CO885-(6-7) — Page 347

352

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference -

C.O. 885 / 6

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

134

26 November 1896.]

The Marquess of TWEEDDALE, Mr. H. A. C. SAUNDERS, [Continued.

26 November 1896.]

Mr. Gillies continue.

and Mr. F. E. HESSE.

2163. Then it could do, probably, 1,750,000 ? -Yes, if messages were going both ways at the same time; otherwise the duplex would not help

you.

are

2164. No, of course not. Well, it is well that we should clearly understand, so that there need not be any mistake, that the cable that we laying down is only good so far as a million words one way, and 1,750,000 if we employed the duplex. Now, take any one of your cables; take one of them, whichever is the best of the three, what is it capable of doing on that present route? Some of the short cables I might take would be able to transmit 700 or 800 letters per minute. Between Singapore and Batavia, for instance, we could transmit at a very high rate of speed; 700 letters per minute.

2165. Yes, but a cable to send messages, say from Australia to London, which cable, take the best of the three cables, how many words could the best of these three cables send from Australia to London; how

many words a minute? Well, I ennnot give you the exact figure for one of those cables singly. Our practice is to work right through from Madras to Singapore, Singapore to Java, and from Java to Port Darwin; and this would be a very fair average for these sections, about 140 or 143 letters in theory and a fourth of that in actual practice.

2166. One in four?- One in four.

2167. That would he about 34 or 35 letters? -Thirty-four or 35 letters.

2168. Do you take the average of five letters to the word? No, it is about nine and a half; nearly four words.

2169. Four words. That is all it would send? -Yes, or double the capacity of the Pacific cable.

Mr. Jones.

2170. What is the greatest length of your cables?--The longest Eastern Extension cable is about 1,450 miles. In speaking of that speed we are only dealing with one cable. got duplicate and triplicate cables, and can work them all at the same time.

Mr. Gillies.

We have

2171. But if it had been one cable, that cable that you have mentioned of yours would be capable of doing double the work that we pur- pose could be done on the Pacific cable?-er, about double.

were

2172. If the cable were made stronger, and of greater carrying capacity-if the core larger to what extent do you think you would be justified in increasing it ?-(Mr. Saunders.) The opinion of engineers is that that is the heaviest core that you would ever be able to recover; that if you put a heavier core than that-

2173. I think we had evidence here that it might be considerably larger than that expert evidence ?-Well, it is not a question that I

can

Mr. Gillies-continued. personally answer. (Mr. Hesse.) Would the person giving that opinion guarantee the maintenance of it for a number of years?

2174. Yes. Well, I do not know that, whether he would or not. 1 think in one of Sir John Pendler's letters, in one of his communications, he states the cost to your Company for maintenance -- cable_maintenance—the statement, I think, is 47, or 47, 10s. per annum per nautical mile ; can You say what it is? No. I do not know whether that is based on the actual cost of main- taining the cable. I do not remember the letter that you refer to. £4 per mile, I know, is often taken as a calculation, but it is not always borne

out.

2175. You cannot say, can you, what the cost is? I can tell you what the Eastern Extension Company have paid in repairs and renewals between Madras and Australasia.

2176. Yes. It has cost us 1,500,0002.

2177. That is on a special line--I can only speak for my own line.

2178. But taking all the cables you are in- terested in, can you tell us the average cost ?- No, I could not.

2179. You have said that if the tariff wns fixed at 3s from Australia to London, the Pacific Cable Company, if such a company is formed and the calle is laid, would only be able to get 1s. 6d. as their share?-1 did not say they would be only able to get that, but that is the proportion of the tariff which would he assigned to it if we were making a calculation on the 3. tariff basis. We know what the charge is neross the Atlantic (18,), and it would be something like 4. for the transit of America. Then the 2d. for Australia makes 1s. 6d, leaving only 1s. 6d. for the Pacific cable.

2180. Then on that calculation before they would get 2s. they would have to increase it by another 6d. ?—Either increase it or get the land lines or the Atlantic rates reduced.

2181. Do you think there would be any diffi- culty in getting the land line rates reduced -- A Government official could answer that better than 1. It seems to me that they are low enough already.

Sir Donald Smith.

2182. You have mentioned that considerable damage was done to some of your cables by volcanic action ?—(Mr. Saunders.) Yc8.

2183. May I ask if at the time these cables were laid it was known that this was within a volcanic region or eircuit, or the centre of a volcanic region?-Oh, yes.

2184. It was known?-Yes.

2185. Had there been any indications of recent volcanic action ?-Yes, in many cases.

2186. So that you knew the risk? Yes. You could not get out of it. (Mr. Hesse.) There was no way of escaping it in that region, because the volcanic region extends thousands of miles north and south.

135

The Marquess of TWEEDDALE, Mr. H. A. C. SAUNDERS,

and Mr. F. E. HESSE.

Sir Donald Smith-continued. 2187. So that there is no special danger to be apprehended in adopting the route that we have assigned for the Pacific cable?-But that route is a very highly volcanic one.

2188. To Fanning Island, take, say, the longest circuit? I should say that all through that sea there is volcanic action.

[Continued.

Sir Donald Smith-continued. 2189. All the route of the proposed cable ?— More or less.

2190. Would you consider that there would be equal danger there as in the portion that you have had experience of?-(Mr. Saunders.) I should think it would be very similar.

The Witnesses withdrew.

Adjourned until Monday next, at Half-past Eleven.

R 4

}

136