PANAMA CANAL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 18 July 1929, Page 6

PANAMA CANAL

A RICH TRADE ROUTE INCREASE IN TONNAGE 'Tim I’anairi.i C.uml, tint short. c|i,'. to Oa'ii.iy '.vlni.'li Gulimib ' R.dho.i, other e.i.riy explorer.-, sought |;T 11 f.1i1.'.l ',ll fill'l ■bl'l'a'.l.il" II W .IS col. I here- is now rxcoeiling the vision which wraith between Europe and I lie Ol'ielil. liv providing a wav for a far grealer com inert r between Europe anil Hie I ;i----eilie i.'oasl of America. According lo statistical reports from the canal zone, an epic of model'll progress is being unfolded in the rapidly glowing volume of business moving directly from Hie 1 ’acilie coast, to Europe. Comparative totals of bo.li cast and west-hound trade between Canada and Europe through the canal show a gain of 2,215,000 tons from 1924 to 1928: and similarly between the .United States and Europe, a gain of 605.000 tons. Unhampered by rail transhipments after hauls across the emit incut, commerce is now seen In he moving from Pacific ports to Europe and i*ie Continent in substantially growing volume, and whole fleets of new vessels are being added to the service. Other Powers, ever alert to the promotion of new trade routes, are adding ships. The Hamluirg-Americaii, French. North German Lloyd, and lines of Swedish, British, Italian and other (lags are developing the route lyNot only litis it proved a lucrative business in the carrying of fresh and dried I’m its. grain, apples and other products of the Pacific Coast to Europe, but it lias proved a fertile field for passenger business. While the first ships placed in tiie trade were intended solely as cargo carriers. the demand for passenger accommodations has resulted in the building of several new motor ships, equipped with a sufficient mi in her of staterooms to handle the passengers seeking a direct route from California to Europe. In addition to the Californian products, the wheat of Western Canada is finding its outlet to Europe through Vancouver to a rapidly-growing extent. From a s far inland as Alberta, 800 miles cast and over the Rocky Mountains, the wheal moves westward to Vancouver, there to he placed in elevators awaiting Europe-bound ships, and the factor ol rates, which are cheaper by this combination route from Western Alberta than would be it straight rail haul east to Montreal, compensates for the somewhat longer transit time. •So substantial in volume lias this traffic, become that the cargo tonnage between the West Coast of Canada and Europe now ranks second in all the Panama Canal routes, exceeded only by life United States inter-coastal. It"even exceeds the business between the West Const of the United Slates and Europe, while if those two are lumped, the result is equal to 20 per cent, of the total business of the Fanaina Canal annually. The American line in the lastgrowing Pacific-European trade is the Dollar Line, whose ships in their regular round-the-world voyages operate west-bound. The increase iri tonnage between the two widely-separated sections—California and British Columbia and Europe—has been so great that in 1928 it was equal to 69 per cent, of the United States inter-coastal traffic. the short cut to Cal ha v, even though a man-made one, has proved a potent factor in developing mtcrnalioiiril tr«‘i<u\ although North America, interveiiiiig between Europe and the’Far East, has proved a better customer and trader than the Oriental merchants whom Columbus and the carlv explorers sought, to bring nearer in point of time to Genoa and Venice.