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Whenenr possible, these haM been omitted from filmin«/ II te peut que certaines pagas blanches aiouttet lort d'une restauration apparaistent dans le texie, meis, lorsque cela toit potsiWe. ces pefas n'ont pat M f ilmeor» ■nouiTioN mi chut (ANSI ond ISO Itsi CMAIT No. 2) ^ ili^ ill iil III 1.6 ^ APPLIED ItvHGE In, ^6 ftochottr. N«w York UB09 us* ^ CIS) «2- 0300- PHofi. ^H (716) 288- S989 -Fa;. //> -/fl. . r The Canadian Press Association. ADDRESS BY Sir Sandford Fleming. This addicss in (-ffoct points out :— (1) That gioativ roduced rates and oflipr- imjiortant ad- vantages would result from the nationalization of tpleRi-aph service within the Dominion and between the Dominion and the I'nited Kingdom. {•>'\ That while such nationalization wmdd have for- its primary ol.jei^t the immediate heneflt of Canada, it would incidentally constitute a groat link in a chain of State-owned telegraphs to encircle the globe. (3) That the new national avenue of communication thus creat«i would form the basis of a distinct advance in the development of closer i-elations between the several communities of British people in Iwth hemispheies. i'u CHEAP TELEGRAPH RATES. ADDRKHS DELIVERED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE CANADIAN PRESS ASSOCIATION, FEBY. L>8tii 190;? BY SIR SANDFORD FLEMINO. Mk. President. on f helper TolcRiaph Rates, for the reason that my name for soinc years ba.k has bee., id.ntiflt^ with the subjeel. I re." ,7it la •«h pnvileBe to bo allowed to address a My of >nen n-p e^nt mg the rei.ogn.:*d organs of pttbilc opinion. Yon have L M me a gre,.t compliment „n,| my satisfmtion isenhaneed by the'?aet tha" L?ne'iK"^evn;''r' •" "P""" ?" " '""'•)'"-■' '» »•"'-'' I "«vo long nd earnestly devoted my attention. Ruskin tells us that "th- weakest umonB us has a irift • however wTirK'iift'fn'h"'"" '^ "rJ''"- '" "™ """ -'■!'* worthily as:i wl 1 be a Rift to his ra(x>. Whether Ruskin be i ight oi' wronir I o? Jwer' '^^b, .'*" °i"I°'\!;"'' '■" '""'""8 run, make up for lack of ^wer. Imbue with this idea, I have for over twen.y years im- posed upon myself a task cl.«ely a.so<:iat,xi with the subjocfwh h you have given me,-a task which has led me, without hone of per«,„nl reward to visit five continents and traverse al he grea oceans-one o them , the Atlantl, , many times. In this self"mS fhev'h ,r,l"" •' '"'' "";' '""™^«'' P*""- """ inadequate the servtet they have been given willingly and without slint. huch being the ease, I rejoice to have the opportunity, which vou hnve given nje, to throw some lighten a problem of i^at pubMe ™Mr™n,me '' V''" •""'• "'""'' "-y ^""^ '" trying fT^oSot: I shall conimence by expressing the satisfaction whicdi I feel that this aviation ,s deeply interested in the same problem, and that I am ve'i'v ul^nHK""^^"- ^'°V°'' important action respecting it asThlve^thr,^! ° '"f ,"*''?' "' " ™ «■»"'«'• «'ith you, inasmuch Press ^tlfh?'"''!*^'' "?'"'"" "'""^ !»«■'"• "ndmission of the do ?,■„. n^v "">■"""»; "•"' I have done, or anything that I can do, IS as nothing compared with what you can accomplish. m„M»i """"'i"^ •^■°"'' '■''™''''' ■' "Pi*'"'^ 'li»' resolutions were unani- mously passed at your last annual mooting in favour of the Gove" - and G^eaf^H^^P- '" ":;'"'"'''' " Sta*e-owned cable between CanadL Zm^TttT- ""? "> n»'i»'""i='e the land telegraphs of the i^ZZ' 'i^<^''t''«^' '<"■ *'"' traniinission of messages in both cases bo reduced to the actual operating cost. Perhaps I may mention that, on every suitalje occasion, during the past year I gave mv r^oS ''"?,™PI»« '» ""= Poli'^y «"d PrfncitJles laid down^ in your fT„H M 'T'"""' ""^ P'""*"' y"-"' h^-l barely commenced when LrdresseS"?^ti,'' 'p ""m°" ''"'"" '^'^'''*^™P'' S'"-^i«' "y sea and land" addressed to the Post Master General, the Hon. Wm. Mulock. It is dated January 1st. 1902, and in the i-emarks I am about to submit I shall lOKiird the contents as known to you. In that lottcr, I pointed out the immediate iidvantagcs to the [looplo of the Dcjmlnlon which would result fi^m carryinB into effect the resolution which you passod I desire on this occasion to ro a little farther and indicate that, beyond the direct benefits to Canada, there is a xreat ulterior purpose to be served by the adoption by Pailiament of the policy laid down by you. This ulterior purpose, I shall with your kind permission endeavour to explain. Let me flist, however, say a word rospeclinc the marvelous system of telegraphy introduced by Marconi. THE MARCONI SYSTEM. The distinsulshed inventor, before visiting Ottawa a few weeks ago, startled the world by his successful efforts to transmit electric wave signals across the Atlantic. I had the great satislaction to have several Inteivlews with Signer Marconi, who is of opinion that only a few months will be required to develop and fully reveal the possibilities of his system. He confidently expects to be able lo send telegraph messages between the two continents without the interven- tion of submarine cables, and that, in consequence of the comparatively small mitlal cost of apparatus, the charge for the transmission of messages