IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 Ui|ZS 1.4 IIM 1.6 ^S V] ^ %^ ^ ^'^ '>' ^ ^ c^^ # Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 V ■1^ \\ v\, «V<> ^'^ ! %' %^ 'o use tu a well on tho importance and even tl.o „ocos«ity of a complete telegraph sy.te..i as a means of dofendinK on.- world-wide Empire, quite apart from its com.norce. This almost self-evident pn,i>osition has been set forth at other tunes und places. 1 shall, as is most tilting ou this occasion, consider lh»- subject mainly from it-; commercial aspects. ' A large part of the discussions at the Congress has turned ui.on drawing more closely the links of connection not only between the Mother Country and the out-lying i.arts oi the En.pire, but also between the various great grou|>s of Colonies. The strong- est vitws have been uttered upon this point, and resolutions have boon formally presented and unanimously passed, giving expres- sion to the opinion that every step should be taken which would •tend to incieaso the feeling among Ihitish subjects m every part of the world that they are one people and that they have common interests in trade ami comnicrce. That the telegraph has already opei-aled towards this end in a very remailaible way is evident to all, that it may do so still mnre in the future is e-iually clear. Few questions, therefore, can h'lve hi.'her claims upon the attention of the Chambers of Com- j.torce of the Eritish Empire than those which relate to tele- graphic conimuuicMtions. The applicatioa of electricity to tcle-raphy has given to the w.^rld an entirely new means of com- nuud-athni at once the most sensitive and the most useful that tlio mind of man can conceive. Tn no department of human ,,tivity is its utility more cn^tanlly thrust upon us than m the *ji,ldsof commerce. Everywh, re the opening of trade relations ,s „uiekly followed by the const.ucliou of telegraph lines ; indeed, in new countries, such as Canada and Australia, 1lie telegraph is 5 not Holdom tho pioneer of settlem.>nt ami railways. Evorywhotv the contu'ctioa l>y telograph and cable stimulates and facMlitatcH commercial intercourse. Tho extraordinary extent of tho chan'^(> thus brought about is illustrated by the tact, that for oominiuiica- tion across the Atlanti.- no less than ten submarine ciibb's an- now in constant use instead of the one which th-st came into con- tinuous use a ciuarter of a century a,t,'o ; it is further strik■in^'ly illustrated by the rapid growth of telegraphic intercourse with the East and Australasia, necessitating an increase in the numlxM- of wires employed. Already more than hml. per day are spent on •telegraphic communication between the United Kingdom and tin- Australasian Colonies alone. British shipping, which controls so large a part of the carrying trade of the world, has come to depend in great measure upon telegraphic advice for its most olVective employment. 'J'he over- whelming relative interest which British people have in this comparatively modern means of communication is furtlier prov.-d by the fact that out of the 12->,000 miles of ocean cable now in existence, at least 90,000 are owned by our people and carried on under their management, leaving only about 35,000 miles or about one-fourth of the whole, for all the other nations of the world. The proportion furnishes no bad measure of the prepon- derance of British commerce. Great, however, as British enter- prise has been in the matter of cable construction, the develop- ment of the outlying parts of the Empire is constantly making upon it new demands. One great field has been left entirely un- touched, and to it I now wish to direct special attention. It may almost be taken for granted that as British commerce expands nothing short of a complete system, bridging all the great oceans, will fully satisfy its wants. For the present the Atlantic is not inadequately provided for by the ten ciibles to which I have referred, while another is now being added to the two laid to South America. The configuration of the Indian Ocean makes the various lines which skirt its coasts satisfy the im- mediate necessities of the case. The Pacific alone is not traversed by a single line of wire. That this condition of things presents a serious hindrance to commercial .levelopment ; that from a strategic point of view it indicates a serious flaw in our National system for the defenee of commerce, are positions which appear capable of conclusive proof. At the present time the two largest divisions of the hmpire, 6 Canada u.id AiiHtvalia, though actually sevarated from oach othor l.y only tho Facifi.: Ocan. aro t.-lcqraphically s.