The amount of submarine cables in all parts of the world is about 200,000 miles. Of this amount about 27,500 miles are owned and controlled by governments; the remainder is owned and operated by private companies. In all there are about 1,000 submarine cables of length in different parts of the globe.
While, as stated, the telegraph systems of the United States and Canada are mainly operated by private companies, the govern ments of both of these countries have con structed and laid for their own purposes many miles of overhead lines and submarine cables. Thus the United States government has con structed its own telegraph lines and cables in Alaska and the Philippines. The Alaskan lines extend from Seattle, Wash., to Nome, Alaska, a distance of 3,625 miles, including 1,439 miles of land lines, 2,079 miles of sub marine cable and a wireless circuits of 107 miles in length. The government handles private commercial messages on these lines at a regu lar fixed charge. The Canadian government owns and operates about 3,900 miles of land lines and cables. The bulletins giving the movements of fish in the waters of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and other shore lines, to gether with messages relating to weather, quar antine and signal service, are transmitted free of charge.
Administration of the Telegraph.— The administration of the telegraph is to-day in the hands of the government in all parts of the world. The actual management of the tele graph systems of the various countries of 'the world is, of course, in the hands of the proper authorities of those countries, but, in general, the disposition of all matters that relate to the regulation of international telegraph traffic, such, for instance, as the maximum number of letters that shall constitute a word, the alphabet to be used, etc., is reposed in the hands of the International Bureau of Telegraph Adminis trations, Berne, Switzerland: In fact, however, even the United States and Canada incidentally come under the control of this bureau in so far as relates to the intercommunication of tele grams with countries under the jurisdiction of the bureau. Thus if the bureau decides that the maximum number of letters in a word for telegraph purposes shall be 10, the countries mentioned must perforce comply with that reg ulation as regards telegrams that may be des tined for or that may emanate from territory wholly within the jurisdiction of the interna tional bureau.