will bo very low, compared with the present rates. If this proves to be the case, we may certainlv regard the Marconi system, not as an opponent of, but as an ally of cheap telegraphy. Negotia- tions opened by the Government resulted as stated in the speech from the throne at the opening of Parliament, "in an arrangement through which, should the project prove a successful one, as is hoped for the Uovernment and people of Canada will enjoy the benefits of the invention on very favourable terms, including rates for trans-Atlantic messages very much below those now existing." While it is greatly to be wished that the highest expectations will be realized, we must recognise that doubts have been raised and, not- withstanding the splendid results already achieved by the inventor of wireless telegraphy, some of the leading English authorities on electrical science, such as Piofe^or Oliver Lodge, Sir William Preece, Ur. Muirhead, Lord Kelvin and others, are of opinion that the system will be found to have its limitations, and that the greatest success possible for it will not suffice to render submarine cables unnecessary. Marconi himself, when on this side of the Atlantic, enterifliiied no fear of failure, he was full of hope that he would prove his invention to be a complete commercial success, and he expressed the belief that he would bo able to transmit messages across the Atlantic with ample profit, at one or two cents per word. The impression formed in my own mind was that of admiration for the great inventor, who had already done marvelous things in wireless telegraphy, and whose hoped for success in spanning the ocean, if realized, would pass his name on to future generations as that of a world b-nefactor. It appears, however, that there is a Marconi company to bo reckoned with, and that in financial matters the distinguished inventor has not I fear all his own way. I would infer from what has come to light that the over-ruling company in this case— like other com- panics, is more bent on dividends iind profits, than on beneBttinR the pubilc, and that it has adopted the policy of charginK rates very much hijfhor than Marconi himself seemed at one time to consider necessary. This is of course merely the conclusion I ha"e arrived at alter learnlnK the terms stipulated by the company ip •> ) arranKo- ment with the Oovornment. Instead of the very low ra. expected, the Marconi Company claims ten cents per w Td 'o the trans- mission of ordinary messages. Talten by itself, a reduction from twonty-flve cents to ten cents per word is a great step in the right direction, and the arrangement entered into by the Government, to elTect, if possible, the deairerl end, may he regarded as to a large extent, satisfactory and wise. A reduction of 60 per cent, on present char.^e-j, assuming that the experiments and trials, soon to be undertaken, succeed, will prove a great public benefit, and its influence far good will be felt in many ways. 1 confess, however, to a feeling of disappointment that the Marconi company has not seen its way to make the rate considerably lower. In my letter to the Postmaator Oeneral of January last, I pointed out that by establishing a direct State^wned cable, ordinary • trans-Atlantic messages could bo transmitted for fl^e cents a word and that there would be the prospect of a further reduction as traffic Increased. Under these circumstances it seems to mo more than likely that unless the Marconi Company can perfonn the service for half, or leas than half, the rate stipulated, it will not be possible for it to give to the Canrdian public, permanent satisfaction. Our re- quirements demand the speediest and cheapest means of communi- cation such as a self supporting State-owned cable couH give. ATLANTIC CABLE 8EBVICE. As judgment has t» be suspended in the matter of the Marconi system, it may not meanwhile be without profit to consider tL- alter- native. In doing so, I shall not tax your paifcnce by repeating the ai ^u- ments I advanced in my letter to Mr. Mulock, in respect to the establish- ment of a Stat6^)wned trana-AUantic cable. I furnished evidence to prove that such a cable if employed only aboi 'wo hours a day, would, at the existing tariff of charges, be self-supporting. I shewed' that there is practically within sight, business to keep it going for twelve hours a day at the rate of five cents per word, and I pointed out that, if employed up to Its maximum limit, the earnings would be sufflcient to meet interest on cost, sinking fund to replace capital maintenance and all operating expenses, if no higher rate be levied on messages than two cents per word. I do not recommend beginning with the extremely low rate of two cents, but I can see no reason why a 3ve cent tariff should not be the standard for ordinary mes- •age? irom the first. All such mef sages would be despatched in the ord ■ in which they would be received. Urgent messages for which a preference in delivery is desired, would be subject to an extra charge for that privilege. Obviously a reduc -ion from twenty-five cents a word to a standard rate of five cents for ordinary messages would