THE SCIENCE OF DISTANCES. 535 



children of the twentieth century. But where we may expect and shall 

 undoubtedly get increased success is in multiplied facilities for send- 

 ing telegrams all over the earth, and in widening their usefulness and 

 convenience to all ranks and sections of the community. To obtain 

 these necessary advantages there are two requisites — first a great and 

 general cheapening of tariffs and, as a certain consequence of such re- 

 duced charges, a duplication or even a quadrupling of many of the pres- 

 ent cables to prevent blocking; and, secondly, an indefinite extension of 

 both lines and cables everywhere. Progress in submarine telegraphy 

 undoubtedly means a lessening in the price of service and a firmer con- 

 trol by the State, as an obvious corollary to the large help to the com- 

 panies already given by the general taxpayer, quite as much as it means 

 those scientific inventions and scientific discoveries which the coming 

 years have in store for us. At the present time the charges are far too 

 high, ridiculously so as regards India, and the use of the great cables 

 is, therefore, very often beyond the power of the small capitalist and the 

 trader of the middle sort. Yet certain and early news is of supreme 

 importance to large numbers of both classes. Its absence hampers or 

 stops business, while its price is too severe a tax upon average profits. 

 This fact has led to the invention of ingenious and elaborate codes. 

 They might possibly have been devised in any case; but there is no 

 doubt that messages by code would be certainly expanded so as to pre- 

 vent all possible ambiguity, if telegraphing to distant countries were 

 not so costly. The spreading of land-lines and sea-cables about the 

 earth has gone on rapidly since 1870; to the extent that those already 

 completed would seem even to be in advance of their requirement, if 

 that requirement were to be measured by their full employment. 

 Nevertheless it is to be wished that new companies could be formed 

 and new lines laid down to excite competition and thereby to cheapen 

 rates; or else that our Government should step in and regulate charges 

 over subsidized British lines. For the power of the great telegraph 

 corporations, by reason of their monetary resources, enables them to 

 overcome ordinary rivalry and to treat public opinion with indiffer- 

 ence. A general cheapening of rates has constantly been followed by 

 increased profits, earned by the resulting augmentation of traffic, but 

 it needs an enterprising directorate to face the necessary initial ex- 

 penditure, except under pressure. Boldness and foresight in finance 

 are naturally less prominent features in the management of the great 

 telegraph companies than contentment with a high rate of interest on 

 invested capital. All their energy and watchfulness are employed to 

 crush, competition rather than to extend their activities indefinitely. 

 Moreover, money-making is their business, not Imperial statesmanship. 

 If it were a question of the added security or the close coupling-up of 

 the Empire (which are probably s}iionymous) on the one hand and a 



