worlil. No such letter rate exists in anv other THE SECONI) HEFOHM. The Queen had been on tlio throne ten years, when n new agency of marvellous cjipnhilities presented itself as a means of human inteicouise and lcence ,or four cents^ At ! ceitain stage in this corresira.deuce. the Post Master General of Canada Mr. Miilock) announced the intention of his deparnne nt to reduce the rate on letters from Canada to Great Britain, ai d to aU 14 rOST OFKICB HEi'ORMS. ilio colonios, to the (^'lll iiliaii doniostii rate, which WiH th^ri thicc routs p'louiKC. Mr. Miiloik pivo liis ipiisons why the I'cdiictioii shoiiM lake iilarc. ami pro|x)sc'i| tliat it should take ort'ci-t on tlic first o( Januaiy INlls. Tlii' lirifish Post OfHcc mitlini-itios \voi'c> imwilliiid to iissi'iii to the pro|)0i, India, Canada, Newfoundhmd and certain Crown Colonies. The prineii>le has since lieen generally adopted in the postal service of other i oitions of the Kmpire. We have the autlioiity of t!ie Duke of Norfolk, late Post Master (icnenil of the Home (loverninent, for statin); lliat the establishment of Imperial penny postape was larf;ely diH! to the ])idf;ressivc .spirit of Canada. On a public occasion, when the Duke was b'inf; conf;i-atidatcd on the succes.sful a 'omiilisliment of the movement, he frankly conceded '-that it would lie unfair if he did not at once sliift the credit from his own .shoulders to those of his bi-other Post Master (Jeneral of Canad-a." In an ey letter expressed to .'^ir W'ilfred Luiricr, theCanadian first Minister, his appreciation of tlieenliftht- ened jxilicy of the Canadian tlovo'nment. "To you and your colleagues. ' he said, "and above all, to Mr. .Mulock, Post Master General, we aix5 indebted, not only in these liistoric. Islands, hut in cvei-y land inhabited or ruled by men who are free subjects of Queen Victoria, foi' the realization of Imperial penny postage." THE KOIJUTH nEFOR.M. While the third reform is the expinsion ot the first, the foutth reform is the expansion of the second. A state-owm'd trans-marine C.'ibie .Service, encircl'ng the globe, may tie regarded as the complement of tlie three [veceding reforms. Not only is it rcndcied neeess,'ir-y by the evolution of th" Empire and the enormous cxpiiii- sion of Uritish interests during the Victorian Era, but it is made possible by a number of contributing circumstances which I'.ave arisen during tlie same periol. In the tenth year of Her Majesty's reign, electricity was first emfiloyed as a means of telegraphing. The Lou ion Journal of 1 . any for that year, 1 847, refers to the gum ot a new plant fro)n thi! iMalay Peninsular, wliieli had found its way to England, and states that ihe plant its'lf had tlien been named by Sir .loscph Hooker, the fiimous director of the Royal Gaid'ms at Kew. The new found gum. gutta-jwrcha, was soon afterwar.ls discovered to h ive an ex- IN THE VICTORIAN BRA. traoi'dinnry (logrco of clcctrkail non-conductivity, and on tliat ac- count it lias proved indispensable in tlic mnniifactuiv of sub-marine telegrapli cables. Since its introduction and tlie laying of the first Atlantic cable, about 30,000 tons of this gum have been used lor electrical purposes. As every effort to find n siibttitutc lor gutta- percha has so far failed, it is clear, that, but tor the discovery of this substance, the immense progress that has taken place in ocean telegraphy would have been impossible. The development of ocean steamships may be instanced as another contributing cause. Be- fore the Queen ascended the throne, there were no steamships which could have been employed in cable laying. Even if it had been possible to manufacture cables, it would have been impos-siblo with- out steamships to stretch them across the ocean. A sailing ship, tacking in adverse winds, or driven out of her course by storms, would have been ill-suited for cable laying. As in the case of the land telegraphs of the United Kingdom, we are indebted in the first plat to the enterprise of private com- panies for the establishment of ocean cables. Some of the cable companies have twen assisted in their enterprises by liberal govern- ment subsidies, and the companies so assisted, such as those con- necting Great Britain with Australia, have met with rich returns. Having regard solely to the public inteicsts, it has long been in contemplation to establish a cable across the Pacific, so as to con- nect Australia with the Mother Country by way of Canada, and to retain the new cable under the direct control of the State so iis to render it in the higliest degri-e serviceable. This proposal was strongly advocated at the Colonial Conlorenccs of 1887 and 1894, and on other occasions, 't has, however, been pcreistently opposed by the allied cable com; .iesjwho have left nothing undone during the fourteen interveninj_ /c-rs to prevent its realizjition. It is not to be regretted that private enterprise should have been richly rewarded as in this instance, but other considerations present themselves. The great object of companies is to earn large profits and pay to shareholders high dividends: but the policy of maintaining a profitable monopoly is not always compatible with great public needs. In the present ca.se, the progress of the Empire and the requirements of the British people have far outstripped the narrow policy which tiest suits private companies, and precisely as in 1870, when it became necessary for the Government to assume pos,session of the land lines of the United Kingdom, it has now become a matter of general expediency for the State to own and