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Pacific Railway, but it was first brought formally to the notice of Her Majesty's Government on the 29th of July 1886, by a letter from the High Commissioner for Canada; which, with its enclosures, will be found in the Appendix. There is also inserted in the Appendix a report by the Superintendent of Electric Telegraphs, New South Wales, dateil the 31st of March 1886.
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The schome is opposed by the companies which own the existing telegraph lines communicating with Australia, and on the 25th of January of this year a letter was received from Mr. Ponder cnclosing copies of letters and memoranda, which will be found in the Appendix, suggesting that a reduction of the existing tariff charges might be effected upon a guarantee from the Colonies. The promoters' scheme alluded to by Mr. Pender has not been communicated to Her Majesty's Government, and his own figures appear to be only a rough estimate. They furnish, however, the only information which the Colonial Office possesses upon the matter.
A very strong case would have to be made out to justify the Colonial Office in asking the Treasury to take into consideration a proposal to provide a subsidy for maintaining a cable in compotition with a telegraphic system which at any rate supplies the actual needs of the Imperial Government.
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So far as can be judged, there would seem to be groat difficulties in the way of the proposed scheme. The distances between the points where the cables would land are very great; the depth of the sea, as shown by the soundings given in the " reports is excessive; and the amount of business passing over the cable might prove
Challenger comparatively small; so that not only would a subsidy be required, but one of very considerable amount. If it were decided to carry such a cable from Fiji to New Caledonia, and thence to the coast of Queensland, some assistance might possibly be obtained from the French Government: but that would involve landing in a second foreign country.
It is, at the present stage, only possible to invite the Australasian and Canadian members of the Conference to express their views generally upon the scheme for laying a cable across the Pacific from Vancouver to some point in one of the Australasian Colonies.
Colonial Office,
March 1887.
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It is only necessary for me to say that the communication when provided, apart from its commercial value, will be most important to the mother country, and to tho Colonies, providing as it does an independent line of telegraph to Australasia and the East, and I trust therefore that Her Majesty's Government and the Government of India will be prepared to assist substantially in carrying the proposal into effect.
Will you be so good as to bring the matter under the notice of tho Secretary of State for the Colonies?
SIR,
Tho Under Secretary of State for the Colonies,
Downing Street, S.W.
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I am, &c.. (Signed) CHARLES TUPPER,
High Commissioner.
DOCUMENTS IN REFERENCE TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIRECT TELEGRAPHIC CONNEXION BETWEEN AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, CANADA, AND GREAT BRITAIN.
I.
ORDER IN COUNCIL IN REFERENCE TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TELEGRAPHIC CONNEXION
BETWEEN THE AUSTRALIAN COLONIES, CANADA, AND GREAT BRITAIN.
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Privy Council, Canada, Ottawa,
June 10, 1886.
Br direction of the Right Honourable the President of the Council, I forward you a copy of an Order in Council, dated 8th June 1886, with respect to the subject of the proposed establishment of telegraphic communication by cable from the Australian Colonies, for your action and co-operation as therein expressed.
I have, &c., (Signed) JOHN J. MCGEE,
The Hon. Sir Charles Tupper, G.C.M.G., C.B.,
High Commissioner for Canada,
9, Victoria Chambers,
London, S.W.
Clerk, Privy Council.
SIR,
Appendix I. to No. 34.
9, Victoria Chambers, London, S.W.,
July 29, 1886.
WITH reference to Mr. Bramston's letter of the 30th March last, on the subject of the proposed telegraphic communication between Canada and Australasia, I now beg to transinit a copy of an Order in Council of the Dominion Government dated the 8th June 1886, instructing me to invite a conference of the Agents-General of all the Colonies interested, and ascertain how their respective Governments would be disposed to act in the matter, and what amount of assistance they would be prepared to give.
I beg to state, for the information of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, that I took an opportunity of calling a meeting in accordance with this request. It was found, however, that it would be difficult to take any practical steps until some definite scheme had been propounded, which could be submitted to the Colonial Governments for their consideration, and I therefore requested a number of gentlemen who were interested in the question to go thoroughly into it, and to prepare a printed memo- randum which should contain the important facts in connexion with the proposed telegraphic communication, and a scheme by which it would be possible to carry
it out.
Thus has now been done, and I enclose three copies of the memorandum herewith. I may say that copies have been forwarded to the Agents-General for the consideration of the Colonial Governments.
You will observe the following paragrapli at the end of the Order in Council:-- "The committee further recommend that the High Commissioner be instructed to put himself in communication with the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and endeavour to secure the co-operation of Her Majesty's Government on the subject."
CANADA.
CERTIFIED COPY of a REPORT of a COMMITTEE of the HONOURABLE THE PRIVY COUNCIL approved by HiS EXCELLENCY the GOVERNOR-GENERAL IN COUNCIL, on the 8th June 1886.
ON a memorandum, dated 22nd May 1886, from the Minister of Public Works, submitting a communication from the High Commissioner for Canada in London, onclosing a copy of a circular addressed by the Colonial Office to the Agents-General of the Australian Colonies, on the subject of the proposed establishment of telegraphic communication by cablo from those Colonies to San Francisco, the last paragraph of which is as follows:-
"In view of the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, it would seem to deserve consideration whether such a cable, if constructed, might not more advan- tageously have its terminus in British Columbia."
The Minister represents that several communications have been received from Mr. Sandford Fleming, C.E., setting forth the scheme of a company, represented by him, to connect either Queensland or New Zealand with Vancouver, B.C., by way of Fiji and Hawaii, by which it appears that the estimated cost of the cable would excred 2,000,0001. (say $10,000,000); and that, as it is the intention of the company to very greatly reduce the rates at present existing for telegraphic messages between England and Australia, the company would require assistance from the different Governments interested, in the shape of a subsidy, which is roughly estimated at about 70,000 per annum for a period of about 20 years. Mr. Fleming represents that the Governments interested in the project are Canada, Great Britain, India. Victoria, New South Wales. Q 4
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