Companies Relinquish Lines to Government Shanghai, June 6.
'The submarine cables from Shanghai to North China have been' handled over to the Chinese Autho-tities by _the Great Northern and Eastern Extension Telegraph Companies, which have worked these cables ever since they were laid. In future the cables will be operated by-the Chinese Telegraph Administration.
The cables were laid in 1900 just after the Boxer Rebellion. Prior to the rebellion Peking, Tientsin and other northern points were connected telegraphically with Shanghai by land lines only, but during the revolt the land lines were more or less destroyed, with the result that North China was cut off telegraphically from the rest of China and from the outside world—a state of affairs which was of serious inconvenience lsepecially to the foreign Legations at Peking and to the business communities there and at Tientsin.
In these very critical circumstances the Great Northern and Eastern Extension Telegraph Companies came to the rescue and offered the Chinese Government to re-establish telegra~ phic communication with North China by using all the spare cable they had in stock locally for the purpose of laying a cable from Shanghat to Chefoo and Tientsin (Taku).
Agreements were quickly concluded between the Chinese Telegraph Ad-/ ministration ord the cable companies, and the cables were laid in the Summer and autumn of 1000 These agreements have now expired, and. in accordance with the Chinese Government's wish, the cables have been handed over to the Government to be worked by the Telegraph Administration, Naturally, it is with a certain measure of regret that the Compan {es give up the working of these cables, which have been in their hands for 34 years, it was stated by high representative yesterday. At the same time the Companies feel with satisfaction that during these 4 years they Lave rendered very valuable services to the various Governments, including the Chinese Government, snd to the business communities of Shanghai, Tientsin, Peking and other places in the North of China by providing a first class telegraph service connecting these places. That they have done so, has been acknowledged from many sides, and it is a source of great gratifeation to the: Companies that, particularly during the last few days, they have received many pressions of satisfaction with the service they have provided.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.