control the telegraph cables Ijetwcen all its pos.sessions. There has been a pro- longed struggle between public and private interests, but at length the public interests have triumpliod. The principle of State owner- ship and State control of suli-marine cables was formally confirmed on December 31 sf, 1900, when the contract lor laying the Pacific cable was .signed. POST OPFICB RBPORMR. This net, the siiiiiiriR of the Piiiiflt CiiWo contract, simijlc mid uiipictondiri); lis it niiiy Mf<>iii. wns roiilly n nionlpr stop tnniiids the unity of till! Kiiiiiii-c thiiii llic 'nost aploiidid eomitiost. As iin net of paitnorship lictttiM'n six llovi'ininents it is fur iciicliinj,' in its cfToits, nnd iniiy In- i-opai-dod iis tho tortiinfr of tlic kry to tlie solution of tlio Ki-cat Iin|vi i.il piol)lom which tl:o new ceiitiiiy piesonts to lis. It is important that we should jriiisp tlie miipnitudo of tliis iHolilpm. Wo must fully realize that the F.nipiio is no longei' limited to a sroiip of comparatively small islands on tlio western frinRC of Europe, which daughter nations ate proud to designate their Mother Country, "'he Empire of the twentieth century in to he found in Svo continents; it comprises vast territories in Iwth hem, iphercs ; nnd its people every whci-c cherisli coiuinon scntinu .its, sympathies and aspirations. Being separated liy wide seas, they require the liest means of mutual inter- course. For general security and purposes of state, no less than for tho oporiitlons of trade, and for so"ial requirements, they demand the lrc>est use of the most perfect means of communication known. The improvement of tho mail service by the adoption ot univer.siil penny postage was a wise Imperial measure, but in view of geographical condii ms tho mail service alone is inadequate. The elet^tric telegraph can meet the conditions, and it is the only agency that can do so ; but it must net be restricted by the limita- tions imposed by companies, wlio.se niiiin object is private profit. This great agency of civilization hiis been given to man for nobler purjioses. A little rcHtTtion will show that hrouglit under state control, it is destined to revolutionize the world's correspondence. Hy carrying the postal telegnipli service to every Post Office in every liritish posses.sion arounv.,ii. m,i.|iliv« Sh- \ViHiiil I.Hiiii.T M'<|»uiiii(; 111!' prn|«mil ro i-miLlish a smtcnw | llU.'iHl- lllhl.'. rinillll-tjIMCCS ll;ivc sillic Illl^iMI Hhicll i'lllh'l \w to ask |«'lliiir Im»I tn Sir WiKrIrl Ijimifr ■ ri|iy liu l»«nl) -pn (i.i'lh tiK' iwltidii iiml 111.' MtlllN.il'. 1.1 Cniiiiilii aii.l tli.' An-.lriiia.hiii C.il.iiii.''.. .if 111.' K..'i-,i.'iii K.xi.'ii-ii.ii T.'l.'^nil.li Ciiiiliiiiiv 'I I"' |ir"l..«il n.iw ^nlimlll.Hl H.iiil.l iiii.l.mlil.'.ly Inl.'il.'ic « HIi H"' i " I' " 'I'l'V ttlii.h timl .i.iiibMiiv .'iiJov». anil In wmi.' I'XK'iit, anil Inr hhiii.' tlni.' iliniiiii-li lis iii.illi-.;' Imt I vniiiii.' ii> li.il.l Itial ii" piivali- i.ini|«niy. liiiH.'V.'iri.li anil ii.tliii'nllal.«li.Hi|il I«mi11o«.'(I to Ntaml In 111.' way « Ik'II pr.'al Inipi'i liil iiil.'iwlH ai.' at '.lake. It iniml 1»' l«ii i nilii.l t.Mi llial (I'l.'^raiiliv iio ( III.' in.)-l asHinUliInc 'vmiII» "f wli-nn', an.l iliai tin' la. lliili s whi. li It .itV.'i'., 11 ii"t »lia.klp,l liy liiniliaiU'O'., niav In' r.iiil.'r<'.l uf kitmIit anil (.'i.'ali'i' valiu- I" 111.' Iininan ra.n. ' 'I'll.' advaiilaKi'K ii( lalili' i •iiiiii'illnni anil l.iw .liaip's in.ieasp Willi iliMtamr ill an aiioli'i anil lali... It i-< ini|i.«sil,li', lliori'diro, to wt a liiiiil I" 111.' i-.iinmi'iviai, Mxial ami i»illlial IviicHtM hIi1.1i «nnl.l ivsult to till' .'iiiiiii.' (torn a stati'iiintlnlli-il .alii.' *'ivii-.' r.-a.-lmiK cvi'iy lliitisli |itein IhriuiKh- out the einpiiv ini .' iiaisiileml on it» nieiilH. The ndvanliit'es whieh will iuevilallj >ll"w the ailiiption nt universal penny postain- npiieai lo lie (;eneinlly "(■o(;iiizetwitli4l.'in'lin>; llic lad ih it thi' cliarKc-i uii in""i>;.>-j wwt! ^'rl•ally iciliii'(> I, tlii> l)ii^hi"li>|>i' I to iiiili an r\ii.|ii that the rieiplH priittn-nlvoly iinii'a^il. 11 'I'or ' th^i tiaii-idT it ivisi alMint six Hiilllin^'s to t 'ti i an onlinaiy in s-uip' (imii l.rn'lon m Sc ullaiMl nr Ii'i'land. Tilt' rate was roilticcil to ji shilling, an station to any oilier station witiilii the limits o( tile I ijIii-I KiiiK'Ioin, witiioiil re>;ai'il to iljslante. It «as c-ai'iy illsiovcroil by I'veiy country in Kiiio|«' that so cl- tli-ieni a scivaiit to trade ami lomuii'icc, so important an airioi| the conditions have been continually chansins and the pi-.eess of growth and development still goes on. True, change ha.s mot with n'sistance from individuals and companies and classes, but resist it who may, the law of iIeveIo|iinent follows it.s steady cours*' and continually makes deiii 'uds on science and skill to meet the ever chan^in^ eonditions. \, ■ iire li\'in^ in an a;;e ot' transformation ; tlie spirit of disc^overy and enterprise, of invention and achievement, has extended and expamliHl the British Knipiie from the small islands on the coast of Europe to new territories, continental in extent, in both heinisplieres. The develepmeni of the mercantile marine has carritMl the IJaj; of our country over every mile of sea to meridians far distjint from the mother land. In these distant territories, coinmunltics have established themselves under the protection of that ilaf;. They have drawn riches from llie forest, the soil and the mine. Tliey have caused noble cities to spring up rivallin;; in the splendour of their streets and buildings the finest V srATI--0\\\EI> S^SIKM O' l.iA'.i 1-itics nl I 1,. „|,1 n,„i,|. These ynuiij; iijitioris, full of hope iiimI vif.oi,r. liMve iD.i.le |,i,,-i-,'is III every iliiei'iion; iliev are iinhueil with loftv .