Vol. 7, No. 10 BALflOA HEIGHTS, tANAL ZONE, MAY 3, 1957 5 cents

^ Gift ofthe Panama CanalMuseum
Protracted drought and heavy lockages were a drain on Canal Zone water supply

but there was still plenty of water for young Isthmians, and older ones, as well. Zone Use Of Water Soars

As Lockages Set Records

Paucity and plenty have hit the Canal Zone simultaneously within the past few- weeks, to result in a situation unparalleled in local history for the past decade. The paucity was water, brought about by the driest dry season since 1948 and

the tremendous amount of water con- sumed by an unprecedented number of lockages through the Panama Canal. The plenty was ships, which totaled more in March than in any previous month since the Canal was opened to commerce.

Ordinarily water in the Canal Zone

is used to generate electricity as well as to float ships from ocean to ocean. When water is scarce, lockages have

first call. So when rainfall continued to be practically nonexistent and daily lockages averaged 24.5, the stand-by Diesel electric power plants at Cocoli and Miraflores were called on to assume a portion of the Canal Zone's electric power generation. Much more water is used to lock one

ship through the Panama Canal than is used in one day for municipal purposes

in the entire Canal Zone plus the cities of Panama and Colon. The use of the

Diesel stations for the past few weeks has saved an average of 592,416,000 gallons each day- -enough to lock 11 ships from

sea level to sea level, or enough to supply

the needs of the Canal Zone towns and Panama terminal cities for almost 12 days.

J. Hartley Smith, who heads the Electrical Division, and W. H. Esslinger, the Panama Canal Company's Chief Hydrographer, explained what has happened in the last few weeks, this way:

WTien there is plenty of water, electric power is generated by the Gatun and Madden Dam hydroelectric stations. Water, on the old mill-wheel principle, flows through great turbines which turn

the generators to make electric power.

Branch chiefs L. B. Sartain, left, and J. with their boss. Designing Engineer J. M.

cycle Design Branch and Mr. Hammond

Once through the turbines, the water is spilled. Since water passing through the Madden Hydroelectric station goes into the Chagres River and then to Gatun

Lake, where it can be used to lock ships through the Canal, the water used

there was not lost. But at Gatun the water which generates electric power

is spilled to sea and is of no further use. During the rainy season and during a normal dry season there is rainfall enough

to supply the water consumed from Madden and Gatun Lakes for power generation. This year, however, the area above Madden Dam was the driest since the Dam was built during the mid-1930's. March and the first two weeks of April were practically rainless, except for a few

scattered showers. Of 13 rainfall stations

reporting, nine received no measui'able

rain in March.

This meant that the amount left over

for electric generation, after the record number of ships had been locked up and

down, was lower than at any time since 1948 when there was also a protracted dry season, but without this year's heavy

lockage load. The only answer to the water problem was to stop hydroelectric generation where large amounts of water are used; that meant that the Gatun plant would

practically stop its operations. For several weeks it has generated only a little 60-cycle power during the daytime hours

and, for the first time in its history, has

not operated between 10 p. m. and 6 a. m. The difference in the electric power needs

has been supplied by the Diesel generators a so-called "standby" system which

has been in existence many years. Although the water shortage has been acute from the point of view of power generation and lockages it has

not been necessary to tell Zonians to stop watering their lawns and cut down on their shower baths. Municipal use of water is, almost literally, a drop in the bucket compared to the water used for lockages and power generation.

R. Hammond, Jr., go over some work

Cooke. Mr. Sartain heads the new 60-

Is Electrical-Mechanical Branch chief.