-pamted by l>ut litti." short of tho wl)..lo ciroumf.'n-ncc of tlw, globe. Hoth conn- tries have growing iutorests upon the Pacitio ; both are maiufestly .lestined to become great powers bordering ui.on that ocean ; and both look forward to an iiu-rcaaed commercial intorcourHe with each other. C!ircumHtan.:oH might easily arise in the m-ar luture which would make it of the greatest couse.iueuce that these two countries should be prepare.l to exercise their inHuence ]omtly in order that it may be exercised most effectually. Obviously for either closer commercial relations or for joint action, better tele- .M-aphic connection is all but an absolute uecesaity. The cost ot sending messages fr.nn Canada to Australia is now prohibitive for all practical purposes ; with a wire traversing the Pacitic it would be reduced to the lowest possible tiguve, since the line would be fully employed as an alternative route for European messages to and from the South Pacific. Australians should remember, too, that easy and cheap communication with Canada means the same with the whole continent of America, so closely are the Canadian and the American systems connected with each other. When I brought this subject before the Colonial Conference of 1«87, to which I was a delegate representing Canada, I proved by arguments and figures which have never yet been refuted, tbat the cost of sending messages between Great Britain and Australia over the proposed Pacific line would be far cheaper than by any existing route. Since that time the cost of sending such mes- sages has bee^^ reduced one half, and yet the cost per word by the Pacific route as then stated by me would be little more than oue- half of the present reduced rate by eastern routes. The calcula- tions on which this estimate is based will be found in memoranda submitted to the Conference, and in the discussions thereupon. I need not dwell upon the evident fact that any considerable cheapening of telegraphic rates would immediately react u].on commercial prosperity and activity. How much importance is attached to this aspect of the question is proved by the willingness of the various Australian Governments to give the guarantees which ensured the reductions made in 1891. Actual results con- firm this view. The report of the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company, dated April 21st, 1892, conveys the information that the reduction in rates effected last year has already increased the volume of business -18 per cent, over that of 1890, and 60 per cent, over that of 1889. M'hrso o1.sorvati(.iiH luive hithorto borne mainly on the aevelop- mout of trude. I may now turn tutho consiai-ratiou of another equally important aspect of the question. Tlu. d-fcna" of tra.lo is as woll worthy .liscusHion hy Chan.boi. of Coinm.Tco as are its .levolopm.'nt and pronecution. A lar-o proportion ol tho national thought, a very large part of th. national expense, are iriven to providing luoaiiH for protecting trade in any great national emergency. In this connection our Hubject assunies a new importance. The hi-hcst naval authorities are agreed that in tune ot war the use ol the telegraph would furnish one of the most ellectivo means of giving security to the vast commerce of the Empire. Telegraphic orders sent out conMentially by the Admiralty trom time to time would indicate to merchant ships tho precise course wliich they should take on both outward and inward voyages. Hy this means the protecting naval force could be disposed with complete knowledge of the whereabouts of the commerce to he defended, while an enemy would have no such knowledge. It is believed that by making at intervals changes in the routes indi- cated, greater security could be obtained. , , ^. In alluding to this branch of the subject I cannot do better than quote from an excelhmt authority, Captain R. W. Cragie (Naval Prize Essay, 18i»2), "The protection of our commerce on the outbreak of war can only be secured by compelhng it to toUow certain Hxed routes; these should bo laid down beforehand and called A. B. C. &c., and all shipowners and masters should be acquainted with these routes. On the outbreak of war,_ all steamers would proceed by the route telegraphed out confidentially from the Admiralty, and the roate changed by telegraph when necessary ; for instance, one route might pass 50 miles to the east- ward of St. Helena, another 100 miles, and so on ; by this means our cruisers would know where to tind our commerce, but the enemy would not. " All sailing ships should be stopped and laid up at the same time. " If these precautions were adopted, our commerce ought not to suffer very severely and there ought to be no panic." To no part of the commerce of the Empire would such a device for protection be so serviceable as to that of Australasia, \yith- out taking into account the new route by way of Canada which, in emergency, might be used for commercial purposes; if we take into consideration the alternative routes open around Cape Horn 8 iiJul tl-,1' Cii]M} of fiooil Ho]).', an.l tho vast ocoan Hpacos to 1>« tnivcrs(Hl, it will Im' wfoii that this Kystoni inii,'ht give lo Austra- lasian tni-lf uii almost comphitf iuimuuity from attack except in the ijumcdiate neighbourhood of European v/atcrH. where tho strongest force would be uvailalilo for its defence; mercluiiits and sbiiJpera will readily nnderst.uid that among other adviin- tages tliere would n-sult an enormous rii»i:ey H".'ing from reduced risks anil insurance charges. Hut tlie execution of any snch pLvU manifestly depends upon the completeness and security of a national tel-graph service around the globe. A glance at a telegraphic map of the world shows that at present we have no such complete and secure service. Eng- land has four possible main lines of connection with the East and Auslralasia. One goes by way of Gibraltar, Malta, Egypt, and thi' Red Sea. Another passing through France, Italy, and lireece also goes on to the lied Sea. A tliird traverses Germany, Austria, Turkey, Russia and Persia. A fourth crosses Russia lo the Tacitic, whence it connects to the south with Chinese and Indian lines. rerha,ps the route now complet.'d around Africa should be mentioned