■is|.iiiilioiis, Mil 1 rh Ml- Tiiosi .-.nliMit ilesii-e i« to wive their eiiprfjv anil .slreiif,'lli to til ■ liiiiiiliiij; lip „f ,, fjreat.-r liritish Kiiipire, on tlie firm loiiinhiiioii of eoMiiiioii interest ami eonimon sentiment. rm -V '■"''''"■'''■'■ l"'''i"'' "f 'III' »"i-lJ's history it wonid have Ix'c-n (littieiilt to eoiK'eive tlie |Ki«ihility of any lastinj; politi.'al union l>:'tween eonntrirs so widely separated hv intorveninK sr'as The prohlein is. however, heinfr .solved, not liv old nic'hods, hiit bv the ajiplieatioii of wise principles of unvoininoiit, aided in a wondei fnl way l.y the highest resoinve.'! of modern scioneo. .Steam has made the soparatin- oreans no longer barriers, but the Reneral medium of union. l-.:e:trieity lias fiirni.shel the means bv which the BritMh penph. in ;iil parts of the j;lob ly e.^ihange" thought as f reel v as fliose within siK^akiii- distance. Tliese twin tiKcncies of civilization aie iHefjiiaiit with stiipe.idoiis iKissibilities. AlreaJv the one as the l.riine factoi in sea- •airiaf.-e, has rendered universal ijennv postajie possible. The other has made it e^pially possible to bring the liritish pMple. so wide y .siuideivd geographically, within the same neighbor, hood telegraphicilly. '^ Imperia; ix-nny |H,stage will have far-reacdiing coiisequenee- it IS undoiihteilly a great onward movement in the career of civilization and III the development of wider national sympathy air' sentiment' liiit great as are the benefits to follow the adoption of universal clie iil posta,ge, the hrst result, and not the least, will \k to mak" plain tint a rjostal seivice, however cheap and comprehensiye. is in itself in. siifnciont for the nicreasiiig ,lai ■ needs of the now widely-distributed Ml. i.h people. It will Iv seen that in addition to an ocean penny postal s..rvice, the ciiviimslaiiees of our world wide empire rleniand a cheap^oeean cable service, eNteiidiug to ,-very possession of Her the lllir,,'''?;-''-''' "''''"'''";'',■■'''■'■ ''"'•""" "I'™' '-ousumes time, and the long h of time consiimeil depends on the distance traversed The telegr.-ipli, on th" other hand, practically anniliil.ites sp,ice and in his one respect has ii„ine,.|s,irably the adyai,t,-,ge over the ordinary postt I servic;., espe>-i;dly m the .-.ase of <-orr,..spon.lents who are .sep,;. rated by the greatest distani'(>s. ' \Ve can as vet liut faintly ,ippre:iate the extent to wlii.h the toegr..,phiii,iy!,eeinploy,.d.bec.|useitsus. heretofore has bivii res- ti icK il. on loiig-dist.-ince messages, by almost prohibitory char-es If l!!!^"""::;', :,™'^''"l'rr;l 1'""™'" i^;"'"^ ""' '^"' "p^"''. ict^.s'say between London and Kdinbiirgh. or T 'oronfoand Montreal, the ... '" ■"■"iiejuMu -uoiiiieai, rue time by the use of the telegraph is inc• -'«• 'i<- of J";™ '!;,''*^?™'"'n"'.'"^^"'»«l™nt,olof the inland telesraphs m m™, ,„/ ' "^ •^'""' '^'"''^ ""^ t>-'in'-',i;-t^A \^ excess of 1890, when the highest rates were exacted. "^ '" i he utility of the telegraph may l)e mea.sured bv the time ,-,i„ ,i ■vm^aom must be accepted as eonvincmo. evidence of its ntilitv and _ tune ij 111 »1>:.. , ... ■ ""^* Its sti^ik hi in time is, in tliis case, measured by hours' on] :iiif;' success in this instance control, but whatever th, le ca may be larmdv luse. it is obvious that'if, under owing to .State simila 'I A STATE-OWNED SYSTEM OK ELECTRIC CABLES conditions, weclcs were gninoil insteiiil of hours, tlic utility of tlio tolesrnph would be piDiJOrtion.itcly incJnisixl and its value as'a moans of communication coiTcsiJondiiifcly enhanced. There is anotlier im- mense advantn;.'e, not p'rieially known to the pulilic, whiih can be claimed for telegraphy: It is ilie fact tliat, within certain limitations the actual cost of transmission is but little aUccted by distance. While the cost of ciuTyinj; letteis is in proportion to the ilistance traversoJ, the same rule does not apply to the elei-ti'lc wire. With a properly equipped telegraph systeivi, tli!' actual e.Kpenditui-o incurred in ti-ansmittinj; a message thousiuils of miles is practically no greater than in .sending it ten miles. Ubviou-ly, therefoie. the priniiplo of 'penny postage, ' that is to say a a low uni' .-m charge lor all dist-inces. is applicable even more fully to occu„ telegraphy than to the imperial postal .service. Willi these considerations before us, a moments reflection learls to th" conviction that this wonderful agency —the electric wire— places within our reiich if we have th.: wisdom to accept it, an ideal means of communication for the world-wide British Empire. Thirty years ago the Riitish Parliament for reason.s, the soundness of which experience has fully confirmed, determineil that the .state should assume control of the inland telegraph system of the United Kingdom. To-day ther'e are incomparably stronger reasons for state control being exercised over a cable system for the whole cmpii-e. The proposal is not altogether new. If the proceedings of the Colonial Conference of 1887 Ix' referredings of the second Congress of the Chambei-s of Com- merce of the Empii-e, and more especially to a letter fi-om the Ottawa delegate (July 1, 1892) to the Pi'csident, .Sir .John Lubbock. The proposal to complete the telegraphic circuit of the globe lias no doubt suggested itself to many persons. Among those