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INTERNATIONAL PENNY-A- WORD TELEGRAMS.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
panies would be stupendous, "running into
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an indefinite number of millions.”
Mr. HEATON is not appalled by this aspect of the (Daily Press, December 7th.) question. In regard to cables to India and Penny-a-word telegrams throughout the the East, and to America, including the Empire sounds an impossible idea now-a-Canadian service, the public, he says, is pay days to most people; but one may count up ing in the present high cable charges for scores of achievements to-day which, half abandoned cables, for superfluous cables a century ago, the world looked upon as and also for unnecessary working staff and impossible of realisation. Every institution, apparatus. "In other words, the public is come great writer has averred, is the paying £4,000,000 a year for what can be lengthened shadow of one man, and those supplied for £180,000." In short Mr. who consider the matter well cannot be too HEATON affirms that, if the present cable confident that we shall never see the service were wiped out or destroyed, it would institution of penny-a-word cables. A new be possible to reconstruct the whole system actor has of late years entered into the anew for less than one half the original out- consideration of the question by the invention lay. He is as convinced of the f asibility of of wireless telegraphy. When we dip into penny-a-word cables throughout the empire the future "far as human eye can see; see as he is of the practicability of international | the visions of the world and the wonders penny postage. He seems to have a notable that will be" it can now, we think, confident supporter in the Postmaster-General of ly be anticipated that wireless telegraphy Canada, who, speaking for himself alone, will contribute enormously to the practic looks upon the penny-a-word cable as an ability of the idea. Mr. HENNIEZE HEATON, ideal, as a blessing, which some day should however, in his advocacy of Penny-a-word be attained and secured," and he has ex- Telegrams disregards this factor at present pressed a desire that an unbiased inquiry In a lecture recently delivered by him at should be made into its feasibility and the Royal Colonial Institute he set his prospects of success. finger on the "political frontiers as the chief obstacle in carrying out the policy. Therefore the first move must be to abolish political frontiers, so far as telegrama are concerned. In this matter, Mr. HEATON urges that "political" frontiers, by arrange ment with for ign governments, ought not to be taken into consideration at all; between man and man they should not exist. It is only in the event of failure to get over this difficulty that he places his hopes on his friend MARCONI, who entirely ignores political frontiers. An allusion was made to this subject by the Chairman of the Eastern Cable Co, at the recent annual meeting of shareholders. Sir WOLFE BARRY referred to the report of the inter-depart. mental committee which c nsidered the cost of cables in 1902 and declared at the outset the suggestion of a penny rate to America and Australia to be quite impractical." From Mr. HEATON's lecture we take what we conceive would be the main feature of his answer to that declara. tion. 'It is futile to argue
"he said,
" 88 regards, say, the transatlantic cable rates (18. a word) that this rate is based on supply and demand, because the number of words sent in the e cables (20,000) represent only a twelfth of the carrying capacity of the lines. This, therefore, is what it amounts to -To pay on the unuse eleven-twelfths the two owners of the Atlantic lines combine to charge a prohibitive tariff on the other twelfth, thus rendering what is a necessity a luxury for the few. The argument, as it stands, is not entirely convincing. Increased ulse means administration, but this does not seem to be increased cost of admitied by Mr. HENNIKER HEATON who looks to the cheapening of cable rates to give a filip to the scientist bringing about greater economy in working. We are only yet, he tells us, in the entrance hall of tele- graphy. He points to what is known as the POLLAK-VIRAG development as a sare indication of what has yet to be learnt concerning the adaptation of electricity to the needs of modern life. Mr. HEATON'S
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suggestion is that the Governments of the civilised world should buy out the cable monopolists; the present high cable rates that the British and Colonial Go- vernments pay for official cable messages, amounting to nearly a quarter of a million sterling, would go far, he says, towards the interest on the purcha e price of the cables. The cable companies tell us that the initial amount required to buy out the cable com-
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As for Mr. MARCONI he is convinced that wireless telegraphy for commercial purposes and over great distances, possibly round the world, is bound to become general in the course of time--and that not a very long time. Whether it will or will not injure or displace the cables is still a matter of specu. lation, but in Mr. MARCONI's view it de- pends a great deal on what the cables could do in the way of cheaper rates. Mr. Ma CONI when questioned by Mr. HEATON, said he would be prepare now to transmit messages from shore to shore hetween the United Kingdom and Canada for one penny a word, “providing the Governments con- cerned, or one of the Governments, will pay for the working expenses of stations on both sides of the Altantic, and also give a comparatively moderate subsidy." The reply evoked some laughter, but Mr. HEA TON said the reply was such as he anticipat- ed, "and it turns out on that speculation that we can carry three million words to America for about £325,000, as against £1.80,000 now given to the cable companies for the same number of words.
