297

A.—4

15 June, 1911.] Nationalization op the Atlantic Cable. [9th Day. Sir JOSEPH WARD— am*. future to do what they could do to-day at a comparatively small cost compared with what it would be, say, even 10 years from now. Mr. Henniker Heaton says : — " (1) It is advisable at all costs to put an immediate end to all cable monopolies, and to acquire and extend the existing network of them for the use of the public. " (2) When the service is in the hands of the State, it should be conducted at rates sufficient to pay working expenses, with interest and sinking fund on capital required for purchase, and to provide new plant when necessary." The next part I do not subscribe to, because I think a profit should be made, though not a large profit, upon the undertaking. " All surplus money should be applied to the provision of additional cables." I agree with that. " (3) If possible, there should be a uniform rate (of one penny per word or less) over the whole extent of the Empire. If this is objected to at first, a beginning should be made by adopting the ' zone ' system. " (4) The capital required should be subscribed by the Home and Colonial Governments, and they should own and administer the cable network jointly. The Home Government should invite the Colonial Cabinets to nominate delegates to an Imperial Cable Conference, to be held in London." The other paragraph I will quote is : "It is contrary to public policy to leave a monopoly of communication between the several portions of the Empire in the hands of speculators." To a very large extent that puts on record the view that I hold. The system of owning cables privately at their early inception many years ago, I think no exception could be taken to, although the principle of State-owned cables existed then just as it exists to-day, as being a better one in the general interests of the community likely to be affected. I want to say that while I personally regard the advance in connection with the telegraph world which has been stated by Mr. Samuel as of very great importance indeed, I should also like to be permitted to say that I look upon the other reforms (about which I have read with special interest since I have been in England) which Mr. Samuel has made in connection with the Department over which he so ably presides as very fine indeed, and calculated to do an immense amount of good, and I take the liberty, sitting at this Conference, of congratulating him very heartily upon them. The proposals made by Mr. Samuel in connection with reforms I may allude to here, because I think it comes in its proper order. The establishment of a new tariff at half rates for messages in plain language I look upon as a very great advance indeed, taken in conjunction with what was decided at the Telegraph Convention— to which Mr. Samuel referred—namely, allowing code words to be used for mercantile purposes ; of course, private individuals would not, speaking generally, use codes at all. I also, in connection with the proposal to nationalize an Atlantic cable service, attach full importance to this matter, and I think it will do an immense amount of good to say definitely we will do so if the rates are not greatly reduced. The proposal of the Pacific Cable Board for the duplication of the cable across the Pacific I regard as of extreme importance, and it was referred to by Mr. Pearce very clearly. As to the stoppage of that proposal by any want of co-operation on the part of the Imperial authorities at this end, I think it would be very regrettable to us if we were to be deterred —which I feel sure by the expression of opinion which has fallen from the mouth of the Prime Minister of His Majesty's Government will not be the case—from completing a great work of that kind upon the supposition that some invention in connection with wireless telegraphy, or some other means of communication, was going to come into operation. If we applied that principle to all other national works in which we were engaged we would not advance at all. In New Zealand we ought to stop making State railways upon the theory that aviation machines are coming along and may wipe out the whole of our railway passenger traffic ; but we are not to be deterred by any suggestion of that kind. I regard all the matters Mr. Samuel has referred to as of very great importance indeed; but after all there is nothing, in my opinion, that would do so much good for the British