who have written on the subject may be mentioned, .Sir .Julius Vogel, at one time I'ortmaster Ceneral of New .VCealand ; the late Mr. F. N. Gisborne .Superintendent of Telegraphs for the Canadian Government; Sir George Baden-Powell, JI.P., London; Mr. J. C. Locklev, of Nhill, Australia; and the veteran postal reformer, Mr. Hennikor Heaton. At the Cape, Mr. Jan Ilendrick Hofmeyer has given the matter his strongest support. FOR THE EMPIRE. PROJECTED CAHLE SYSTEM. It may be laid down as an essential condition of an imperial cable scmce tl«, none of the lines should touch foreign soil, and thafhey should 1« p aced .so as to avoid shallow seas, more esneciallv thoi seas in proximity to any country likely at any time to prove unfHendr In describing generally the route which would best complv with these conditions I shall commence at Vancouver for the rea.4,; that up to his point telegraphic connection with the imperial centre in London IS already assured, without being dependent on any foreign ,Ze, First, we have direct telegraphic connec-tion across the AUantTcbv a number of cables, and it is a mere question of cost to lay additional trans-.Ulantic cables to I« state-controlled, whenever the/are wanted ;1«, tn-'v"'" "■ "■"""^"■"■■"f-ntial telegraph from the Atlantic coa.st to \ ancouver. extending along the line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and,, practi.al telegraphers will recognize thcgi^at advan- tage of his position. I!y having tlie wires hung within sight of , issin- sible ease, and faults, when they occur, can specdilv bo lemired \v„- 7„"i"'T'"^,"*/'''"'?.'"''"' "^^ '="'''" """W ^''o^^ "'« Pacific to c^s fh^ ? H ""n ^"■^"■'"■••'' "■«'" Australia the main line would cio^s the Indian Ocean to .South Africa, from .South Ah-ica it would t -inl'u, ''t>r '""' 'S ^^"'"^"' ^^^^^ " ^™""' '-■°»"«' ^vith the ti.in.s-AtIanticlmes. Such a system of cables would complete the telegraphic circuit of the globe, and would constitute a base for con! necting every one of Iler Majesty's possessions and naval coalins clnve'l^n'^'^'^.Jir'' ■■'"'* "•■""' "-^'SP'""" "y 'he most perfect means of «^^ I?.^l , if ^^ '■" ""'■ '',''P°'^'- Slo'-'X'vei-, the connection would be ormed by a sy.stem of all-British deep-sea cables in the pos tion where they would be least vulnerable. This Imperial cable system may bo co"siaered in three division.?. ( /. ) Cables in the Pacific Ocean. The cable from Vancouver would first find a mid-ocean station at Fanning Island, second at the Fiji islands, third at Norfolk island a yZft 'T\l' "'""l" ''""''"''' ™° '^™"'=h extending to New Zealand, the other to the eastern coast of Australia There are many islands in the Pacific, some under British others under foreign flags ; in course of time these i.slands could be served bv branches as c.reum.stances may require. The land lines of Australia would complete telegraph connection with the western coast ok may be doomed expedient to substitute a cable for the land linos over ^und*^ " interior between Adeliade and King Georges ( 2. ) Cables in the Indian Ocean. From King George's sound, or other point in AVcstern Australia, 2(> A STATE-OWNED SVSTEM OE ELElTBIC CABLES llie cnhlo would cxti'iid to Cocos island, thomc to Jlmiritiiis, anil thoiico to Xiitnl or Cnpo Town, as iTifiy bo found ox|)edient. Coc-os would hocomo an imjiortant tolo^raphic (.-entrc : it woiiki be a i-on- voiiiont jioint (or lonncctinp .Sinp'poro by a bjaiuhinblc, .Sinpiporc is already in (..nnnoction with Hong Konfi by an iill-Iirilish cable via Labium, and Hnr llajesty's (Jovornnient c-iin take |xisso>sion by pivinR li months' notice. India could be reached by a brnm h fioni Co.os to ColoinlM) or Trincomalee in Ceylon. At Mauiitius a connection woidd be formed with the existing cablo to Seychelles, Aden and liombay. (Jl CaMi-s in the Allnniir Ocean. In order to avoid the sliallow seas along the Wet coast of Africa, Spain. Portugal and France, it isprojiosed that the cable should cxt."-!!!! fioni Ci\\to Town to herni 'a, Toucliing at .St. Helcnt, Ascension and Haibados as mid-ocean s!:i:ions. At Bermuda a connection would be formed with the existing able to Halifax, and at that poini with the Canadian atul trans-.\tlantic lines, or a cable could be laid fi'oni Bermuda direct to England. Miicii prominence has Ix^en given to;i projwsal toconnect England with tlic Cape by a line of cable touching at Gibraltar, Sierra Leone? or Batliurst, Ascension and .St. Helena. I jiointed out in my letter of last Docemb.^r to .Sir Wilfrid Lauricr, iliat theic ai-e great objections to the norlhern half of that route, as 'the cable, of necessity, would be laid foi' some distance in shallow seas w here il would hi- exposed to injury fi-om vaiious causes, and where, too, the agent of an nn- IViendly nation or, indeed, an evil-disposofi fisherman, would have it i]i his |iower to dcstioy the cable with case, totally imobservod. For hundreds of miles it would be exixjscd to such risks.' The route now pro]x)sed fi-om Ascension to Great Britain i.s certainly loss direct, but the cable would be much less in jeopardy, and to this may lie added, the adv.antage which would result in bring- ing the West Indian possessions within the Imperial telegraphic circuit. In order that some estimate may i)e formed of the cost of such an undertaking, I submit the following approximate distances which each group of cables would retiuire to cover ; — (1.) In the Pacific ocean, from Vancouver to Australia and New Zealand T.lfiO knots. (2.) In the Indian ocean, from Western Australia to .South Ah'ica — Main line (1,500 Branch to Singapore 1,100 " Colombo. . l,.')