ON THE COVER

Midshipmen from the Spanish training

ship, "Juan Sebastian de Elcano," lined the rigging (or this month's cover picture as the four-master moved up through Miraflores Locks. The training ship was en

route from San Diego to Jacksonville

v^hen she transited the Canal April 14. Her inbound trip was marked by the res- cue of the crew of the British freighter "Hoperange" which caught fire at sea, about 16 miles from the Pacific end of the Canal. The picture was set up for photographer C. S. LaClair by the train- ing ship's master. Commander Don Jose Ramon Gonzalez Lopez. THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 3, 1957
Ad Hoc Committee Makes

Of Capacity Problems Of

An initial rovic'w of the t-apacity problem of the Panama Canal was

completed last month by the Ad Hoc -

or, special- Committee appointed re- cently by the authority of the Panama

Canal Company Board of Directors. At the conclusion of its meetings

here, the Committee instructed the Working Committee on Canal Capacity, headed by Lt. Gov. H. W. Schull,

Jr., to proceed with the preparation

of a program aimed at eliminating delays to the Canal's continually in- creasing traffic. The program will be considered by the Budget and Finance Committee of the Board of Directors at its regular meeting in the Canal Zone

the end of June and by the full Board at its July meeting.

Generally, the program will consider improvements which may be needed

during the next decade to provide for

efficient and safe transits. The Ad Hoc Committee is a special group whose duties are to determine

the adequacy of the Panama Canal to

Initial Review,

Panama Canal

qq, 1 - 0.0 -(3

handle the increasing volume of traffic and to recommend any improve- ments that may be necessary to meet

capacity requirements. This committee is headed by Governor Potter, and has as its members

Maj. Gen. Julien L. Schley, former Governor of the Canal Zone and one- time Chief of the Corps of Engineers, and Ralph L. Tudor, consulting engi- neer from San Francisco. Both General Schley and Mr. Tudor are members of the Canal Company's Board

of Directors. The three-man committee spent

three days of April in meetings here, most of their sessions being held jointly with the local Working Committee. They reviewed previous Canal im- provement plans, using as part of this study the sea-level and third-lock models at Diablo Heights. They also considered such special problems as water supply and flood control, cost estimates, and funding

procedures. Part of one day was

spent at the Pacific Locks, discuss- ing the overhaul scheduled for these

locks during the early part of the coming calendar year. Prior to the April meetings, the

local Working Committee had pre- pared a mass of information, including a projection of traffic for the next 25

years; an analysis of the expected

traffic by types and numbers; and a

forecast of the number—which is steadily increasing -of ships which

require clear-Cut transits. Clear-Cut

ships are those, like super tankers, which are so large or unwieldy or carry such hazardous cargo that they

are not permitted to meet or pass

other ships in Gaillard Cut. All clear- Cut ships must have daylight transit. The movements of the commodities

which make up 75 percent of the cargo

passing through the Canal were studied for their past, present, and ex- pected performance. Officers of over two dozen shipping companies, banks,

industries, and foreign trade associa- tions were questioned to obtain this information and their reports correlated with past Canal movements. Members of the Ad Hoc Committee look over the situation at Pedro Miguel Locks. Committee members are Ralph

A.Tudor, inthedarksuit, Maj. Gen. Julien Schley, wearing a hat, and Governor Poster. The group met here last month, ^M^

May 18 Is Moving Day For Commissary Headquarters

The transfer of the General Manager's

Office of the Commissary Division to the

Pacific side is scheduled, as this issue of The Review goes to press, for May 18. The transfer is the last of the major moves for the current fiscal year and will complete the adjustment of supply functions to the reduced volume resulting from implementation of the 1955 Treaty. The change will involve the physical move of 22 U. S. and 15 local-rate employees. They will become Pacific siders gradually, as quarters become available. Previous moves in the consolidation of supply functions include the transfer of Wholesale Shoes and its merger with the

retail section at Balboa, completed last

November 13; the merger of Wholesale Housewares with the Balboa retail house- wares section on February 17; and the

transfer of Mount Hope cold storage warehousing operations to Balboa, effect- ive March 8. The move of the Commissary office to Balboa will make possible a merger of the administrative, budget and fiscal, and

procurement operations of the Commissaries, Storehouses, and the Service Centers into one closely integrated operation. The entire lower floor of Building 28,

the former Mechanical Division office building now occupied by the Storehouse

Division, is being prepared for the consolidated office. Integration of the office functions of the three supply activities will result in reduction of force for approximately 20

U. S.-rate and 16 local-rate employees of the combined operation. Vacancies in other Company activities have made it possible for most of those receiving re- duction-in-force notices to be offered other employment.

