Hawaiin Cable [pp. 653-660]

HAWAllIAN CABLE.
these circumstances the Senate, on the
evening of March 3, receded from its
amendment.
In i89I a number of gentlemen, residents of California and Honolulu, sought
a charter from Congress with authority
to lay a cable to Japan and Australia via
Honolulu, and asked a subsidy from
Congress. The history of the proceedings concerning this proposition is similar
to the recent action concerning Senator
Hale's proposition, the Senate having
approved thereof by a large majority,
and the House opposing it until the Senate receded from its position on the night
of the third of March, i89I.
About the same time that Senator
Hale introduced the proposition above
mentioned into the Senate, this cable
corporation proposition was resuscitated,
principally through the efforts of Admiral
John Irwin, retired, of Washington, and
a bill was introduced in the House by
Congressman Charles Stone of Pennsylvania, incorporating the Admiral
with a number of others resident in California and Honolulu, many of them being the same as those enumerated in the
proposed charter of I89I. The bill was
referred to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House; but owing to the
lateness of the session, and to the fact
that it was being used to antagonize the
proposed government appropriation, no
action was taken thereon.
The gentlemen interested in this company are now taking steps to incorporate
under some State law, and to proceed
precisely as they would had they obtained
the congressional charter asked for. The
only difference in their status, had they
obtained the congressional charter, would
have been the additional prestige furnished by the latter. They proposed
when organized to open negotiations with
all the governments interested in cable
communication across the Pacific, including the government of the United States,
to ascertain what government assistance
or guarantee can be obtained. They
hope to be able to obtain this information
by the time the next Congress meets,
when they will probably re-apply for a
congressional charter.
Taking the average cost of Route i, at
$1,062 per mile, the cost of a United
States' cable to Hawaii would be:2Io00 miles at $io62 per mile, say.... $2,250,000
Add io per cent for contingencies,
stations, and outfits............... 225,000
Cost of repair steamer, fully equipped,
able to lay a cable and take up
portions where and whenever ne cessary.......................... 400,000
Say, $3,000,000.
It is admitted that the life of a sub marine cable will not exceed twenty
years' effective work; that renewals
from time to time in that period will
remove the original cable. In esti mating annual expense, this must
be taken into consideration in the
shape of a renewal fund, say, per
annum, of......................
Interest on $3,ooo,ooo at 4 per cent...
Working expenses of stations and re pair steamer, when in commission..
Say, $i,ooo per day.
$2,875,000
$1 50,000
120,000
100,000
$375,000
It is out of the question to suppose that
any private corporation would seek to lay
only the Hawaiian cable with a hope of
profitable return as an investment. What
might obtain with cables radiating from
Honolulu to Japan, Nicaragua, Tahiti,
Samoa, Australia, and New Zealand, is a
question for future consideration. Enough
that American interests are paramount at
Hawaii, and those Islands a part of the
military and commercial system of the
United States, to warrant the laying of a
cable at the expense of our own govern
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