popularlM! train-Atlantic corrpspondcnec, and render It available for purionpg tor which It has not hitherto been upicd. Powlbly a fair price for Prew dcupatches would be half rate, that Is to say two and . half ccntH a .lonl. The propoanl haa been Renorally well received in Great Britain M well H« III ruiiiida. True, one or two annonymoua lettont have appeared In the Times and other London papers, written obviously in the intcrestt of the cable companies, but my arguments in favour of the proposal remain un.answci-eii. An Atlnntlc, cable uiider (Jovomment control would, by lowering charges I'Ighty |«r cent., interfere more or less with the existing cables. That interference would, however, he merely an Incident, as the objects to he aclileved by the establishment of the new cable are, not (»mp<^!titlve, but purely national. .Should the effect be to lower genomlly trans-Atlantic rates, the augmentation of business, which certainly would follow in a few years, would prevent revenue sutt'er- ing 'o any gi-eat extent. 1. order that the companies' business may be interfered with as littlii as possible, It may be advisable to introduce the reduced charges by a gradual process. For example, the average length of an ordinary message is probably six or seven words, costing for transmission slit or seven shillings. If by arrangement, the minimum price of a message he plac«|»wiil 1h to havo the system an far as praitlcahle and appll.ahle, Iniroilmjed In Canada of course, with such modlHcatlons iw ox|>ericncc has provo.1 to lie advisable, and the conditions 0/ the country »U(JKest, to he rx|)eapers In notlcolnR the proix>sul, sukbohI, very properly, that caution shou.'d tie ohaerved, and that no incvouihl'e •top 1)6 taken until ite wisdom bo well assuiMl. The suKKostinn is perhaps mainly owing to the fact that wo are In the habit of lii';iiinit that, while the mall service of the United Kingdom earns inmienso prottts, the telegraph branch la a source o( cx|HMise. To arrive at the actual facts, I havo made a careful examination ol the Post Offl. .• returns to the Imperial Parliament and other ofHclal documenta. In the last report n( the Post Master General It appears that the total receipts of the telegraph branch for the year 1900-1901 wag «3^429,453, and the expenditure X3,81 2,569, showing a deHciency of X3r)3,216. With respect to this deficiency and the cause of it, there can be no better authority than tho Post Master General himself. His report for 1895 and appended documents point out that, for the precccdlng 25 years, during which period tho clegraphs had been under Govern- ment control, the receipts exceeded tho expenditure by a total sura of 41,795,000, equal to an average annual surplus of f71,80O. This does not however Include tho charge for Interest on the purchase money of the original lines, which is now howerer included and forms the mnjor piirt of tho deficiency. This interest charge on copital is f 298,000, but the report itself furnishes evidence to show that it is far larger than It should be. The revenue is further burdent j by various charges, which as it seems to me, arc quite unnec&ssary. I havo already mentioned one of those, the porterage on messages sent three miles from tho post oflice free of charge. In all such coses, the messages are usually carried by hand, and no doubt It is a great convenience to those who live a little way in the country, but it should not be done at the public expense. The remedy is simple, to charge for porterage, or use a telephone as we do in Canada. Again several railway companies had conceded to them thirty years ago the right to free transmission of all their telegrams, and It appears that these free telegrams havo Increased out of all proportion to the growth of public telegrams. It is estimated that the loss to tho treasury from this cause alone now exceeds the sum of £80 000 or ?400,000 per annum. But the matter which most seriously affects the receipts is the extremely low and unremunerativo rates charged for Press despatches. The Post Master General states In his report of August 2nd 1901 that "the Press telegrams entail a heavy financial burden on the telegraph service." The charge for press telegrams in the United Kingdom is the lowest in the world and the amount of work performed for the 6 presr is without a parellei in any other country. In the year ending March 31, 1901, the average ^vpelcly numter of words in press tele- grams was 16,065.502 equal to about 835,000,000 words per annum. This enormous volume of business involving not far short of half the domestic telegraph worlc of the country, was performed at a charge totally inadequate to meet the actual cost. During last year, 1,083,000,000 words were transmitted in ordinary public telegrams yielding £2,257,399, while 83.5,000,000 words were sent by wire in press despatches which contributed to the revenue only £141,600. The former is at the rate of a half penny per word, the later for Press work represents 12 words for a halfpenny. In Canada the press rates, as I am informed, range from 25 cents up to a dollar per hundred words; if the press despatches of the United Kingdom