PANAMA CANAL EXPEDITED.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 138, 2 December 1911, Page 9 (Supplement)

PANAMA CANAL EXPEDITED.

PRESIDENT TAFT'S SECRET. EFFECT ON BRITISH SHIPPING. London, October 21. President Taft took the public into his confidence this week when ho announced that the first ship would sail through the Panama Canal in July, 1913. Up to now, .Kmnary, 1015. has been the generally accepted date of the opening, and while some British shippers may consid'er that the American President is taking a sanguine view, the majority of shipping firms accept the accuracy of the 'forecast. The hastening of the date of the completion of such a stupendous engineering work is a remarkable achievement which must be placed to the credit of the States The opening of the great waterway wil have a marked effect- on the shipping trade of the world, and New Zealand in particular will be affected. Sea distances will be considerably reduced. From New York to all American ports north of Panama it will effect a uniform reduction of 841") miles, and to such ports south of Panama an average reduction of about 5000 miles. The corresponding reductions from Liverpool are 0040, and about 2(100 miles. The reductions from Antwerp arc about the same as from Liverpool. Between New York and Yokoham by way of San Francisco, the reduction is l! 72!) mile-;. The distance between Liverpool and Yokohama remains unchanged, as does the distance from European to'all Asiatic ports -except those in the nor!h of Siberia. Thus Yokohama is actually brought nearer to New York than Liverpool by 1805 miles. Shanghai is brought 1029 miles nearer to New lork, lmt remains 295 nearer to Liverpool. The ports of southern China and Indo-Cliina are nearer by wax' of Suez than by way of Panama from New York and Mniiilia is only 10 miles nearer by way of Panama, 'if, indeed, the allAmerican- route be followed,, via Honolulu and fl nam, the distance via Panama is 128 miles greater. Sydney, however, ■njll be brought 3800 miles nearer to New York, the distance between them being thus 2382 miles less than between Sydney and Liverpool. Wellington (New Zealand) will be brought 2542 miles nearer to New York, the distance between the-m being thus 2750 miles less than between Wellington and Liverpool. The reductions of distance from New Orleans are .somewhat greater than from New York.

An important aspect of the question is the strategic one. Unlike -the Suez Canal, which has been neutralised, the protection of the Panama Canal will be undertaken by the United States, and- thereiviJl be a necessity for watchfulness oil the part of Great Britain which has such snipping interests to conserve. The opening of the canal will also have a t A mp ?!' tailt I)GiU ' in g 0" the prosperity of the West Indies, and the position of •Jamaica is favorable for increased trade, the position of Jamaica will certainly be rendered: more important from a strategic point of view once the Panama Canal is opened. Its capital, Kingston, with its line harbor, should become a large centre of commerce and shipping, and possibly ships going through the canal would call ilt .p, tllel ' l of tlle West Indian islands. Hie British shipping companies quite recognise that, new plans will have to be formulated and routes altered The Suez Canal was completed in ten rears and cost ten millions. The Panama < anal, which was taken in hand In America m 11104, will probably cost eHit times that amount, four-fifths of "its total length of 50 miles being through hilly country. The expediting of the work foreshadowed by President Taft is reiidcred the more easy of credence by the fact that the amount of excavation up to July 1 last was U2.ft(J7.554 cubic yards, leaving thirty-nine and a-lialf million cubic yards to be excavated, or less than one-fourth of the entire amount. One of tin, most remarkable results of the work undertaken hv the United States Government has been the vast improvement in the health of the canal zone, whence yellow fever has been practically abolished bv the sanitarv means adopted.