as a fifth alternative. J^ut with all tiiese lines it is for national purposes in time of war a fatal defect that they pass through possibly hostile countries, where they wcnild be useless to us, or through shallow seas where tho cables could be easily fished x^]^ and destroyed. For issuing instructions, such ;ijs have been mentioned, to the merchant ships of our Southern Colonies and our Eastern dependencies, not one of these Eastern lines could in time of war be depended upon for a single day. A line across tho Pacific, on the other hand, would not only be far removed from the political storm centres of the European continent, but would have two other great a .v^antages— first, it would pass entirely over British soil, and second, that it wonld pass chiefly through deep seas where it could only be destroyed with great difiiculty. It would complete ttie circle of communica- tion around the Eminre. From a strategic point of view, then, the value of such a line iu time of war would be immeasurable. So striking seems the necessity for its construction, that we may fairly argue that even if the line were for a time commercially unprofitable, the Governments of the Mother Land and the Colonies would be fully justified in bearing a portion of the expense, for the sake of the added guarantee of national security which it would give. The importance attached to the question oi a Pacific cable by .( ■I .'» the Colonial Coutevenco of I^h/ I,,.! to tlio lollowiu« luimitoH bein« vmiiniinoiHly UHsoiitoa to iiii.l i.-coicUhI in llio prooecnlitiKH :— " iHt. 'riiat the .-oun.'ftiou rceciilly fovmf.l tliron^jh C-'.iulii from the Atlantic to tho I'lu-itic hy railway iin.l trlr^'iai'l. opeiiM a new ala-inativc line <.l" hnp^ial co.nnniuication over tho hi«li H.niH aud throiiK'h Uritish poBHOBsionH, which promises to ho of Kroat value alike in uaval, military, commercial aiul political •' 2nd. That the oonneclion of Canada with Australia by direct snl.niaiinotel.'irraphacros.stho PaciHo is a project ot liii^'h mi- portauco to the K.npire. an 1 ^v.-ry doubt as to its pra-tK;..'.ility Hhoul.l. without delay, be set at rcHt by a thorough and exhaustive survey." . Following n]> those, and more apccitio r.'preHeiitations ot the nuMnljevs of the Confeiencc, the Admiralty was in.lucod to under- take a nautical survey to test tl i - racf ability of the route. Tho survey has been carried on during the intervening yearw. The soundings are all that could be desired, proving as they do the existence of a sea Hoor probably not less favourable for cable laying tha,u that of the Atlantic which is used for this purpose That the results of the survey arc satisfactory may be judged U-nm tlie fact that sounding operations have been clos-d, and tho Admiralty have taken p..ssession of a uumber of islands in the Pacific for the purpose of establishing mid-ocean stations when- ever they may be reipiirod. The Canadian Governn.cut has, on mor; than one occasion, indicated its willingness to give substantial support to thia scheme of telegraph connection across the Pacific with Asia and Australia. At one time it had arranged for a special deiaitation to proceed to Australia to confer with the Covernments of the various Colonies upon this and kindred subjects, the chief member of the deputation being the present premier of the Dominion, Sir John Abbott. The delay in sending this deputation was entirely due to the occurrence of pclitical im.vements in Australia which seemc'l to render the time chosen inopportune. Canadians may fairly claim that thoy have some right to press the matter of cable exlen.i.Mi (,ii the Pacific from a national point of view, since such au-extension would be the natural complement of what they have d. me towards British c insolidation. The great enteri)rise by which the Dominion has been spanned I^y a trans- continental railway and telegr.tph system has not only opened up new and immense lield.s f(a' iKitioual growth ' ad ha.s made great 10 oliangcs in the strategic relations of the Empire. It has re^iicea by nu)re than one liair the time required for siii.i>lyiMg n. Pacihe squadron with drafts of men, or with arms or naval stores. It has provided an alternative military route to the far east. It has given the opportunity for a greatly improved postal service with Japan and other eastern countries. It has led to the esta- blishment of a line of fast steamships, capalde of being easil" changed into armed cruisers, upon the north Pacific, while it has opened up the way for a similar line of steamers to the sister Colonies in the StAith racitic, for the estaMishment of which the Parliament of Canada has already voted a liberal subsidy. Representing as I do the Board of Trade of the Capital of the Dominion it is natural and proper that I should speak as a Canadian, and I may l)e pardoned for pointing out on behalf of Canada that it is in the genuine spirit of British enterprise that she desires to stretcli out her arms to Asia and to Australia. Have not Canadians been associated from the first with the development of the great modern means of iuter-commumcatiou ? The man is yet alive who designed and built the first ship to cross the ocean under steam. That man, James Goudie, was born in Canada, and that ship, tbe Ro^/al William, was built at (Jnebec sixty-one years ago. It was the Bo,jal William which inspired Samuel Cunard, himself a Canadian, to establish t^e L^reat line which