THE PANAMA CANAL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 431, 17 January 1912, Page 3

THE PANAMA CANAL.

The United States Government is being pressed to make known its in tentions in regard to the collection of dues in the Panama Canal, but pro bably it has not yet made up its mind on the subject. The rumour that has been mentioned by Sir William HallJones in London seems to have no better foundation than several other stories that have found their way into the American newspapers. The canal has proved an enormously costly work and naturally the authorities at Washington would like to secure some adequate return, either directly in the form of revenue or indirectly by the development of their own mercantile marine, which has ceased to be a serious factor in tha world's commerce. The HayPaunceforte'treatyj provides that tha ships of all nations shall use the canal on equal terms, though it would be quite possible, as the High Commissioner says, for the Americans to give their own ships compensating bonuses equal to the amount of the dues and so evade the intentions of the treaty. Shipowners in New York and San Francisco find this suggestion very attractive, but it is doubtful if such a policy would commend itself to the authorities in Washington. The existing shipping laws give the Americans a secure monopoly of their own coastal carrying trade by providing that foreign ships may not. convey cargo between ports of the United States, and a scheme that penalised British and German ships in comparison with American vessels in the ordinary branches of sea trade would simply provoke retaliatory measure. The shipowners of the United States would not be permitted to capture the Anglo-Australian trade for example, by availing themselves of preferential treatment in the Panama Canal. Probably the Americans will decide in the end to fix a uniform rate, similar to that charged for the use of the Suez Canal, and to depend on other factors for the regeneration of their mercantile marine. They could very fairly charge a consideable portion of the cost of their great engineering work to the enhancement o? the national prestige and the perpetuation of the treasure,! Monroe doctrine.