It was perhaps in the nature of things that those countries such as the United States which were in a less favourable posi- tion in the matter of cable ownership should especially desire the internationalization or neutralization of cables. Certainly, the neutralization and internationalization of cable systems might have one advantage, i.e. bring to an end the suspicions, right or wrong, that messages concerning another country were delayed, scrutinized, tampered with, etc. Such charges were largely due to keen commercial rivalry, and principally if not entirely a question of news agencies rather than cable companies. Any foundation they had was probably more or less closely limited to the war, when certainly Canada was very ill-supplied with news from Europe or indeed, with reference to Imperial matters whilst over-abundantly informed of trouble in Ireland.
Strategic Cables. Unless the strict neutralization of cables be- comes the order of the day, under the League of Nations or otherwise, the best principle would probably be that every coun- try should partly for strategical reasons establish for itself many more cables on a variety of routes well clear of foreign soil. These should be worked on a low rate basis for the general en- couragement of intercommunication, but especially for develop- ing commerce and trade. They should be supplemented by wireless, which is already in use as feeders to the cable sys- tems. There can be no question that messages passing through cables touching foreign territory are insecure. If the cable lands on an enemy's country, the message is stopped or read off, and if on neutral soil, it runs the chance of also finding its way to the enemy , if only because a country whichis neutral to-day may be un- friendly to-morrow. A clear distinction must be observed between an international submarine cable and a national cable. An inter- national cable is one which connects the territory of different independent states; a national submarine cable is one which unites the territory or the colonial possessions of a single inde- pendent state. The character of the charter or ownership of a submarine cable determines whether it should be deemed foreign or national in respect to a particular state. Apart from their great strategic value, the Chambers of Commerce of practically every important town in the United Kingdom have, on strictly business grounds, loudly urged for a system of All-British ca- bles worked at comparatively easy rates. The same course has also been taken at various influential congresses of the Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire, partly with a view to ensuring against enemy interruptions and eavesdropping. Promoters of private enterprise are indisposed to undertake the laying of cables of a strategic, rather than commercial, order. On the other hand, the cables on the trade routes through the Mediterranean, etc. are especially liable to interruption, much more so than those in the open ocean.
Cable Tariff. The ordinary cable rates, though showing ma- terial reduction from those of the earliest days, were in 1921 still very high from the public standpoint. 1 For financial reasons, they were largely based on the length of cable involved (see accompanying table), whereas it is just in the case of especially great distances that the cablegram is at an advantage against the mail boat. Here is a striking case where public (i.e. national) and private interests necessarily clash, and where, of course, national interests should be made supreme. This, it is to be feared, can be done only by adequate state control.
In the final report (Cd. 8462) of the Dominions Royal Com- mission in 1917 expression was given to the view that " charges are very high, the scales extremely complicated and their justi- fication difficult to recognize." The report goes on to say: " The popularization of the cable service can only come with a simplifi- cation of the charges and their radical reduction; at present out- side its commercial use cable communication is a luxury."
In 1912 a system of half rates for plain-language cablegrams deferred in transmission for 24 hours was introduced after many years' outside pressure. This reform marks something of an epoch in the history of cable telegraphy, and has, in due course, become universal. Week-end cablegrams at a reduced rate were
1 Some of the more recent reductions may possibly be due in part to the competition such as it is of wireless telegraphy.
Principal British, etc., cable route stations, with approximate cable distances from London, and tariff, ordinary rate, therefrom.
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Station
Approxi- mate cable mileage
Ordinary rate
s. d.
Madeira
1,617
I
St. Vincent
2 ,744
2 2
Ascension
4,519
2 O
St. Helena ....
5,37
2 O
7 IQO
2 O
Gibraltar
/, *yy
I,5l
o 3
Malta . .'....
2,618
o 4
Alexandria
3,483
I O
Port Said
3,636
I O
Aden . .....
5, 65
2 O
Bombay
6,910
I 8
Colombo
7,328
I 8
Penang
8,735
2 IO
Singapore
9,135
2 IO
Labuan
9,869
2 IO
Hong-Kong
10,657
3 o
Shanghai
11,584
3 o
Zanzibar '. . .
7,024
2 O
Seychelles
8,145
2 O
Mauritius
9,210
2 6
Fremantle
14,289
3 o
Adelaide
I 5. 8 34
3 o
Melbourne
16,500
3 o
Tasmania
16,700
3 o
Bathurst
J -IIQ
2 6
Sierra Leone
jto * y
3,785
2 6
Accra
4,807
3 o
Lagos
5,079
3 o
Bonny
c AOO
3 O
Newfoundland
iJIT" 2,4IO
o
I
Nova Scotia
2,727
I
Halifax
3,150
I
Montreal
3,777
I
Vancouver
6,677
i 6
10 ^8
2 6
Fiji (Suva)
tOO
12,401
2 8
Norfolk Island . . . .
13,383
2 8
Queensland ;
14,220
3 o
Auckland
14,101
2 8
Nelson . . . . .
14,550
2 8
Sydney
15,352
3 o
Bermuda ....
4,000
2 6
Jamaica
5,264
2 6
Colon .
5,894
2 8
Barbados
6,542
2 6
Trinidad
6,621
2 6
Pernambuco
4,606
I 7
Rio de Janeiro
5,973
2 7
Montevideo
7,135
2 9
also introduced a little later, this being further supplemented by reduced rates for press messages between Britain and her Do- minions. There is also now the " cable letter " service which offers even more favourable rates.
With practically all the great cable companies, the tariffs were maintained throughout the war at the same normal figure, whilst considerably more business was done than under peace condi- tions. A great increase in Government messages occurred, and the suspension of private codes added vastly to the length of most business telegrams, not to mention the continuous flow of ex- tensive press " cables " relating to the war.> Then, again, an enormous number of messages were sent such as in normal times free from postal shortcomings would be limited to ordinary written correspondence or to " deferred " traffic, which was abandoned by most of the cable companies throughout hostilities. The net result was that these organizations, unlike railway com- panies, not only maintained their reserves, but very materially added to them during the war. The best explanation here is to be found in the fact that cable repairs to be faced after the long period of warfare were altogether abnormal, though it must be remembered most of the companies concerned already had enor- mous reserves. The principal exception is the case of the Central and South American Telegraph Co., combined with the Mexican