May 3,1957 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW
Price Indexes

What They Are

What They Mean

Residents of the Canal Zone, especially those who handle the expenditures of their households, now have two statistical measures by which they can compare

price changes in the Canal Zone and can

also compare Canal Zone costs with aver- age costs in the United States. Last month The Review reported that

these statistical measures, known as price indexes, were being prepared. They have now been completed and will be issued monthly.

This "month The Review tells its readers exactly what these indexes are and how they were prepared and presents the

list of 225 items on which the time-to-time index is based. Two price inde.xes ha\^e been prepared by the Executive Planning Staff of the

Office of the Governor-President.

Relative Item importance ALL ITEMS $100.00 FOOD 36.06 Cereals and bakery products 3.70

Cereals: 1.23 Flour, wheat .29 Biscuit mix .23 Corn flakes .23 Rolled oats .09 Corn meal .05 Rice .34 Bakery products: 2.47 Bread, white 1.66 Soda crackers .33

X'anilla cookies .48 Meats, poultry, and fish 6.58

Beef: 2.07 Round steak .90 Rib roast .17 Chuck roast .51 Hamburger .49

X'eal cutlets .10 Pork: 1.67 Pork chops .45 Smoked ham .70 Bacon .52 Lamb, leg .23 Other meats: .95 Frankfurters .66 Canned luncheon meat .29 Poultry—frying chickens dressed and ready-to-cook 1.04 Fish and seafood: .52 Fresh and frozen fin fish .24 Canned salmon. .10 Canned tuna fish .18 Dairy Products: 5.65 Butter .53 Cheese, .American process .54 Milk, fresh (grocery) 2.69 Milk, evaporated 1.33 Ice cream .56 Fruits and vegetables: 5.56 Fresh fruit: 1.13 Oranges .10 Lemons .01

This is the average Canal Family of (our persons. One measures price changes in Panama

Canal Commissaries, Service Centers, and

sernce units and is informally known as a time-to-time index. More formally, it is referred to as the "Canal Zone Consumer

Price Index." The second index, which is for food

prices only, compares prices in the Canal Zone with those compiled monthly by the Department of Labor for food prices in 46 cities and towns in the United States. This index is known as a place-to-place index and is referred to in formal reports

as the "Comparative Food Price Index." Consumer Price Index The time-to-time, or Consumer Price Index, records the average change in the

prices of goods and services purchased by

employees of the Company-Government

organization from the Company-Govern- ment Commissaries, Service Centers, and

other units which supply such services as medical care, housing, utilities, and auto- mobile repairs.

It is simply a measure of price changes.

It does not reflect the changes in the price

of goods or services procured from other

sources. The amount which Joe Zonian

spends in the commissaries for food will be included in this index; so will the rent which is deducted from his paycheck. But the cost of any vegetables which

Mrs. Zonian buys from a Chinese garden

or the amount the family spends for mo\ie tickets at a Panama theater will not appear in this index. Items Priced for the Modified Consumer Price

Fruits and vegetables—Cont. Nonalcoholic beverages: 1.52 Grapefruit .03 Apples .27 Bananas 14 Peaches -42 Grapes 13 Strawberries 01 Watermelons .02 Fresh vegetables: 1.62 Potatoes 44 Sweet potatoes .01 Green beans .01 Cabbage -06 Carrots .12 Onions .10 Tomatoes -33 Celery 16 Lettuce -39 Canned fruit: -85 Orange juice, canned .39 Peaches, canned -21 Pineapple, sliced, canned .13 Fruit cocktail, canned .12 Canned vegetables: 115

Corn, canned -23 Peas, canned -30 Tomatoes, canned .35 Strained baby food .27 Frozen fruits: 30 Orange juice, concentrate, froz._ .24 Strawberries, frozen .06 Frozen vegetables : .33 Peas, frozen .20 Green beans, frozen .13 Dried fruits and vegetables: .18 Dried prunes 07 Navy beans - 11 Other food bought, to be pre- pared at home 8.01 Partially prepared foods: 81 Tomato soup -- -40 Beans with pork -41 Condiments and sauces: -91 Sweet gherkins - - ^'' Tomato catsup .

