THE CENTRAL AMERICAN CANAL

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 30 November 1901, Page 4

THE CENTRAL AMERICAN CANAL

Has the Nicaraguan Canal been recommended by the American Commission with the object of bringing the Panama Canal Company to terms ? That i 3 what the French newspapers are suggesting, and a certain degree of support is given to the by the statement from Washington that Americans generally favor the Panama Canal. Yet it seems hardly lkely that the costly Commits on would take this means of influencing the Panama Company, or that the Company would, by making an unreasonable off r in the final days of the Commission, run the risk of losing practically its all. For if the Nicaraguan route is finally decided upon, the property of tho Panama Canal Company will henceforth be worth nothing, as it is improbable that there will be two canals across the Isthmus. The final question was whether the Company would an offer to tbe United States, which would make it more advantageous to adopt the Panama route. It has been stated that it would cost considerably more to build a large ship canal by way rf Lake Nicaragua than to complete the lanama Canal.

Tne work the Panama Company has nono has been estimated at an actual va!uo of absui .£8,939,000. Yet tho total amount squandered, and otherwise expanded on the uncompleted canal is estimated at over fif<y-two mil ion pounds Vario'm tentative. offers to the United States have been made. One was that the United States should take over the property, after reinbursing iho new aid old companies for all tho monoy that had bden expended. Another was that the United Sta'es should go into partnership, so to speak, with the Panama Canal Company. These offer were emphatically rejected, and their nonacceptance should have made the Company very careful in making to the Commission what may prove to bo (he last offer that will be considered. It is very possible that the Company, over encouraged by tho preliminary report of (he Commissi* that the Painrna Home was quite as feasiblo as the Nicaraguan, has bson tempted to again ask too much.