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[Continued.
341
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
LIC.O. 885
سلسالسا
6
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
25 November 1896.]
Mr. WARD.
Sir Donald Smith-continued. the results of the work that was done at Lord Kelvin's Jubilee. They were spoken of, and that would give you an idea. Distance is not of very much consequence in that kind of thing. The greater number of transmissions that you have the greater must necessarily be the delay.
GT
1717. In distinguishing between the urgency of one message and another, of course you wish to do what may be most in the interests of your customers
clients; and, your operator being intelligent men, if they see that a Write by to-day's post," or message says,
Reply immediately," they would give pre- ference to that message over one that appeared not to be su urgent? Well, now, Sir Donald, that is just exactly the very point that was put to me a little time ago, and I have said that the general rule is not to let messages take prece- dence, and I cannot say that the Commercial Cable Company breaks that rule in any way.
1718. That is really to meet the wishes and interests of your customers as far as you can. In many cipher telegrams they have what is not recorded in cipher-"Reply immediately,"
Or
"Reply post," or Reply cable "?—Yes. We do not find the necessity of sifting ont the messages in this way, because we have plenty of facilities for transmitting them, and Of course, as as soon as we get them they go. 1 said, that is a plan. It is possible that it should be adopted; but there, I must leave the matter, so far.
1719. Looking to the course of trade, and difference of time of five hours between New York and London-that is when the pressure is greatest for telegraphing-what effect do you think it might have on the course of business for telegraphing to Australia, where you have mid- night while it is noon here?-1 do not think that the Australian business would be affected very much by the traffic volumes between New York and London. You see the pressure lasts such a short time. For instance, there it is, the very height of the pressure between London and New York, that is for messages going west- At wards, only lasts about two or three hours. four o'clock it is at its height; at half-past six it has slackened off, and the margin for doing business is rapidly enlarged immediately.
1720. And it would be very much the same? We are -Mind you, there is a margin then. not worked up absolutely to our full capacity. There is a margin then. We can get the thing through. I do not think the delay in that respect would be noticeable at all.
Of course,
1721. The hours of business, supposing they have the same hours, that is from ten to five or six in Australia, as here, it would be beginning at ten at night? Well, you see the hours. practically, the longitude is about the same be- tween Great Britain and Australia, and day and night come about the same time, and the merchant would send off his messages. I should think the mercantile man would send off his messages some time in the afternoon. Well, in the ordinary course of things, they would reach-they ought to reach here-if properly handled they ought to reach London the same evening.
Sir Saul Samuel,
25 November 1896.]
[Continued.
1722. There is a difference of time of ten hours between London and Australia?-There is.
Sir Donald Smith,
1723. So that it really would be received here in the night?-Exactly. Of course, if it were sent of at ten in the morning that would be ten at night our time, consequently it would reach London about anywhere between midnight and six o'clock in the morning, which is about as slack a time as you want, you know.
1723*. And so, sending from here. they would be received there in the night? They would
be received there in the night,
1724. From London —Sending from London in the daytime they would be received there in the night, or about 10 hours later.
1725. From London they would be received in the night-In Australin'?
1726. Yes, in Australia?-If you sent them off from London at six o'clock in the evening that would be six o'clock in the morning in Australia.
1727-8. Or rather it would be ten hours, or four o'clock in the morning?--Four o'clock in the morning, So that, consequently, that would be delivered in the morning in Australia.
1729. Do
consider that it is not only you desirable but necessary for safety to have a duplicate cable; to have two cables? - Trans- atlantic cable companies consider it necessary, because the risk is so great across the Banks of Newfoundland: but there are instances where only one cable has been laid and has answered successfully for a number of years, I believe. I believe 80. 1 am not positive about that, but I However, the believe that such is the case. tendency of cable companies is to duplicate their systems wherever they can.
1730. But you think that it would be tolerably safe-fairly safe to begin with one cable? Well, they always have begun with one, mostly. The Commercial Cable Company laid two down, but most companies have commenced with one.
1731. And that they could with safety depend on having it unbroken, uninterrupted, for two or three years at any rate? Well, that is a difficult question to answer, Sir Donald: there is so much depending upon it that I could not say. It depends upon the ground the cable lies upon, Of course, if and the conditions generally, there is nothing to affect the cable it will lie there 20 years or 30 years, we do not know how long, and would never be affected at all.
1732. Have you had any breakage—a break- age of any of your cables, since they have been laid those of 1884 ?-Oh, yes.
1733. And how long has it taken to repair a break, from the time you were aware of its having been broken, until it was in working order again?—Oh, we have never been over a fortnight; we have never been any longer than a fortnight. Mind you, I must speak ap- proximately now, as I have not the dates with me, but I know the time is very short. keep a ship, and immediately a rupture occurs the ship is notified and she goes out. Perhaps
We
Sir Donald Smith-continued.
Mr. WARD.
Sir Donald Smith-continued. and all kinds of things that I believe do not exist to the same extent in the Pacific.
1735. So that the cable breaking there, we need apprehend no greater difficulty, no longer time, I understand, than
Atlantic
on the
it will take her two or three days to get to the a little longer. of rupture, and perhaps point Then, of course, the repair will depend some- what on the weather, but I do not recollect ever having been more than a fortnight, and sometimes it is only three or four days.
in making a repair? I do not think it 1734. And having a ship or ships in the same would take any longer time. About the diffi- way on the Pacific, of course it would be equally culty, I do not know that there would be any possible, practically, to do it within the same greater difficulty. They seem to be able to time?-Oh, yes; well, perhaps, the Pacific repair-well, our repairs have always been done would be--of course, there is not so much danger-very expeditiously. Of course the difficulty of cables breaking in great depths; they do not depends, to a certain extent, on the depth at which the cable is broken; that is an understood do that as a rule; it is generally in the shallows that they break; and the Pacific, perhaps, would thing. be better so far as the weather conditions are concerned than the Atlantic. The Atlantic is a rough ocean, you know, there are fogs
1736. But everything being equal?—Every- thing being equal, of course, I do not know that there should be any greater difficulty.
The Witness withdrew.
Adjourned till To-morrow, at Half-past Eleven.
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