-58

Coffee 1-06 Tea .13 Cola drinks -ii Fats and oils: -84 Margarine -16 Lard -15 X'egetable shortening -22 Salad dressing .l?i Peanut butter .08 Sugar and sweets: 2-12 Sugar, white -52 Corn syrup .14 Grape jelly .14 Chocolate bar 1.32 Eggs 1.20 Miscellaneous foods: Flavored gelatin dessert .61 Food away from home 6.56 Restaurant meals: Luncheons 6.56 HOUSING 33.93 Residential rents 20.50 Electricity 3.17 House furnishings 10.26 Textile furnishings: Sheets Blankets

Bedspreads, cotton Towels

Tablecloths, cotton Drapery fabrics, cotton

Curtains, cotton and rayon.

Floor coverings: Rugs, cotton, scatter Furniture: Bedsprings, coil .Mattresses, innerspring construction Major household appliances:

Refrigerators, electric Vacuum cleaners, electric- _ Small household appliances: _ Toasters, electric

.73

.22 -09

-04 .14 .08

.12 .04

.05

.05 .80

.27

.53 .94

.77

.17 .89 .89 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 3, 1957
Specifically, the index figure for a given

date shows the pereent change in the average cost of a list of goods and services

in comparison to the base period of the index which is the calendar year 1956. This base period is always equal to 100.0. In April 1957, the index number of the Consumer Price Index was 101.3. This means that these goods and services cost

1.3 percent more than they did in 1956. The base period 100.0 provides a uniform reference point. The percent change measures the difference between

one time and another in average prices

for the same quantities of goods and services of the same qualities. The time-to-time index is figured on

the prices of 225 different goods and

services. These 225 items make up a "market basket" which is the pattern of consumer purchases. The market basket

is based on detailed information as to the

kinds, qualities, and quantities of goods and services bought by the employees and how much they spent for them. It is a more comprehensive "market basket'' than that used here for the past few years. Comparative Food Price Index

This index, the second of the two, measures only the difference between retail food prices in the Panama Canal Company Commissaries and the average

prices for comparable items in the United

States. Quantity and quality is fixed. The

Canal Zone price of a can of tomatoes is not compared with the U. S. price of merely another can of tomatoes; it is compared with the price of a can of tomatoes of comparable size and quality. Like the Consumer Price Index, the Comparative Food Price Index is ex- pressed in percentage terms which indi- cate how much more or less it costs to buy the equivalent list of food items in

INDEX NUMBER

(1956 = 100)

COMPARISON OF THE MOVEMENT OF

CONSUMER PRICES ON CANAL ZONE

AND IN UNITED STATES

100.

98.

97.0

96.0

This shows comparative movements of consumer prices in the C. Z. and in the U.S. The heavy line is food price movements, the light line movement of all items.*

the United States than in the Panama

Canal Company Commissaries. For example: The February 15, 1957 Comparative Food Price Index was 95. S. Since the United States is the base and is, therefore, always 100.0, the typical food

market basket purchased by the average Index, and their Relative Importance.

Relative Item importance House furnishings—Cent. Housewares: 1..^5 Dinnerware, 53-piece set .20 Saucepans, aluminum .74 Brooms .41 Miscellaneous: 1.19 Toilet tissue 1.01 Electric light bulbs .18 Household operation: 4.31 Laundry soap and detergents 1.59 Dry cleaning .46 Laundry services .30 Telephone rates 1.17 Postage .71 Ice .08 APPAREL 8.94 Men's and boys' apparel: 1.89 Men 's apparel : 1.30 Suits .15 Slacks .37 Shirts .40 Shorts, cotton .11 L'ndershirts, knit .07 Pajamas .02 Socks .04 Hats, straw .02 Handkerchiefs .04 Belts .02 Ties .06 Boys' apparel: .59 Jackets, rayon .06 Slacks .10 Dungarees, blue jeans .19 Shirts, sport, woven .12 Undershirts, knit .04 Miscellaneous: .08 Pajamas .02 Socks . .03 Trunks, swim .03 Women's and girls' apparel 4.17 Women's apparel 3.55 Coats .10 Dresses .88