were charged at the very lowest Cenadian press rate, that is to say, at quarter of a cent a word, there would be an annual surplus after paying interest on capital and every other charge. Sir William Preece, lately at the head of the Telegraph branch of the Post Office, states in "St. Martin-le-grand" for last October, that the unremunerative rates charged for press despatches entails an actual loss to the department roughly estimated at £400,000 a year." Another writer thus expresses his views in explanation of the course followed. Referring to the deficiency in the balance sheet he says "tnis of course means no more than that the government are per- suaded of the educational value of the press, that it gives a sum equal to this large shortage in the shape of a bonus to the newspapers. It is another form of applying the principle of aiding in the diffusion of newspaper information, which in Canada and the United States is done by nominal charges for transportation." These facts and explanations furnish reasons for the adverse balance as it appears in the siccounts of the telegraph branch of the General Post OfBce, and as the nominal deficiency is not owing to any defect in the general system, and as there is no actual loss to the public, both parliament and taxpayer have no difficulty in over- looking the absence of a financial balance on the right side of the account, in view of the inestimable benefits which ttie service con- fers on the community. There is one feature of the British telegraph service of peculiar importance, and that is the adaption of a uniform charge for all distances. As I have dwelt on this point at some length in my letter to Mr. Mulock, to which I have so frequently referred, I shall only re-affirm the view 1 hold, that in no country would a uniform charge for telegrams be of greater general advantage than in Canada. We have already, in common with the mother country, adopted the prin- ciples of uniformity of charges in the mail service. In both countries a postage stamp will carry a letter to any place near or remote, and every argument in favour of applying the principle to the carriage of letters, applies with ten fold force to the transmission of despatches by telegraph. Long experience in the British Islands, and indeed, wherever the principle has been applied, amply confirms the wisdom of the policy of charging the same rate for all distances. It must, however, be distinctly borne in mind, that in no country docs it appear to have been possible to put the principle in practice without first placing the telegraph lines under Government control. At present, the rates charged are graduated according to distance and range, from 25 cents a message, and upwards. With the service brought under State control, the lowest rate should at once I think be made uniform for all distances. With respect to the general principle of Government control, little need be said. From the earliest days, the Government of every civilized nation on the face of the earth has taken charge of the con- veyance of letters and correspondence, and, as a rule, they have always employed the best available means of doing so. At one time the mails were carried on horseback, at another period by stage coach. In more recent times, the Governments have not hesitated to have the people's correspondence conveyed by steam power. To-day, a far speedier, and I may add, far cheaper agency than steam, that is to aay, electriii'y, is at command, and we may ask ourselves the question, is it not incumbent on the Government to take the fullest advantage of this heaven sent means of conquering time and distance ? I submit for your consideration, three remarkable facts. (1) Canada remains the only country in the British Empire where the telegraph service is not state-owned. (2) With two single exceptions, Canada and the United States, the telegraph service of every civilized nation on the face of the globe is controlled by the State. (3) In Canada and the United States, the charges for the trans- mission of telegraph messages are practically double the rates charged in all other civilized countries. I leave it with you, gentlemen of the " Fourth Estate " to deter- mine how long this condition of affairs should last in this British Dominion. GREAT ULTERIOR BENEFITS. "A cheaper telegraph service." — The subject on which I have been asked to address yo' is not simply a domestic question con- cerning Canada alone ; it is a matter of Imperial and infer-Colonial concern and may well be considered not only by the Canadian Press Association, but by the statesmen who will be gathered together at the coming conference In London next June. On that occasion, it may "be assumed that the bend of the Colonial Secretary's mind will be found in accordance with the desire of the Colonial representatives." At this stage in the History of the British people, a wide-spread interest has arisen in Imperial matters. The South African War has given to the Imperial idea a great impulse. As we view it from a Canadian standpoint, we feel ourselves awakened to the fact that the Dominion of Canada forms no inconsiderable part of