Australia - International - Pacific Cable.
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The Pacific Cable linked Canada to Australia and New Zealand via Fanning Island, Fiji and Norfolk Island.

It was completed and opened on 31 October 1902.

The details of any aspect of this cable can be referenced by clicking on the appropriate hyperlink below:

  1. background and developments leading to the construction;
  2. References related to the Pacific Cable especially to the 1888 Report.
  3. issues and problems related to a Pacific Cable;
  4. the big debate - government ownership versus private ownership;
  5. the route finally taken;
  6. financing the cable;
  7. The Pacific Cable Board Australian Offices;
  8. operational aspects after the cable was completed;
  9. the Bondi substitution;
  10. rates charged for cablegrams;
  11. the competition - Via Eastern;
  12. the US to Japan cable;
  13. the take-over by Cable & Wireless.

Few examples of Pacific Cable Board forms or envelopes are recorded. There were no special delivery forms - cables simply used ordinary PMG forms with relevant annotations (or the equivalent in the other countries). The need for forms was dismissed when "In March 1934, the Post Office issued an official circular stating: “Approval has been given for one common routing indicator Via Imperial to be adopted for Cablegrams (in lieu of the existing separate indicators Via Eastern and via Pacific) as from 1 April 1934. The new message forms printed by the Cable Company will show the route Via Imperial only. Stocks of the existing Via Eastern and Via Pacific forms will, however, not be exhausted for some time and these forms may, in the meantime, continue to be presented at Post Office counters”.

Stationery items which are known are:

Transmission form:

IAP-TO-1.

Has PACIFIC CABLE BOARD heading and relevant station name.

Printed in brown on white paper.

 

 TO-1
Delivery envelope:

IAP-EC-1.

Has PCB logo of the map with the cable stretching from Vancouver to Sydney.

 

 IAP-EC-1