bears his name. The man is yet ahve who assisted in driving the locomotive of the first passenger tram on kny railway in the world, and that man, Charles Whitehead, has been from the earliest days and still is connected with the railways of Canada. The man is yet alive who projected and took no small part in establishing the first Atlantic cable, and that man, Francis Gisborne, continues to serve the Canadian Government as superintendent of telegraphs. , , ^ , Wlple I point with some pride to what has been done by Canada and by Canadians, we all recognize similar evidences of national smritandenterpriscinAustraliaandNewZealand,indecdthrough. out the ,vhole Colonial Empire. It is by evidences such as these that British people throughout the world are made to feel that they do indeed belong to one great natiou. And we have only to glance back but a few years, not even so far as the commence- ment of tne reign of our present sovereign, to s. e the wondrous advance which has been made. The national progress is largely due to the twiu agencies, ste:un and electricity, which a beneficent providence for wise and good 11 reasons haa boon pleased to iilaee at our commaiul. It is iiii- possililc to he.lieve that this remarkable advance is suddenly to bo arrested. If we do well our part, will not the projjress of tho Ikitanuic Empire continue ? Will not the next century, even the next generation, display a condition of national development beyond our present dreams. Those who are familiar with tho great Colonies and know their possil)ilities will have no difficulty iu understanding that they are merely in their infancy, and pre- cisely as the trunk of a groat tree increases in size, solidity and strength around the circumference, so likewise it is in these vast continental possessions of the Queen that Her Majesty's new Empire is to grow and expand into colossal dimensions. But if we are to keep the Empire intact, if we are to combine all the parts into a lasting whole we must connect the units by commerce and by every cord of attachment. To extend, expand, strengthen, consolidate, build up and maintain the new united Empire, we must without delay take means to obtain the freest and best intercourse between all the parts. In establishing the telegraph system of the United Empire we cannot do better than take for our model the telegraph system of the United Kingdonii where all centres of lousiness are telegraphically connected. The British Islands are covered with a network of wires ; places the most remote as well as those in close proximity can exchange communications on the same easy terms. Caithness and Cornwall are telegraphically as nerr each other as adjuining parishes, and it should be our steady aim to bring into similar close telegruphic contact every land which Is British in the two hemispheres. The telegraph is the nervous system of commerce. A complete telewaph system will be as indispensable to the commerce of the new Empire, which is being developed, as the nervous system is to the human body. No human being can remain in healthful life with a defective nervous system. If the nervoa become seriously impaired to any one of us, who can tell what disaster may follow V So, likewise, in the sphere of commerce. If we place our reliance on a telegra|)h system so insufRcent and so exposed that it may receive fatal injury from causes beyond our control, trade and shipping may, at the Hrst critical moment, bo completely paralyzed. 'I'he desired telegraph system should be one which would bring every unit of the Emi>ire within easy electric touch. If we are to Iniild up a great British commercial union, the tirst essential step is to bring every British community throughout the world in', ■ direct telegraphic connection. i 12 These consiJeriitiona load me to think it a matter of supreme importance to traJe and shipping ; to the expansion and support of British interests, that the tolegraph tihonld as speedily as possible be extended across the Pacific Ocean. The day is not far distant when the Pacific will be traversed, as the Atlantic is, by many cables, but we must take one step at a time, and the first step which circumstances demand is undoubtedly that which ■will give to Australia an alternative line of telegraphic connec- tion with England. In my humble judgment this step is of vital importance to the Empire as a whole, and I appeal to every oue of the delegates who constituted the Parliament of Trade and Commerce which recently met in London ; I appeal to every British merchant at home and abroad ; I appeal to every Chambor of Commerce, within Her Majesty's dominions, to urge upon the Home and Colonial aovernraents that the establishment of this cable should not be long delayed. There is no section of the globe's surface v^here a telegraph is more needed; nowhere within the influence of the Empire would it serve purposes more im- portant. The spanning of the Pacific Ocean by the electric wire will be of immense advantage to British shipping; it will stimu- late the development of new trade ; it will strengthen the attach- ment of the great sister colonies on both sides of the ocean to the mother land ; it will elt'ectively promote that Britannic union of trade and commerce so earnestly desired by every speaker at the recent Congress of Chambers of Commerce of the Empire. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, Sandfoud Fleming. July Isf, 1892.