No. 21. Mr. West to Mr. Frelinghuysen. WASHINGTON, January 2, 1884. (Received January 4). SIR: With reference to your note of the 28th of September last, I have the honor to inclose herewith copy of a supposed report of a committee of the privy council of Canada setting forth the views of the Government on the subject of the landing of a proposed cable in Washington Territory. I have, &c., L. S. SACKVILLE-WEST. [Inclosure.] Report of a committee of the privy council, approved by the Governor-General in council on the 21st of December, 1883. The committee of the privy council have had under consideration a dispatch dated 6th of October, 1883, from Her Majesty's minister at Washington, transmitting a note dated September 28 last, and inclosures from the Hon. Mr. Frelinghuysen with respect to the application of the Canadian Government for the laying of a cable to connect the Canadian telegraphic system with the Puget Sound Telegraph Company's lines to Seattle and the United State Government line to Cape Flattery. The minister of public works, to whom the dispatch in question and enclosures were referred, reports that this permission was not desired with a view of establishing a telegraph station within American territory, nor with the intention of entering into competition with either the United States Government or the Puget Sound Telegraph Company. The minister observes that among the inclosures is a letter from Dr. Minor, president of the Puget Sound Telegraph Company, urging upon the United States Government to refuse this permission, and stating that similar privileges requested from the Canadian Government had not been accorded to his company. The minister represents that the privileges asked by Dr. Minor were not only to land cables on the shores of British Columbia, and then connect with established lines, but also to open an independent station at Victoria, and then to enter into competition with the Canadian Government system of telegraphy via the new Westminster and the boundary-line route to the same town of Seattle. The minister further reports that all other conditions submitted by the United States Government with a view to granting this permission are unobjectionable, and he recommends that the fact be brought to the consideration of the honorable the Secretary of State for the United States, that any company or person can, upon proper application, subject, of course, to such rules and regulations as may be necessary to prevent competition for telegraph business within the Province of British Columbia, obtain permission from the Canadian Government to land cables on its shores and there connect with their established lines. The committee concur in the report of the minister of public works, and they respectfully advise that your excellency be moved to transinit a copy of this minnte, when approved, to Her Majesty's minister at Washington, for the consideration of the United States Government. JOHN J. MCGEE, Clerk, Queen's Privy Council for Canada. No. 22. Mr. Frelinghuysen to Mr. West. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, January 10, 1884. SIR: With reference to previous correspondence, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 2d instant, in regard to the application of the Canadian Telegraph Company to land a cable in Washington Territory, and to inform you that the matter is receiving the consideration of this Government. I have, &c., FRED'K T. FRELINGHUYSEN. No. 23. Mr. Frelinghuysen to Mr. West. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, February 13, 1884. SIR: With reference to my reply of the 10th ultimo to your note of the 2d of that month, concerning the application of the Canadian authorities to land a telegraph cable in Washington Territory, I now have the honor to inform you that it appears from inquiries which this Govern ment has made in reference to the matter, that the granting of the desired permission would make the Canadian line a competing one with the Puget Sound Telegraph Company's line, and would place the latter company at a disadvantage, unless it should not only be permitted to land a cable at Victoria, but to establish local offices in the Dominion for the reception of business there. Under these circumstances, therefore, the President adheres to the requirements set forth in my note to you of the 28th of September last. I have, &c., FRED'K T. FRELINGHUYSEN. No. 24. Mr. Frelinghuysen to Mr. West. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, February 16, 1884. SIR Referring to previous correspondence in regard to the application of the Canadian authorities to land a cable "for the purpose of connecting the Canadian Government telegraph system near Victoria, Vancouver Island, and Point Angelos, Washington Territory, there to connect with the Puget Sound Telegraph Company's line to Seattle, and with the United States Government line to Cape Flattery," I have now the honor, in further reply to your note of the 2d of January last on that subject, to note the observation of the committee of the Dominion privy council, in the copy of the minute of that body, which you inclose with your note, in which the committee say: That any company or person can, upon proper application, subject, of course, to such rules and regulations as may be necessary to prevent competition for telegraph business within the Province of British Columbia, obtain permission from the Canadian Government to land cables on its shores and there connect with their established lines. Am I correct in assuming from the passage I have quoted that the Dominion Government owns and controls the "Canadian telegraph system," including the line which is the subject of the present application? If that line is owned and controlled by private individuals or by a private corporation, there might be danger that after the Puget Sound Company had connected with the Canadian line in British Columbia, such obstacles might be thrown in its way in the legitimate prosecution