the surface of the Globe which is designated British, and that if we do our part aright 8 we should take a leading place in a great political organization— The British Empire — now in process of growth and development. Our geographical position is in itself commanding. Writing in 1894 the Colonial editor of the Times said of Canada, "She possesses with- out question a position of central importance in the British Empire, the Atlantic Ocean gives her natural communication with the United Kingdom and South Africa ; the Pacific offers her equally easy com- munication with India and Australia and the East. She commands the commercial highroad of two hemispheres." Is it not fitting then that we should bestir ourselves? that we should not allow the besetting sin of apathy to obtrude itself? that we should in all respects perform the filial duties befitting the eldest daughter in the great family of British nations? Today, the widely sundered groups of British people comprising diverse races and creeds and languages, are animated by a community of sentiment; they have fallen heir to great possessions in all quarters of the globe, and it is surely one of their first duties to safeguard, to consolidate, and develop their magnificent heritage. To bring the Empire into shape and form many things are needed; in not a few of these we Canadians can render yeomen aid; in some things we may, indeed, as we have already done in the mat- ter of Imperial penny p'jstage, take a leading part. I propose to point out what Canada can do for the Empire by placing the telegraph service by land and sea, between Vancouver and London under State control. At the Press Banquet last night, where I had the honour to be a favoured guest, it was pointed out very forcibly by the Premier that, in the interest of unity, stability and progress, one of the most important office of the Press is to cultivate friendly relations between the various elements of the population. "In my own time ' said Sir Wilfred, "I have seen daily and yearly the work of unifica- tion of our country." "The members of the Association have done a great deal to promote that harmony" — this feeling would grow, the more the people of the several Provinces became acquainted with eacli other." Is not this beneficent function of the Press of wide application ? I think you will all concede that the King's subjects everywhere should be better acquainted than they now are ; that, as far as possible, the several great groups of British people around the globe should be on terms of intimacy. I ask, does that condition now prevail ? what intimacy have we with our nearest British neighbours on the western side? What do New Zealanders and Australians know of us, or we of them ? The answer is, — next to r ithing ; and how under present con- ditions could any intimacy, if it existed, be maintained ? As Profes- sor Short pointed out in the last Canadian magazine, the component parts of the Empire stand most in need of a better knowledge of each other. To this end, we have to invoke the powerful good offices of the press, aided by the telegraph, the most perfect means yet discov- ered or likely to be discovered for the free interchange of knowledge. 9 A comprehensive telegraph system, extending to every British passession in both hemispheres has been projected, and, in order to reduce the cost of transmission to the lowest charge, it is hv^ld to be indespensable that the whole service should be under state control. The Pacific cable is regarded as the initial section of the Pan-Britanic system, and this great undertaking is now in progress under a board of management constituted by six British Governments. It will come to the memory of some present, and it will be remembered with pathetic interest, that the last public words spoljen by a Canadian Premier, a few hours twfore he passed away at Windsor Castle, were, in reference to and in support of this the pioneer section of the Pan- Britannic telegraph system. The Pacific cable is under contract to be completed within the present year : if its establishment be followed by the nationalization of the Canadian land telegraphs, together with a state controlled means of telegraphy across the Atlantic, a new and exceeilingly important stage in the development of the all-liritish glotie encircling telegraph system will have been reached. Then, it will be poasiljlo for the sister colonies. New Zealand and Australia to unite with Canada in extend- ing the postal telegraph service of the mother country across the Atlantic and across the Pacific. Then, the Empire will lie in possession of a continuous chain of state-controlled electric wires from London to the Indian Ocean, embracing in their circuit 247 degrees of longtitude — more than two-thirds of the circumference of the globe. One important point remains to be touched upon, the cost of tele- graphy by the Imperial system. It may be gathered from what I have stated, that tlie charge for transmitting messages between Lon- don and Vancouver need not exceed 6 or 8 cents a word ; and as Vancouver is not far from half way between the United Kingdom and Australasia, the