()n 9.100 knots. FOR THE EMPIRE. '7 (3.) In tlio Atlantic ocean, from .South Ad ici to Boimuda (',,000 knots. ■>->,h:,0 The total di-itanco for ivhicli now caWcs woiilJ be rcquii-cd (ol which 20.250 knots would ba in the main lino, and 2,t)0i) knois in branches) may be loiiuhly placed at 2.'l,fXiO knots, and the cost (including the branch to Hong Kong) between £,'>,0l)0,000 and fti.OOi) 000 .sterling. I have long advocated the fli-st division of the proposal, the establishment of a cable from Canada to Aiistr.ilasia as a state work. 1 have felt that it would bo the forerunner of an all-British tclegiaph system embracing the whole empire. As a state undertaking I am satisfied that the Pacific cable would bo a complete conimeridal success. and that so soon as it so proved, the cable extension to South Afii:-a and India woidil follow. One advantage peculiar to a globe-encircling system of cables will bo apparent, each \mnt touched would te in connection with every other point by two routes extending in opposite directions. This feature is of special v.alue, as it practically constitutes a iloublc connection in each case. The prpjccted systmi of all-British cables with its branches would thus doubly connect the following fortifie 1 and garrisoned coaling stations, namely : — Ilong Kong, .Sineaporc, Trincomalee, Colombo, Aden, Capo Town, Simons Bay, .St. Helena, Ascension, St. Lucia, .Jamaica, Bermuda, Halifax, Esquimalt, King George's Sound and Thursday island. The following < defended ports' would likewise be connected, viz :_Durbaii, Karachi, Bombay, Madras Calcutta, Rangoon, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Townsville, Auckland, Wellington, Lyttietown and Dunedin. Would it not be in the interest of a great commercial people to have these and all SI. ch points in the outer empire connected by a means of communication so perfect as the electric telegraph'?— Is it not a matter which vitally concerns every British community around the globe'? Is it not in their common interest that they all should be placed in possession of the speediest moans of convcving in- telligence the one to the other, free from the burden of high charges? That a state owned Pacific cable is the key to the situation, T am firmly convinced. Exhaustive examinations have proved its entire practicability. Its .Inancial aspect has been minutely investigated by business men of the highest rank. The Canadian Oo\ rinment ap- point'^d Lord Strathcona and the Hon. A. G. Jones for tliis purpose, than whom tho'.'e are no men with stronger business insight. Their report is in the possession ot the government, and it uakes the most favourable view of the project. As a .State ujidcitaking it would be 2" A STATE-OWNED S\srKM Of KLEL'TRtf I'AHI.ES FOR THE EMPIKB. solf-siipporting from thn first year of its estaWishmont, and woiiM admit of uliarji™ Iwirif; loweiod year hy j-car. Tliat tlic final outcome of till,' liiyinKof ihisuililo would bean imperial telegraph service there can lie Utile doiilrt. I am s.itisfied 'hat the Pacific cable woidd prove to 1)0 the enlerinK wed!;e lo i-einove for ev<'r all moiiolopy in ocean tch'^iraphy, and free tlic public from excessive chares; tliat it would bo the initial link in a chain of state cables encirclin;? Ihe rIoIh-, with branclies iamifvin;; whci'ever the lij-ilisji Kmpiie exlciuls, and that it would Ijc the means of brinshiK into momcntrv electric touch evcrv liosscssion of Her Majesty. In 1n:!7, Howland Hill, in advocatiiif,' uniform p>nnv postap- for the United Kingdom, jiointod out how desirable^ it would" Ic to have the sjime low rates as or. iidand letters chargcil on letters passing to and Irotn the colonies. This lemarkable ni,in concluded with the memorable words: " There is perhaps .sit.-ircely any me.'isure which would tend so cHecfually to remove the obstacles to emigration, and maint.iin that symp.ithy lKsal. Since that date events have occurred whicli, while they have had the eftect of diverting attention from the subject, have al the same time in a remarlii IIS liuiiimi M^Tiicii's to mki' ovny ini'iins m niir ilispos:il to jxTfcft tlir union n( llii' iiiotliiT oC niitiiins with ilic ..iiiKlitei- of stiilcs, ill oiil'T tliiit, luiiii'd, they iiiiiy fuitil ilicii' liifjluT (lostiny. Tlio coiintricM oix-iipicil t>y tli" fiiinily of Uiitisli nntioiis jii-o wiilr'ly siindi-nHl (.wi^jriiphiivilly ; tlioir slioiw imp wiislipil liy thp Ci'pat ocPiins, iiltlioiin:li (oi- piir]iospsof pommprcp, iiitPiMoimniiniL-iitioii ispffectcil liy ftpcis of stp.inisliips imiiI sjiiliii;; vpsspIs, inorp ii(lri|iiiitp MiPiins ol' intpnoiirsp is uppiIpiI. Foi- fiPiiPial spiiirity, for fii-piil slalp pui'imsps 110 Ipsh lliiiii tor tlip oi)ei'niioiis of triiilp ami for onliiiiiry •ioi-inl ipipiifpiiipiitn. ali llip (litluipiit parts of tliis niiipiy spatli-nj pinpiip (li'iiiiiiKl til" fiwst us? of tlip most iiei-fwt moans of loinniiiiii- palioii i I'lnpiip. Airpinly it is pniployo-i ill jiart, lint as at prpsrnt pstahlisiipil anil Milininisiprpil it i-i open to ^jiavp olijortions. It is w.