PANAMA CANAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 162, 8 January 1912, Page 5

PANAMA CANAL.

THE "OPEN DOOR " DESIRED. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. London, January 5. There is a rumor that the United States is contemplating an indirect preference on vessels using the Panama Canal. The proposal is exciting controversy. Sir William Hall-Jones, interviewed, declared that the United States could' give compensating bonuses equivalent to the canal dues without infringing the Hay-Pouncefote treaty, and in addition there would be a gain on the mileage. New Zealand vessels using the Panama Canal will save 30 to 40 per cent, on coal and oil as compared with coaling at Monte Video. The American mercantile marine is not strong enough to become a formidable competitor with British ships, and therefore it is not likely the United States will damage the interests of the Canal'by making it unprofitable to its principal potential users. DIFFERENTIAL METHODS. TREATY EVASION TO FAVOR AMERICANS. Commenting on President Taft's recent speech at San Francisco, when turning the first sod of the Canal exposition buildings, an American correspondent .writes:-"Mr. Tuft utilised the occasion, of the ground-breaking for the delivery of an important speech relative to the Canal and the Government's policy in connection with its administration. Chief interest attaches to his announcement' that the Government is in favor of permitting American shipping to pass through the Canal toll-free. The treaty existing between Great Britain and the United States regarding the Canal seems to prohibit preference of this kind to America or any other nation. It is the purpose of the Government to, if necessary, evade this prohibition by refunding, out of the national Treasury, the amount of tolls paid by American shipowners. The president said on this point:— "And in so far as we may, this Government must see to it that the tolls charged in the Canal to American shipping shall be met either bv a reduction or a wiping out of the toll, or if that cannot be done under the treaty then by a contribution from the Treasury of the United States equal to a subsidy, amounting to as much as the tolls will be. For we cannot afford to build this Canada:, whose first object is to double the efficiency of our navy, and second, to ( double the efficiency of the coastwise connection between the east and west coasts of the United Slates, without bearing in mind that everything must be devoted, and every policy mast have in mind, the closer trade union of the West Coast anid the Atlantic Coast.* AN ESTIMATE OF LOSS. It also appeared from President Taft's speech that he does not share the belief of Colonel Goethals, the builder of the Canal, that it can be made to pay interest on the cost of its construction. He said that as soon as the Canal is opened it will be possible to pass through it 50,000,000 ton of merchandise a year, but that "there is no probability we shall begin with' more than 7,000,000 tons yearly." He added: "And we must not expect for years and years that the Canal will pay any adequate income on the 400,000.000 dollars that are really represented in the investment." Mr. Taft's speech was further notable sa containing the best succinct description of the Canal and the method it will be worked by that has yet been put into words. It has the merit of being understandable by reason of its freedom from technical jargon. The description is worth quotation, and here it is: "I want to give -you a short description of what the Canal is. It is fifty miles long, from a point five miles out in Limon Bay, on the Atlantic side M to a point five miles out on the Pacific side. From shore to shore it is forty miles long. From the,point on the north—on the Atlantic side, in the sea, five miles out—there is a channel, protected by a breakwater sOoft. wide, that runs eight miles—five miles in the sea and three miles in the Gatun dam. The Gatun j dam is 7700 ft. long, and 115 ft. high, its supports half a mile thick at the bottom, 400 ft, thick at the water's edge, which is 85ft. above the bottom, and rises to 113 ft. high, with a width of 100 ft at the top. That encloses a lake 135 miles square in surface, and furnishes a channel 1000 ft. wide for 16 miles, 800 ft. wide for four miles, 500 ft. wide for four miles, and until it reaches the Culebra cut. The Culebra cut is nine miles long, and the Canal has a depth across the bottom through that cut of 300 ft. The Canal is | 45ft. deep through the lake as you get to the Gatun dam. THREE DOUBLE SETS OF LOCKS. : "The vessel is raised by three steps of 28y 2 ft. each—three double sets of locks. The vessel is raised to the level of the lake, Soft.; it continues on that level until it reached the end of the Culebra [ cut at Pedro Magill, where it is lowered ! again 30ft. to a small lake, through which there is a mile and a half of a channel 500 ft. wide. Then at Miraflores it is lowered ap'aii two steps ef 28% ft. into a channel 500 ft. wide, that goes out into the Pacific Ocean five miles, and that is protected by a breakwater on that side. A vessel will take three hours to go up the steps and to go down again, and will consume in going through —according to how it steams with its | own steam—from 10 to 12 hours in its passage."

So far as the excavation work is concerned, 79 per cent, of the entire undertaking was completed on September last. President Taft told his hearers in some of the locks as much as §6 per cent, of the concrete work is completed, but in others there is a greater percentage to be performed. If the undertaking is pushed forward at the rate at whicli it is now progressing it will be finished between January 1 and July 1, 1913, Mr. Taft said. This is. materially ahead of schedule time.