Skirts Blouses, rayon

Slacks and shorts Sweaters, wool

Slips_ Panties, rayon

Girdles

Brassieres Nightgowns, rayon and cotton

Stockings, nylon

Gloves, cotton and leather Handbags, fabric Miscellaneous:

Belts and billfolds Handkerchiefs and scarves

I'nibrellas

Girls' apparel: Coats

Dresses, cotton

Skirts, cotton

Sweaters, cardigan, wool

.An klets Pedal pushers

Blouses

Slips and panties Raincoats Footwear:

Men's: Oxfords Work shoes Women's:

Oxfords and pumps, street Play shoes

Children's oxfords Other apparel:

Diapers Yard goods: Cotton Rayon

Miscellaneous TRANSPORTATION .. .\utomobile

Tires Gasoline Motor oil License fee

.23

.25

.07 .10

.37

.16

.11 .50 .08

.19

.04

.15

.32 .14

.13

.05

.62

.01 .26

.01

.01 .04

.02

.07 .09

.11 1.86

.71 .47 .24

.63

.45

.18

.52 1.02

.24 .50

.39

.11 .28 7.69

4.84

1.32 3.08

.17

employee would have cost him 4.2 less in the Canal Zone than it would have

cost him had he done his buying in the United States. The comparison is based on a market

basket of 80 separate food items. They

were selected to assiu-e (See paye 19)

Freight rate 2.85 MEDICAL CARE 3.28

Ph\sician: .56

Office visit .25 Home visit .25 Obstetrical care .06 Surgeon: .Appendectomy .32 Specialist: Tonsillectomy .17 Dentist: .25 Filling .20 Extraction -^-. .05 Optometrist: Eyeglasses, complete .22 Hospital rates: .41 Men's pay ward .13 Private room a ...28 Prescriptions and drugs 1'.35 Prescriptions, narcotic .16 Prescriptions, non-narcotic .32 Penicillin tablets .13 Multiple vitamin concentrates _ .33 Asoirin .31 Milk of magnesia .10 PERSONAL CARE 2.21

Toilet soap .38 Cleansing tissue .25 Toothpaste .38 Shampoo, liquid .20 Shaving cream .11 Home permanent refill .07 Face powder .23 Face cream . - .23 Razor blades .25 Sanitary napkins - .11 READING AND RECREATION 5.25 Radio, t ible model — .- .33 Motio.i picture admissions; 1.96 Adult 1.57 Child - - .39 Toys 1.71 Magazines 1.25 OTHER GOODS AND SERVICES 2.64

Cigarettes 1.43 Cigars .25 Beer .96 May 3,1957 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW
FOR YOUR INTEREST AND GUIDANCE IN^ACCIDENT PREVENTION

Showing Off Can And Does Cause Accidents

Te<ic(i your fyaSjfe Bike HjWfs./ HONOR ROLL

Bureau Award For BEST RECORD

MARCH

ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION BUREAU HEALTH BUREAU

CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR

Civil Affairs 2 Health 2 Engineering and Construction 1 Marine 1 Supply and Employee Service 1 Transportation and Terminals

Division Award For NO DISABLING INJURIES MARCH

COMMISSARY AND SERVICE CENTER

DIVISION TERMINALS DIVISION HOSPITALS AND CLINICS MAINTENANCE DIVISION HOUSING AND GROUNDS DIVISION DREDGING DIVISION INDUSTRIAL DIVISION ELECTRICAL DIVISION MOTOR TRANSPORTATION DIVISION POLICE DIVISION

FIRE DIVISION AIDS TO NAVIGATION

SANITATION DIVISION AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR

Aids to Navigation -.. _ 3 Electrical . . _ _ 3 Fire 3 Housing and Grounds 3 Industrial... 3 Motor Transportation 3 Sanitation. 3 Commissary and Service Center 2 Dredging 2 Hospitals and Clinics 2 Locks 2 Maintenance 2 Police 2 Railroad 2 Storehouses 2 Navigation 1 Terminals 1