-intiii}; in psspiiiials to our ilaily iicuds. anil wp aip il^barrpil from pnjoyin;; ai! tlip aflvaiitii),'ps wliii ii if proppily applipil, it pan Poiif.T. TliPi'p ai-p liiips of Iplpfjriiph pstatilislipil lu-ross parts of Eiiropp, Afrii-a anil Asia, ponnpctiii); Anstralii with tlip motliPi- poiiiitry. but tl.psp linps at pprtain jioints pass throiiKh (oi-pip;n torritorips ur toui-h foi-Pifrn |iorts. At many pliups on tliPir way thpy travpi-sp shallow seas in proNiniity to foivip:n statp-;. ivhpip thoy arp liahlp at a critical monipiit to sixH'ily intpiruiitioii. .Morpovpr, tlipsp tplpf,'ra])li liiiPs arp owned and controllpd by private compnniss, and charges are exacted for the transmission of inessnses which are felt by all to be exorbitant, and by most people absolute prohibitory. In my lottpr to Mr. Oliambprlain of October 28, 1898, a revised copy of which is appended. I have set forth the oiitiinca of a scheme of arranfjemont for cables and land telegraphs liy which the most wondpi fill proJuct of science of the age may !» adapted to the [Teciiliar conditions of our cmpiiv. The proposal is to establish olntric cables to luul from each Hritish po-s 'ssion ; these cables to lie connoctpd with the lo:.-al land lines in Canadi, Australia, South Africa, India and elsewlipip; in this manner linking together the whole empire by a chain of tclpgraiihs witliout touching the territory of othc- nations, at the same lime avoiding shallow wale.s adjacent" thereto. Jloreover. it is deiigned that the whole system of t-.>legraphs, by land as well as by s?a, be brought under state control, in order thnt'the fullest lieneflt to the Dritish peo])lc; everywhere, and to the empire, te attained. In my lefer tn Mr. Cliami)erhi!n, a peculiarity of tha electric .1* HTATE-OWNSn TELXCRArilH tclcp-aph of (nr rciichlnB importnncp Is pointed out. It in ii pn-ulinr- ity wliiih, howpvor, iiinnol tic tiiiiiH to pul)llc lulvnntngc so ion^ us tlic jal)iis ol tlic onipirc ri'iniiiti in tlir Imnils of priviitc compiinliN. Tlio cost of scnilint' » ini's'y ilistinici". It is Hue tliat tli^' lomptuiios ih«i(,'e niTiinliiij.' to distaniT : l>ut tliis is simply nn i-xix-ilicnt (nj- olilHin^ni; from the teliwaphine p:ihlic iarpT pr-olits. As a matter of lai-I, Ihoiv is pnHtically no moii' ciimiit outlay ijicuiriHl in trandniitriri).' lonj; than in tiansmittin^' short dismncc mwsap^s. It niiiy !«■ icinlraiy to piiifticr, it may not aniif wllh ptctoiicclvcrl iiloas, liiit it is n (nit ncvcithi'li'ss, tliat Ihcro is iicilvnonn means liy «iiiih loinminiiiMiions can 1)1' -.lit at liw actual cost than by tclcp'aph, A mail or letter cannot lx> convcyiil liy niilway oi' ocean steamer without cxpianliturB on coal, machineiy, oil, wap's, and othi'f things, lo kivp the tiain or ship in motion. The expenditure is constant for evry hour, and tontiiuioiis for every mile. Tlie circumstances are entirely different in the case of the telenrnph ; when once established, eqiiipprnl with instruments .Miid manned by oiwr.-itois, messag-es may be transmitted one liundred or one thousand miles, with ns much ease and at no greater actual lost than one mile. This remarkilple anom.ily added to the ripuilly remarkable, Hlthouf;h lx.'tter known fact, that transnn.ssions by the I'lectrir w ire aio histantMiieoiis, point to a system of state-owned cables and tclcfjiaphs as the idcid mejins of coinmnniualion for nn empire under such conditions as xirs. If is be the case, and it is inilisputalilr, that long- distance mes.sa(,'es can be sent .-it no more actual workinK outlay thim short-distance messages we have happily the means at our command which will greatly tend to unify and con-ailidate this widoly-si:at- tei-eil empire, provided we have the wisdom and forethought to'l)ring it into nsi. If the pi inciple of state-ownership of (bibles generally be carried into effii't as suggested, I do not hesitate to state my belief that the day is not far renieved when oversea niessngos will be sent from any one Biitish possession to any other, whatever the distance, at the uriifoim charge, first of one shilling, and cventuallv of sixpence a word. I have always held a Pacific cable to be the initial link in n great chain of glolir encircling im|ioiial telegraphs. The mere ndvocay of the I'aciflc cable has already belief teil Australia liv lowering chaiges levied on messjiges fully fifty p.,- cent, and any accountant laii estimate the enormous money value of this lienetit by the sHviiig which has accrued during the past ten years. I do not doubt that the advoiacy of the Imperial system will" have n similar effect on the policy of the companies in still further reducing charges, but any such rednrtion will In- iiieoini)ar,ibly less im^Hiitant than the advantage to result fiom placing thecibles and telegraphs of the em- pire under state control. At prescni it is recognized that the empire rOH TMK KMPtHK. J^^ is itui(l<^|ii)itt>ly providcil uitli tlir* niciiiisot' ti-lcffiaphic c'iiiM)tiiini<-)i- lloii, tliiil cnmini'i'i'i' is muliily taxcl in iiiiisiviiioiiri'. iiikI rlial an I'in- Imi'fiio is plarcl on llm tron inti'iiiiiiiM'^ of ilip lliitisli |i'si|i|i'. Tlio cirriimstaniv's of lo-dny il'maml iniilliiiliil I'li.ilifi.'s fnr siMiilinjt t"li'- prams (rum any ono |Biit many uIIut \m< "f tln' I'mpiri^ at ni'-ally I'liliKoil iliarpfi. in oricr to h iili'n th" ns ■ of tcl'^tnipliy to all clasM's ol till' lotninunlty. With an impTlal ihnin of rahlcs nsialilislioil, In- ('aU'ulahIc ailvantaj;os Ho'ilcl follow, ,iri(r llci- Maji'sly's suliiorts, in wlmli'vci' part of tlic worll tlii'y "n'V 'i" sliiiiitiil. cnnl'l intonliaiip" rominnnioations with tin; j;ronfi'st pissil)l(r oasc anil tlio Kreatfst itos- sil)le ct'onorny. Some WDicIs may with projirioty Im aldii] «'illi rosinjit to thn (wisition of Tanaila in tlio matter. It will Im' iKii'no in niiml that it Is owintf to thn unparalli-liil expansion of the onipife ami tlic iT-.iiltant eiri-Mnistances tliat some orpiniz:ition iy altsolutely needed lo seenr-e nnfettevivl interronrse, and that in tliis i-espert tlie snitjert loneerns Cinada in common with Anstralia and all other parts ol llis Mninsiy's wide domain. Theiv is aliundant evidence to show that in f'aniida wo have common intei-ests, common sentiments, common aspirations, and omnion sympathies with onr kimlred in .Anstralia. Il.ive we not, d'lriiiff the past year, sent onr hravest to ll/;lit a common foe ; and iMve not our sons fallen on the sjinte fielil and ln^en laid in a common pravey Ilefore the.s(.