of its business as to render the connection useless, or at least detrimental or disadvantageous to the Puget Sound Company. The Dominion Government say in the minutes of the privy council that "all other conditions [except that regarding the Puget Sound Company submitted by the United States Government are unobjectionable." If this Government can receive through you from the Dominion Government assurances that the Puget Sound Company, upon connecting with the Canadian line on the shores of British Columbia, will be afforded equal advantages, privileges and facilities in the transaction of its own proper business and the prompt and regular transmission of its messages with those accorded to or possessed by the managers of the Canadian line in British Columbia, or with those which may be granted to any other connecting cable, the President directs me to say that the priv ilege now asked by the Canadian authorities to land their cable on the shores of the United States in Washington Territory will be at once accorded to the Dominion Government in accordance with my note of the 28th of September last. I have, &c., FRED'K T. FRELINGHUYSEN. No. 25. Mr. West to Mr. Frelinghuysen. WASHINGTON, June 25, 1884. (Received June 28.) SIR: With reference to your note of the 16th of February last, I have the honor to inclose to you herewith copy of an approved report of a committee of the privy council of Canada, embodying a report by the minister of public works relating to the application of the Government of Canada to land a cable in Washington Territory, which has been for warded to me by the Marquis of Landsdowne in reply to your abovementioned note. I have, &c., L. S. SACKVILLE-WEST. [Inclosure.] Report of a committee of the privy council, Canado, approved by the Governor-General in council on the 11th of June, 1884. The committee of the privy council have had before them a dispatch dated Febru ary 20, 1884, from Her Majesty's minister at Washington, inclosing a copy of a note from the Hon. Mr. Frelinghuysen, Secretary of State for the United States, in regard to the application made under the authority of an order in council, of the 13th of June, 1883, by the Canadian Government through Her Majesty's minister at Washington, for permission to land a cable upon the shores of Washington Territory to connect the Canadian Government telegraph system near Victoria, Vancouver's Island, with the telegraph station of the United States Government, or with the Puget Sound, or other company's station, at or near Point Angelos, Washington Territory. The minister of public works, to whom the dispatch and inclosure were referred observes that the Hon. Mr. Frelinghuysen inquires whether the telegraph system in British Columbia is owned by the Government, as, if the line which is the subject of the application made by the Dominion was controlled by private individuals, or by a private corporation, there might be danger that the proposed connections would, if effected, work detrimentally to the business of the Puget Sound Company. The minister further observes that the Hon. Mr. Frelinghuysen, Secretary of State of the United States, states that if his Government can receive from the Dominion Government "assurances that the Puget Sound Company, upon connecting with the Canadian line on the shores of British Columbia, will be afforded equal advantages, privileges and facilities in the transaction of its own proper business and the prompt and regular transmission of its messages with those accorded to or possessed by the managers of the Canadian line in British Columbia, or with those which may be granted to any other connecting cable," the privileges now asked by the Canadian authorities will be at once accorded. The minister states that the telegraph system of British Columbia is owned and controlled by the Government of Canada; that the cable from Victoria to Washington Territory will be laid forthwith, and that should the United States Government, the "Puget Sound," or any other United States company desire to lay a submarine cable from American to Canadian territory, and there connect with the Government telegraph station at, for instance, Victoria, they shall, upon proper application, be free to do so; it being clearly understood, however, that the retransmission and distribution of all messages received through said cable or cables, shall, within Canadian territory, be under the exclusive control and direction of the Canadian authorities; and in like manner, that when the Canadian Government lay a cable between British Columbia and Washington Territory and there connect with the United States Government, the Puget Sound or other company's station at or near Point Angelos, the retransmission and distribution of all messages conveyed by said cable or cables, shall, within American territory, be under the exclusive control and direction of the United States Government, the "Puget Sound," or other telegraph company; it being furthermore understood that both the Canadian and United States authorities shall, within their respective territories, have the option of forwarding all messages to or from British Columbia, either via the Point Angelos or Point Grey cable routes. The committee concur in the report of the minister of public works, and they recommend that your excellency be moved to transmit a copy of this minute, if approved, to Her Majesty's minister at Washington for the information of the honorable the Secretary of State for the United States. JOHN J. MCGEE, Clerk, Privy Council for Canada. No. 26. Mr. Davis to Mr. West. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, SIR: With reference to your note of the 25th of June last, in relation to the application of the Government of Canada to land a cable in Washington Territory, I have the honor to inform you that the Department is awaiting further information in regard to the subject before making a final reply thereto. I have, &c., S. Ex. 51-4 JOHN DAVIS, |