charge for the who'e distance should not be more than 14 or 18 cents per word. Of course it is recognized that if the Marconi Atlantic service proves successful, the laying of a state cable accross the Atlantic may be deferred, and in that event the trans- Atlantic rate will in all probability for a time be ten cents, that is to say, five cents higher than I have estimated. But in any event I he total charge for transmission between Australia, New Zealand, anci the United Kingdom should not exceed twenty-five cents or one shilling per word. A shilling rate will be immensely appreciated in New Zealand and Australia where they have been always accustomed to excessively high telegraph charges. When I visited Australia eight years ago, I desired to telegraph friends in Canada and receive replies about once a weclc. On arriving at Sydney, I sent one message, but it cost so much — the charge being ten shillings and four pence per word — that I did not again indulge in the luxu . of cabling to any extent. This is not the place to allude to the powerful cable monopoly or the struggle between private gains and public benefits which has, ever since the first inception of the Pacific cable, been going on. Suffice it to say that the triumph of the public interest has com- ''■HM 10 menced, that the telegraph charges between Australia and London are now reduced, and It may possibly be claimed, that the advocacy of the Pacific cable haa hiid some effect in causing the reduction. The present charge is now iour shillings a word. The reduction to one shilling would be distinctly an outcome of the two Canadian proposals discussed and recommended by this association, and musi hei-eafter be regarded as a service rendered by Canada, of inestimable value to the Empire. To make this plain, we have only to bear in ' mind that as New Zealand is antipodean to the British Islands, when the globe-encircling telegraph is rompleted there will be no place more remote from the Imperial centre than New Zealand. Obviously, therefore, the transmission charge on telegrams from any one of the King's possessions to any other, on any part of the surface of the globe should not be greater than one shilling a word. The maximum charge may indeed be less than a shilling. I am hopeful and sanguine enough to think that there are electrical discoveries yet in store, and that the triumphs of telegraphy will make still cheaper rates possible. Members of this Association are awakened to the fact that exist- ing charges for ocean telegraphy are far too high We all know ' that the expense of cabling is practically prohibitive to the majority of people. It is only on matters of great urgency, or those in which large interests are at stake that cablegrams are sent. Cables are employed by persons in ofHcial positions, by managers of large mer- cantile firms, by the very rich, and by those engaged in stock oper- ations ; ' ut the majority of people do not use them. Moreover, by reason of the expense, many who use cables, resort to them as sel- dom as possible. It is in the general interests that all this should be changed, thit telegraphy should be popularized, and that every kind of hindrance to free intercourse be removed. It is felt that there should be noth- ing to prevent cables and telegraphs being as freely employed as the penny post. To popularize telegraphy, by sea as well a" ' y land, is to my mind a movement which concerns the British, more than any other people. We greatly require a postal telegraph service between all parts of the Empire, and above all things, we need rates so cheap that the service may be freely used by all classes. I have furnished evidence to shew that Canada can greatly assist in the development of such a service, and it must be clear to all, that, when consummated, the im- proved and cheapened service will revolutionize the world's corres- pondence. In this age, the ordinary mail is fast becoming too slow and inadequate. Year by year, our wishes and our wants will, more and more seek to be made known by telegraph. In concluding these sentences, Mr. President, in which I have endeavoured to comply with your request, I have referred to the resolutions which the Association passed a year ago, with respect to nationalizing the telegraphs of the Dominion and establishing a State controlled means of telegraphy across the Atlantic. I am perfectly 11 ftfi*-' flpfl, that by carrying into effect those resolutions, Canada would secure for her people a much cheapened and more useful cable tele- graph service, and that ulterior benefits of the very liighest Imperial importance, would bs the outcome. Thus in helping herself, Canada without farther effort, without the smallest risk, and without any ad- ditional cost, would inaugurate a policy immensely far-reaching and benoficent. Almo'it immediately, the kindi-ed communities of New Zealand and Australia would feel its good effects; eventually its benefits would extend to India, South Africa and elsewhere, and thus, in promoting our own domestic interests in the matter of tele- graphy, we would contribute to the advancement and well being of the whole Empire in a