F.—B

80

highest advantage to the Dominion, these two links would prove to be a splendid contribution by Canada to the whole Empire. Added to the Pacific cable already laid, they would complete no less than half the circle of State-cable telegraphs around the globe. Let Canada establish these two links in the great Imperial chain, and the remaining links to complete the circle will speedily follow. Then, the policy discovered by Rowland Hill seventy years ago, which we find to be so admirably suited for long-distance telegraphy, may with striking advantages be applied to the globe-girdling system. Under that policy, and partly owing to the power of sending messages in either direction, it will be possible to reduce greatly the charges for transmission. We may rest satisfied that eventually the day must come when, precisely as we now have Imperial penny postage, we will have one uniform telegraph rate for all distances within the circle of the Empire cables. Meanwhile, until the general plan suggested takes shape, and the volume of traffic be more fully developed, if it be thought advisable to introduce the change step by step that course can be followed. The circle of contemplated Empire cables traverses four oceans, and may (merely for tariff purposes) be divided into four sections, as follows : — (1.) The North Atlantic Section —connecting the United Kingdom and Canada. (2.) The Pacific Section —connecting Canada with New Zealand and Australia. (3.) The Indian Ocean Section —connecting Australia and South Africa. (4.) The South Atlantic Section—connecting South Africa with the United Kingdom. It has already been pointed out that the tariff of charges in the North Atlantic Section may easily be reduced to a uniform rate of a penny a letter —that is, a charge of 6d;, per average word of six letters, on all ordinary messages transmitted between any telegraph-station in the United Kingdom and any telegraph-station in Canada. By "ordinary messages" is meant messages made up of ordinary words used in their ordinary sense. A practice has grown up of sending code messages —that is, messages in words which are not English or French, or are not employed in their ordinary sense, and are intelligible only to the sender and receiver. The transmission of such messages is attended with practical difficulty, and delay often results. It is proper, therefore, that the rate for code messages should be higher than for ordinary messages. Messages transmitted within the second, the third, and the fourth sections would be subject to the same rules and the same tariff as described for the North Atlantic Section. For example, ordinary messages passing between New Zealand or Australia and Canada on the one side, and between New Zealand or Australia and South Africa on the other side, would be charged at the rate of a penny a letter. In the case of messages transmitted through two sections—that is under two oceans—the rates would be doubled. Take, for example, messages transmitted from Australia or New Zealand to England, whether they go by way of Canada or by way of South Africa, the charge would be 2d. per letter, or Is. per word of six letters. As, under ordinary circumstances, messages would never require to be transmitted across more than two oceans, the rate of 2d. per letter would be the maximum charge for transmitting ordinary messages from any one point to any other point in the circle of Empire cables. Press messages are generally transmitted at considerably lower rates than ordinary messages. In the United Kingdom, in India, in Natal, and other British possessions the rate for Press messages is about one-fourth the charge for ordinary messages. The present charge for Press messages between Australia or New Zealand and England is Is. per word, being one-third the rate for ordinary messages, which is 3s. per word. Charges for telegraphy have heretofore been reckoned on the number of words transmitted, but there are objections to that practice, as words in common use vary in length. One word will have two letters, another ten or more letters. There are excellent reasons, especially in longdistance telegraphy, why charges should be reckoned by letters rather than by words. The number of letters in messages, however long, can easily and accurately be ascertained by a simple mechanical method. As to the cost of transmission, let us take an instance at random. Let us take, say, the last sentence in the immediately preceding paragraph beginning, " The present charge," &c. That sentence contains 157 letters, and is divided into 32 words. If sent from Australia to England as an ordinary message the charges would be, — (1.) Under the suggested Empire cable tariff— 157 letters at 2d. per letter ... ... ... 265. 2d. ($6.28) (2.) Under present tariff— 32 words at 3s. per word ... ... ... 965. ($24.00) For the same sentence if transmitted as a Press message the charges would be, — (1.) Under the Empire cable tariff— 157 letters at §d. per letter ... ... ... Bs. 9d. ($2.19) (2.) Under present tariff— 32 words at Is. ... ... ... ... 325. ($8.00) The same words telegraphed between Canada and Australia or New Zealand, as an ordinary message, would be charged,— (1.) Under the Empire cable tariff — 157 letters at Id. ' ... ... ... ... 13s. Id. ($3.14) (2.) Under present tariff— 32 words at 2s. 4d. ... ... ... ... 745. Bd. ($18.67)