Kids like to show off. It is part of growing up, but when you are old enough

to drive a car you are no longer a kid. Most parents thought it was cute when

you were a kid, learning to ride a bicycle and rode by shouting: "Mom look, no

hands!" ^\1lat parent would now think

it cute for you to show off from behind

the wheel of a car like that on a busy

street or at 80 miles per hour on a country road? No! Kid stuff is not cute. You must now take your place among

the sober and thoughtful drivers. Failure

to do so is almost sure death. Such a sober and thoughtful driver does not cut

in and out of traffic just to get some place

in a hurry to loaf. He does not express

his opinion of slowpokes in the line by

honking his horn, or show he is a better

driver by fast driving. He never tries to bull his way through heavy traffic or run a pedestrian down. He gives the other fellow a break by

watching out for his mistakes, not by

yelling "loco" at him. He always tries to obey the traffic rules even if he does

think they are stupid, and some can be, such as 5- and 10-mile-an-hour traffic zones, because indifferent parents allow

their children to play in the streets, or where a town has extended its boundaries and its 25-mile-per-hour speed limit far out into the country. This kind of traffic regulation induces disregard and con- tempt in the "show off" for all traffic regulations, which are intended for their guidance. In this day and age, with its mounting

traffic casualties, a prudent and safetyminded parent, who is also a motorist, teaches his children the dangers con- nected with streets and that they are no

place in which to play. Also, to preserve

the lives of himself and family he shows

his skill as a motorist by driving carefully, with consideration, and with courtesy of the road for others at all time, no matter how much his patience is tried. He tries his best always not to become a 1957 traffic accident statistic.

SAFE BETS

cuiiuwIm.

/HEN VOU TAKE THAT TRIFJ FOR PITY'S SAKE

GIVE VOUPCELF ^

A C?ECENT BRAKE .r

FREQUENCY RATE—Disabling injuries per 1,600,000 employeeSi hours worked. MARCH 1957 BUREAU

Engineering and Construclion Bureau

Health Bureau

Civil Affairs Bureau

Supply and Employee Service Bureau

Transporlalion and Terminals Bureau

C. Z. Govt. -Panama Canal Co. iThis Month)

Marine Bureau

Number of Disabling Injuries 8 LEGEND

I Frequency Rale this month

\i<-'i'.'.\\\','-l Accumulative Frequency Rale this Calendar Year

I 1 1954-1955-1956 Calendar Year Average

5 10 15

Employee-hours worked 2,179,323

THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 3, 1957
OF CURRENT AND FUTURE INTEREST

A new traffic control system will be in- stalled before long on the Tivoli Avenue-J

Street corner near the former Ancon Post

Office, a comer which has been called the worst traffic trouble-spot on the Pacific

side. Specifications for the work are now being prepared by the Engineering Division and

bids probably will be solicited sometime

during May.

The plans being drawn up include the

installation of traffic lights on all four cor- ners of the intersection, the widening of Fourth of July Avenue from J to H Streets, the construction of three concrete refugeislands, and the installation of new street

lighting.

Dirt —3,085 cubic yards of it —was delivered during the dry season by the Housing and Grounds Division to occupants of 897 houses in U. S. and Latin American

communities on both sides of the Isthmus. The deli\eries were made free of charge in response to advance orders made by Canal Zone residents who had made plans for im- proving their gardens before the rains begin

this month. Housing and Grounds officials reported

that all advance orders were filled, and that plans have been made to repeat the top soil delivery service next year.

The annual Inter-Scholastic Swim Meets

of the Canal Zone schools will be held during the month of May. Competing will be

the swim teams of the Balboa and Cristobal high schools and the Canal Zone Junior

College. A meet was to be held yesterday at the Balboa Swimming Pool, and others are to be held Friday, May lo, at the Gatun Swimming Pool and Friday, May 17, at the Fort Gulick Swimming Pool.

A. E. Osborne, Supervisor of Instruction

in the Latin American elementary schools, spent four weeks in late March and April on a vacation trip to the United States. After visiting in New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago, Mr. Osborne returned

to the Isthmus for the opening of the Latin American schools the first of May.

Under the supervision of Coach Paul Moser, Physical Education Teacher, special gymnastic exhibitions were given on May i, in observance of Child Health Day, at the

Atlantic side elementary schools.