substantial, thoroughly practical and effective manner. ADDENDA. It was said by one gentlemen at the meeting that a single cable across the Atlantic might prove inadequate and that as a protection against interruptions it would be advisable to have it laid in dup- licate. I ask permission to add by way of explanation, that a similar view was expressed befoie the Imperial Paci^ , Cable Committee, which met in London in 189 i. It was indeed urged by some wit- nesses that cables laid across any ocean should be laid in duplicate. I was then in London and in reply to the allej^ation, submitted to the Committee as follows {ride Canadian Parliamentrv Return No. 51 for 1899 page 77). In the evidence submitted to the committee ft has been alleged as absolutely neces- sary. If a a trans-Pacltic cable be laid at all. that it should be laid In duplicate. Curiously enough the gentlemen who have laid greatest stress on the necessity for two cables across the Pacific are among those most averse to the est-olishment of a Pacific cable under any circumstances. It has been mad^ to appear that a single cable has been rarely laid in any part of the world, and that in cases where two cables are not laid side by side at the same time, duplication- immediately follows. Mr. Preece could not recall an instance of any company relying on a single cable. The Impression conveyed was that provision is made for laying both cables from the start, or directly on the completion of one cable, the work of laying the second trvariibly is proceeded with. 1 take the liberty of mentioning that this course is not universally followed. The Eastern Extension Company's cable from Madras to Penang was single for 21 years; the first cable was laid in 1870, It was duplicated in 1891. The cable nl the same company from Penang to Singapore was laid In 1870, it was duplicated in 1892, 22 years afterwards. The same company laid a single cable from Australia to Tasmania in 1869, and dup- licated it in 1887. after a lapse ot 18 years. The same company laid a single cable from Australia to New Zealand in 1876; the second cable was not laid until 1885. The Cape of Good Hope had telegraphic commiinications established by a single cable in 1879; duplication was not effected until 10 years afterwards. A single cable was laid from Portugal to Brazil In 1874 and it was not duplicated until 1884. There are many other instances; 1 have, however, mentioned a sufficient number to make plain that there is no such rule invariably followed as that alleged. The duplication of a cable is a matter which is entirely governed by circumstances; generally It is pro- ceeded with when additional facilities are required by the traffic, or warranted by the pro- spect of a rapid development of business. 1 am perfectly satisfied that eventually many cables will be required across the Pacific, but to my mind there ts no necessity for establishing more than one at present. 12 The IniD(>iial ComniiHoe decided (o rwommend the catablishmciit of one enbic, loaving its duplication to te followed at some future time "wlien the success of the undertukinf; warranted a fresh outlay of capital." ' That was the wise decision reached by the committee presided over by Lord Sellwrne, and of which Lord Strathcona and Hon. A O .Jones, Lieut.-Governor of Nova .Scotia were members. Jly own frequently expressed views in harmony therewith, are, that one cable will l)e sufficient until a second is really demanded by increased telegraph tiafflc, and that meanwhile a" substitute for duplication of both Atlantic and Pacific cables may be obtained in quite another, far nioic useful and far more effective way. That is to say, by takins steps to extend .State-control over deep sea cables from Western Australia, via the Cape to England. By so doing l»th Atlantic and Pacific Cables will form portions of the "round the world system," when every point touched will be doubly con- nected with every other point. It will be at once recognized that this arrangement would obviate any necessity for incurring a double capital expenditure on cables to lie idle at the bottom of the ocean waiting for ..n interruption which may not happen. The same expenditure would go a long way towards completing the globe gird- ling telegraph system which would admit of me8.sages being transmitted either westerly or easterly, and should anj emergency arise to pre- vent them crossing the Atlantic they could still, under ordinary cir- cumstances, be sent in the opposite direction. Obviously, instead of sinking money on two cables laid side by side, one of which for the present would be little used, the wisiT policy would be to inaugurate the Pan-Bntannic telegraph service so as to cheapen communications and provide the freest means of intercour.se for the several groups of British people in the four quarters of the globe. Assuredly one of the fir.st results of such a service, would be to reduce greatly the cost of telegraphy all over the world ; while its undoubted tendency w'oiild be to vitalize the broadest patriotism and realize f^e dream of the United Empire Loyalists and all imbued with the true Cana- dian spirit.