We can.
not see that Mr. HEATON makes a strong point here; at least it is not very clear. What we want to know is what these work- ing expenses of the stations on both sides of the Atlantic are likely to amount to and what the amount of the “ comparatively moderate subsidy "? These two items are to be provided by the taxpayers. If we subsidise the carrying of mails why not cables also? And if mails and cables, why not commerce and travel? Until it will entail no appreciable burden on the can be shown that penny-a-word cables taxpayers we are not likely to see them, but iwho can really doubt that they are as nevitable as international penny postage?
THE BALKAN QUESTION,
(Daily Press, December 8th.) One of the peculiarities of the situation in the Hither East, as Europe has deci led to call for the nonce the countries bordering ou Turkey and Persia, is that the smaller Powers, who have everything to lose in a contest, and whose present existence depends on the godwill of their bigger neighbours, are actually those who talk loudest and strongest of going to war in pursuance of any of these their presumel "rights.
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[December 12, 1908 enough; and, it put forward with a due sense of international perspective, could scarcely be refused by the common sense of Europe at large; but under the heading of "demand have yet no basis whatever in either reason or past history. If, like the image of ARTEMIS at Ephesus, the whole of the Balkan peninsula had fallen a few weeks ago from haven, certain logical consider- a ions might well be taken into account, which at present in the light of tradition and history are hardly open to discussion. Looking at the map of the country, for instance, it is hardly logical that Austro- Hungary should bold practically the whole sea coast of Montenegro, and the principality should have to contented with the "Black Mountains" behind: legally the Austro- Hungarian claim proceeds from causes that were valid long centuries before such a nation as Montenegro, or even Turkey her- self, had even b en heard of in the European family of States. Still, it is perfectly reasonable and logical that Montenegro should plead that in all equity, the European
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acourse, who some thirty years ago placed Austro-Hungary in possession of Bosnia and Herzogovina should, before agreeing to their final inclusion in the Dual Monarchy, require that the latter should make some reasonable adjustment of a hardship- adjustment which, whi'e imme sely bene- fitting Montenegro, should do no injury of the slightest amount to Austria herself. Though Montenegro herself has here no- thing to give in exchange, the Europeau concour:8 has really something very tangible, so that the way is open to a very regular interchange.
Again it is quite natural that Servia should have some feelings of jealously at seeing Austro-Hungary seeking to advance
Fer influence into the district about Novi Bazar: young as a nation as is Servia, Austria in these regions is equally young, and neither historically nor ethologically has she any prescriptive rights whatever. S. rvia, if we are to lay any weight in the argument on affinity of race, has certainly the prior claim. sistent with the best interests of the world But it is not always con. generally, nor often of the peoples them- selves, that these presumed racial distinc- tions should be élevated into national
questiona; and in any case Servia is not in & position to carry on an aggressive wor gether, having a case not altogether clear, against the Dual Monarchy, so that alto- aud having no sufficient power at her back to proceed to the arbitrament of war, it would have been wieer for her to leave her case in
Not- withstanding that through her own fault the hands of some friendly Power. she has not been altogether a persona grata
to give her a fair hearing. Now, as we amongst the other Powers, there has e: ident ly been a desire in many iufluential quarters have before observed, this question of the eventualpo sition amongst the European Powers of the Balkan Peninsula will one of these days become the absorbing question of the hour. At present it is a Heptarchy, wherein Wallachia, Bulgaria, Servia, Austria for Bosuin, Montenegro, Greece, and Turkey, are all manoeuvering for a place; it is much a was England before the Con- quest, or Germany at the beginning of the last century. The real struggle will not begin until there shall arise a feeling of common nationality leading to confederation. The present bickerings show how far off is such a development. The wirer of the Great Powers, with the evidence before them that a war once broken out could not fail of be.
presumed rights, if placed under the category coming general, and diviling Europe into of " desirable," are in themselves reasonable | hostile camps ; and having the lesson of the