> linos ivach .Xn.str.'ilia lie' world will have r-volvod into another year. At this date we in finada appi'ar to ho standing in the olrl ceiitui*\ fiazinj; aci'os^ tlie ileep into tho dawn of tho new. We are dist'int s|K'etato!-s, yet intensely inter-ested in till' siartiiip of the constltntioiiRl macliinery of a sister nation to dominate for all time in anothei- ipiarter of the filolic. Wo recoRiiize and welcomo tho approiudiinp profit historical m-cision as an ojioch to denote the steady ovolutioii of an nniipie Kmpiro of many com- mon w(s-dths. It will be apparent from the jn-ecodini; I'en.arks that a complete system of Stat'-owned tole^'raphs encirtdinp tlu' ^lobe wonlii in no small dcpree coatrihiite to tlii' coiisoliilation of the proiit Oceinit; Empire. It will further he ohvioiis tliat owiivi; to the p'wition of .\ns- tralia in the southern st^fts and her comiKirative isolation from other parts of tho world, still more liy ivason of the hi^ddy important place she is destinxl to fill ainoiif,' the nations, iliat it w expodienr. I have the lionour, etc., etc., SANDFIJKD FLEJIIXO. A STATE-OWNED TELEGRAPH SERVICE GIRDUNG THE GLOBE. I.fttfi' to the Hon. \\'tii. MufiM'k, l*ii/*ttua>^tfl' tlnnTtit nf ditttvtn. Ill/ sir Siimlfiirii Fliiiihul. Jan I, IftOI. OTT,' WA, Jamaiiv I, lillll. To llio niiiioillnlili' WlM.IAM Mll.oTK, I*o-*ttnnstn' (ifiii'rnl. Siii : On llio cipoiiiiiu "( til" n"W yenr. I hf^ livivo In siil>riiit llic ("Mow- iii^; it'tiMiks (),i II suhj"rt coiiin'ctnri with yoiu* 'tp)iji)'liit<'iit. 1 h?li('vt' llir virws cxiiii'ssi'l will iiic't witli yiiiir syriiiuitiiy Mini ilir sympathy "I till' >.">viTriiiif( ^'icHl iritcrnst mil oiiiv In tlio |ic.ipl<> n( l';lllllila. lull In all (ithiT KHtisll |l. and it s»'i>ins to niP that this is an op|»Mliini' inomnnt to consider a subjc t whi'i|ile was ftist mooted in n re[X)rt on the projtress of the Canadian I'aeitie Kaiiway hiid h::fiae Parliament in 1H80. It was pio|)os(«l by the Canadian delepites at the Colonial Conference of 1SM7, apain at the Conference of 1804, and ever since those conferences, in season and out of season, it has been strenuously advocated. It was i-ecommendiHl by the Im- perial Cable Committee in their report of 1897. At lenfjth.'thc prin- ciple has been adopted, and its adoption is in my judgment of far reaching importance. If closely followed up, I am satisfied that the Faciflc cable, established as now determined, will prove to Ix; the haibinger of a complete system of state-o«iii»l telegraphs, by land and soa. ramifying throughout the whole British Empire. At one time, the Empire was limited to the British Islands in Europe, known as the r litcl Kingdom, but fi-om various causes the Hag now Hies over v>i : rritories in the four quarters of the globe. As a matter of e.\nct knowledge, the United Kingdom occupies but a trifle more than one per cent, of the whole superHcial area under Her Majesty's rule. 36 ■\ STATK-OWNED TELECIIAPH SERVICE An cmimly now empire, oonlppr,-i|ili it is ciitiiHy dif. foi'cnt. Tii.it tclcsT.ipli mc-HMfjcs m:iy he sent iiiivdisriiiiccHitlini'it.ip- pivciiibio cxponditmeof tiino or curroiit oiitliiy. Tliiit witli a toicsiapli ostaWishc 1 and oc|iii])pCTl aiKl in,iiiitoiinn(i' pmvidcd for. Ilio actual worliins cost of sondiiif; a mcsaase 1,000 mile- is no crpa'tcr than in scncliHR It onp mile Sm-li iK-in;,' the caso, wc have in tlic electric wire, a m-ansof comrniniication Hliicli may be cinplovod to nnifv and consolidate the widely scattered portions of tlie Enipire. 1 fur- ther iiointed oat that it was inipossihle to tn)-n tliese extraordinary facts to pulilic ad\ iMitajie so Ion;.- as the eahles and telefjraphs re. niiiined in the control of a comliiniitlon of private comprnies. fn the detei-inination to esta.hlish a ti-ans-Pai-ifie Cah'.a from Canada to Australia, tiio first essenti.d step is now takiai. If should h:' followed by stMle-calilcs from .Vusiralia across the Indian o.eim lo India and to .\frica, llienee throiish the Atlantic, to tlii> \Ve unable to be present at the annual meeting on the i:ith inst. I hoped to have had nn opportunity of bringing to the furtlier consideration of members a subject wliich has alreaily engaged the attention of the League. I ask permission to submit some ex- planations in this form. .sTATE-OWXED OrEAN CAHI.E.-i. Those who wore present at tlielastannualmeeting will remember that an animated discussion took place, and the opiidon was affirmed with the greatest unanimity, that a complete system of .State-OAniHl ocean cables, touching the liri.ish possessions throughout the glolie, is a project of the first importance. The following motion was for- mally submittal by me, seconden by Sir Charles Tupjwr, and unani- mously adopted :— " 1. That the home and colonial Governments should, as a mat- ter of policy, recognize the principle of State control of all Bi itish cables, and apply t!ie principle as opportunity offers, and as speedily as circumstances will admit. " 1'. That the Pacific cable should bo at once completed as the initial undertaking in such an Imperial system of cables as that in- dicated. " 3. That in all arrangements for connecting by telegiaph the possessions of Her Majesty in any part of the glote, provision be made for ultimate State ownership. "4. Tliat in parmitting private companies to lay a cable to or from any British pos.session, landing privileges lie gi'anled only on the condition that Her Majesty may at any time assume possession of the cable on sjiecifietl terms." These resolutions were sent to the League in England, and means were taken to bi-iiig them to the attention of the se-ei'al Governments concei-ne'•"»« thousluul There is infn t nli^ '° *'™'^'' '■™' f'"" "tone mile. sf.kv[i:k ok the emimre. 