Want to make a phone call to the United

States or find the address of an old schoolfriend who lives somewhere in San Francisco? The Canal Zone Main Library's ref- erence section can furnish all the answers

as part of its regular library ser\'ice. The library, which keeps a selection of telephone directories of the major cities in

. ^Sp^ .g<d'a«-JL.

Official Pinama Caaal Company Publlcalion Published Monlhl; At Balboa Heights, C. I. Printed by the Printing Plant, Mount Hope, Canal Zone

\V. E. Potter, Governor-President H. W. ScHULL, Jr., Lieutenant Governor

\V. G. Arey, Jr., Public Information Officer

J. RuFUs Hardy, Editor Eleanor H. McIlhennv, Assistant Editor On sale : all Panama Canal Ser\-ice Commissaries, and Hotels for 10 days afte tion date at 5 cents each. Subscriptions, i mall and back copies, 10 cents each.

Centers,

publical a year;

Postal money orders made payable to the Pan- ama Canal Company should be mailed to Editor, The Panama Canal Review, Balboa Heights. C. Z.

The Steady flow of shipping up and down through Miraflores Locks amazed famed

songstress Ella Fitzgerald when she visited the Isthmus for a few days in April

the United States, recently received the

latest editions from 41 cities all over the country, in addition to the Manhattan and

Greater New York Area directories for the years 1956 and 1957. The selection also in- cludes a number of Classified directories. Most of the books have been purchased by

the Library although a few have been

donated. ®

CIVIL DEFENSE

NEWS

Two doctors from the Gorgas Hospital

Staff are due to leave the Isthmus soon on

completion of their tour of duty here.

First to go will be Maj. Carlos G. Llanes,

Assistant Chief of Radiology, who is ending his tour of active military service. He

will be succeeded by Capt. Gordon L. Verity, who is coming from Battle Creek, Mich. This change will be effective this week. About June i. Col. Edward A. Cleve, Chief of the Gorgas Hospital Medical Service, will leave for his new post at the Army

Hospital, Fort Dix. He will be reUeved by

Col. Joseph R. Vivas, who is coming here from Madigan Army Hospital in Tacoma, Wash.

Sgt. Paul R. Walker, of Cristobal, and

Ralph Edwards, of Balboa, will conduct the

Civil Defense Volunteer Corps townsite meetings beginning in May. Sergeant Walker and Mr. Edwards are with the

Fire Division and are Civil Defense first aid instructors.

Civil Defense first aid teams from Santa Cruz walked off with two prizes in the competition held during the Atlantic Safety

Field Day Program. The girls' team from

Santa Cruz won first place, while the boys' team from the same town was awarded

second place. Paraiso's number i team

placed third. These teams were assisted in their train- ing by W. H. Gordon, Civil Defense first aid instructor from Paraiso. A number of Company-Government employees were off the Isthmus last month for refresher courses in their specialties. Early in April. Joseph M. Cooke, Designing Engineer, and P. Alton White, Chief of the Dredging Division, flew to New York to attend an Engineering Management Forum

sponsored by the American Management

Association. Another American Manage- ment Association course, "Reporting Financial Data to Top Management," drew James

Fulton, of the Office of the Comptroller, and Peter DeStefano, of the New York Operations.

In mid-April, A. R. Nard, Chief of the

Ci\il Engineering Branch of the Engineering Division, and ."Xnthony P. Mann, Civil Engineer, went to Atlanta, Ga., for a soil- mechanics conference at the South Atlantic Division Office of the Corps of Engineers. And at the end of April, William G.

Arey, Jr., Public Information Officer, was

in Philadelphia for the 13th .Annual National Conference of the American Public Relations Association and the 8th annual

International Public Relations Institute.

The Canal Zone's Civil Defense Chief,

Philip L. Dade, got his name in the papers

recently, but not in connection with Civil Defense. On his way to the States, recently he got together in Haiti with Kurt Fischer, vice president of the Caribbean Archeological Society, and compared notes on archeology. The meeting was reported in the

Haiti Sun.

