PANAMA CANAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 77, 17 August 1912, Page 5

PANAMA CANAL.

SATISFACTORY SETTLEMENT POSSIBLE. By Cable —Press Association—Copyright. Washington, August 15. Protracted conferences between the House of Representatives and the Senate on the Panama Canal Bill resulted in the following agreement: A free passage for all American ships engaged in the coastwise trade, no tariff on foreign shipbuilding materials for use in the United States, trust-owned ships prohibited from using the canal, railways owning lines competing with the waterway to be prohibited from operating through the Canal, an American registry to be drawn up for Americanowned foreign-built ships engaged exclusively in the foreign trade. The conference dropped the Senate's alternative of giving free passage to American «hips engaged in the foreign trade. The conference considered this provision a direct violation of the treaty with Britain. Political circles consider Britain may object to the proposed prohibition of railroad-owned ships using the Canal, in consequence of the effect on the traffic through the Canal: on the other hand the general belief prevails that no further protest will be made on Britain's behalf, in consequence of the abandonment of discrimination against British ships.