4< CKITIirsMS ANSW KIIKII. The only cxccptidri wliit-li has liODn tnkon to thi'si- virnvs iiiiiy bo prosL-iitcd in the wonl-i of i\ con'ospDnilont : •'As it is ac'knowlcdged thiit a cabb is only s""' f"i' so niiiny years, amplo piovision must ho ;iiaile, averacKlovcr thi' wliole line", for (ho i.'ost of renewals at stated [wriods. Tlion, nsain, hi-calss in cables fivquently occur, ami horn these causes the cost of niainteniince would, of course, Ix' more over l,()IJil miles than over HID miles. My answer is: We are safe in assumin;,' that a cable will not always remain in a service ible condition without rei)airs and renew- als: its life is not so limititl, however, as at one tiine sup|H)seil. In fact, the actujd life of a cable is unknown. Modern cables siddom break. Once propordy manufactured and pi'operly laid the cables of to-day are not to b.; compared in this res|ioct with the tirst laid cables. The bre;ikinf; of a cable is coming to he regarded as a pre- ventable evil, and it is bcMeveil that many of the cables now beinj; submoiged, in doeji water at least, \.dll last for an indefinite pei-iral. Still, it is no doulrt wise and prudent to pi'ovide for tin' p^'iiK-ruai maintmanco of cables, and this, I nnderetand, is being done iji the case of the Pncifiit cable. The criticism raises a .side issue. It will be Iwrne in mind that my comparison was between the cost of " opeiating " a ]X)stal seivice and the co-it of '■ opcraiing " a telegraph service. 1 hold to the absolute accuracy of my statement, and I would now merely add that if there be not entire immunity from breaks in the case of cables, neither is there from wreidcs in tlie case of steamers. Tlieie is this dift'erence, howevei' ; a cable may be repiiired at no great cost, wdiile in the case of a steamer all may bo lost. A railway is not quite the same as a steamei'; it cannot suddenly b.xome a total wreck, but the rails, slcr-pcrs, bridges, culverts, etc., reipiire contimially to bo repaired or renewed, and to keep a railway in etlicient londition an army of workinen is needed. This, however, is quite apart from the cost of operating, which consists of many expenses, embi-acing fuel, train expenses, repairs of rolling stock, etc. I am quite confident that the moie the qnestion is looked into the accuracy of my statement will be brought out in stionger and stronger light. Jly contention is that while the operafiny cost of a jmstal service by sea or land increases with every mile the cost of transmitting messages by telegrapli is not a|)preciably affected by distance. If this view be correct, and I cent Mid it is uncontrovertablc, does it not follow that the pidnciple of " universal penny postage," that is to say, a low iniiform rate for all distances, is peculiaidy applieablc to a national telegiaph service reaching out to cvei-y p.irt of oin' widely spread Empire? 4» PROPOSAL rO XATrO.NAI.lZE THE TEI.ECRAPH COST OF THAXS.MISSIO.V, I have learned i\> the toIeRraph office in this citv that in the transmission of nie-waKCi from Ottawa to India, South Africa, Victoria New South Wales, Quwnsland, New Zealand and Ilonff Konp the charges for ti-ansmission ranwe from Sl.i>3 (five shillinfrs) to Sl.(;(j (SIX shdlmgs and sixponcci per word, each word in addles, and sipna- tare lieinj; cliar^ed at the same rate. Such liciiifj tlie I'ase, it is indisimtable that a reduction in these charges to 12J cents (sixpence, a word, or even to 2r> cents (one shillinji) n word, ..ould greatly stimuhite commerce, and in many wayspiovean immense .idvantaee to the British jjcople. One effect would Iw to increase enormously th;> numlx-r of mossjiges transmitted, so that instead of the cables remaining idle for certain periods of the day the o|)erators would Ijc kept well occupie. 10,0. ■ .^^ j^^l(„_ fo,-e ,.s '« ;'Kht.Jcal ami . ,.e « 1^ /^^^^^ ,,,,.^ ,„, ^„„,^ vous system of this ^leat Kmpire. ^ No. 8. A >an-brittanic cable telegraph service moved til,, lull.nvii,.- rosnl ,.i; ,', ''" •.■^", ™>'^'1-p"Z"- Honvll, K.C.Mi; l>.o,»,se,J C.!,!,, V ?iJr , . ^i, '",'";"*'' ■"" "■"'■''"■^- <="'''"-'■'! tl.r »mn„ liritisi, ..,,:. "si^^ ;.S : ™"r"r'""" "^''-'-'^ iiiflni'Mc.. ,.x,.,,.is,] hv hr F ,stP .„ T f ^■'^ """ ""' '■lion,,.,,,; i"'l..-n,-,.s w,.,-,. till ,vork\ ,■'';■"; "™' "'"I 'I"- «•>".■ ^i,,!.,,, of the tol,.i,-,.,t,,inino, ir/tWs ™,mMr n"""'" '""'ke l«ss,.s,i„„ "ic xiX'.ik.T, „,„i, s"^" " ho .^s „f • '."■''" "' """ "■''■phonos.- s„i, KK-iil advaiit/i^Ts. ' ° ^'> """iinj,' of the .stnit,.- follou'iT ""■*'""■"" "■""^" ""-^ -nanimously coneur^d in was „s "fiirtlioi'stop towards oo.isolidatinJ ,.'?"■ • "P'"'"" """ 'is „ " t'ikon witho,,, dolav to . , t Z ?,e „ '^ .^^T' '"™'"'' »'«""" '« "sos.,ion.,a„dall h.n.ldinos ,™ccr»v ,, ' ,*•"■"■" "'''■"*''' P"-- '•tol(.graphii:.s<.nvicc." "<"-<■«""> "> complete a Pan-Britannk- '•". es<,lution. m,d <^ke such 0^0?'" '"'■""""■»' «» 'he suhje