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9th Day.] Nationalization of the Atlantic Cable. [15 June, 1911. Mr. PEARCE— cord. At the present time the Pacific Cable Board, as I say, leases a telegraph line from Montreal to Bamfield from the Canadian Pacific Railway, but the arrangement is only temporary, and it is proposed to construct a line from the terminus of the Atlantic Cable to Bamfield. It is assumed that the Canadian Government will give leave for the construction of the line and allow it to cross Canadian territory free of cost, and the following estimate makes no allowance for any charge for wayleave if such should be imposed. It is assumed also that if the Imperial Government join with Canada, Australia, and New Zealand in the construction of an Atlantic Cable and a connecting line across Canada to the Pacific, it would be so far interested as to do what the Australian Government does, that is, allow cable messages priority over its home lines, and not require them to wait to be transmitted in the order of their receipt at the telegraphic station. If the Imperial Post Office will not grant this concession to cable business, the Pacific Cable Board would be compelled to establish offices in the principal business centres of the United Kingdom and lease lines from those offices to London or to the cable terminus in Ireland, thereby incurring an expenditure of 23,000?. a year beyond what is included in the estimate. Owing to the delay which occurs in sending cable messages from local post offices to London, the Atlantic Cable Companies have offices in the various large towns of the United Kingdom. They have special telegraph lines leading to London or to their stations on the Irish coast. The Secretary of the Pacific Cable Board estimates that for the Board to establish such local offices would entail an expenditure of 23,000/. a year. I may say that it is apparent that if a cable message is handed in to a telegraph office, say, in Wales, and it has to remain there until the ordinary business is got through, it may be that two hours elapses before that cable reaches London, or some considerable time, and it seems it would be a fair proposition that if anything were done in this connection, as the British Post Office is a partner in the scheme, the post office should be used as a transmitting station and that cable messages put into post offices should be given priority over other messages transmitted to the central station. The PRESIDENT : Are we to understand that the estimates you are giving us are estimates made by the Pacific Cable Board ? Mr. PEARCE : By their officials. Sir JOSEPH WARD : What was the estimated cost ? Mr. PEARCE : The estimated additional cost if the Post Office would not do this would be 23,000/. a year. Mr. SAMUEL : The estimated cost of the cable itself ? Mr. PEARCE : lam coming to that. Apart from the question of wayleave through Canada and local offices in Great Britain and Ireland, the following are estimates of the capital cost and working-expenses of the proposed cable and telegraph line. This is based on the experience of the Pacific Cable Board, and also on the experience of the General Superintendent of the Canadian Telegraph Office, Mr. Keeley. The estimate is of 480,000/. for a line from Killala to Newfoundland with a connection to Nova Scotia, and it is by a very eminent firm of cable construction engineers, who would be willing to carry out the work. The estimate of 120,000/. for a land line across Canada is based upon information supplied by Mr. Keeley, the General Superintendent referred to. So that we have the cost of cable from Killala (Donegal) to Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, with connection from Trinity Bay to Sydney, Nova Scotia, where the land line would begin, including cost of equipment, 480,000/. Cost of telegraph line across Canada, Sydney, Nova