[1] Aged seventeen he joined Bird and Co, a merchant house which had interests in many different areas of commerce, especially labour contracting (in which it had started), coal and jute.
[6] In 1917 Bird acquired a controlling interest in F. W. Heilgers and Co, another Calcutta merchant house, creating by far the largest company in India, employing 100,000 people.
In 1903, Cable was elected president of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce[8] and from then sat in the Imperial Legislative Council, headed by the Viceroy of India.
[1] He was nominated Sheriff of Calcutta in 1905 and during his tenure was knighted when George, Prince of Wales and his wife Mary of Teck visited the city in the following year.
[15] His eldest daughter, Noorouz Weston Cable, married firstly Major Sir Lionel Cecil William Alexander, 6th Baronet, and secondly Michael Buller.