MAY VOLUNTEER CORPS MEETINGS

May 3,1957 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

Town Place Hour

Margarita and Service Center 9 a.m. New Cristobal Margarita Balboa USO-JWB pa. m. Rainbow City School 6:30 p. m

Gamboa Civic Center 8:30 a. m

Santa Cruz Service Center 8 p.m.

Diablo Service Center 9:30 a. m

Paraiso School 7:30 p. m

Gatun Service Center 8:30 p. m
_-,',>{!

-^vvv-;

^?» They're Off To See Colon

On Transcontinental Trip

Waiting at Balboa Heights for the 7:1 5. Once upon a time, in the year 1957 and in the month of April, a little girl, named

Charlene, took a train trip all the way across the continent and returned the same

day. She wanted to see the country from the train window, drink the water that is always better on the train, go through the tunnel, and see the big watch which the conductor carries. Her mother wanted to shop. The little girl, a third generation Zonian, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James

Bowen, of Diablo Heights, and the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Bowen

and Mr. and Mrs. Donald Hendrick. Her father is a wireman with the Electrical Division. Her grandfather Bowen was employed with the old Mechanical Division, and Mr. Hendi'ick was Manager of the Tivoli Hotel. The train which crosses the continent in 1 2 hours is the Panama Railroad.

Train stops, another drink of water and a look out the.' back door.

May 3, 1957
May 3, 1957 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW
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[Fourth in a Series of Five Articles on Canal Capacity] Third Set Of Locks Or Terminal Lake

Appraised In Canal Capacity Studies

Plans for increasing the capacity of the Panama Canal to meet the rapidly-ex- panding needs of interocoanic commerce

range from minor modifications costing

a few hundred thousand dollars up to conversion of the waterway to sea level at an estimated cost of more than 3.6

liillion dollars. Many proposals have been advanced

for improving the existing Canal with the continued use of a lock system. These may be grouped, generally, into three main categories as follows:

1. Minor modifications.

2. Third Locks.

.'i. Terminal Lake Plan. Since the lati'st cost estimates on most

of these projiicts were prepared in the course of the Isthmian Canal Studies of 1947, these figures will be used for comparative purposes unless otherwise specified. Cacti of tliesc plans tias proponents

wtio sincerely liclicve that ttie plan

they advocate is the fifth t answer to the prohlem wtiich has hecome more

acute in the postwar period with in- creasing traffic and biftfter ships using

the Canal. Certainly, tlie proponents

of any one can agree that the otlier two tiave points in their favor. Each

plan also has some serious drawltacks,

particularly when picturing what inter- oceanic shipping may require even 50 years from now. The 1947 study included an appraisal

of relatively inexpensive changes in the present Canal to meet future require- ments of commerce. This resulted in a

plan which, with some modifications, is already being made effective. There are many variations in both methods and costs of plans to increase the Canal's capacity without the so-called major changes. The plan de\eloped in the 1947 Studies called U\r niodilication

of the locks; deepening the channel live

feet; electronic navigational aids; three

tie-up stations in Gaillard Cut; construction of a surge basin north of Pedro Miguel Locks; and minor improvements in channel alignment. The plan also included replacement of the towing locomotives, rehabilitation of the locks electrical systems, and conversion of the power system to 60 cycle.

All of these projects are now being ac- complished or have been authorized. The estimated cost of this plan was

$130,000,000. The lock modifications suggested in- cluded work similar to that now being done to increase traffic during overhaul

plus the purchase of new gate-leaves

to eliminate outage time for either set of locks during overhaul. Other changes

at the locks would be an extension of the guide walls to facilitate the handling of vessels. The deepening of the channel was suggested to meet potential water shortages

during dry seasons with heavy traffic. The use of tie-up stations in Gaillard Cut

was suggested as an expediency until electronic navigational aids could be de- veloped to assure safe movement of ship- ping during the frequent heavy fogs in that area during early morning hours.

It was estimated that this plan would

increase the dependable capacity of the Canal to 70 ships a day, a figure higher than the peak-period traffic requirements

projected through the present century. The report recognized the fact that even

with all these improvements, the limitation on size of vessels using the Canal would remain the same because of the dimensions of the Locks. The increase in the size of ships and

the number requiring clear-Cut transits

in the Canal since 1950 has somewhat

changed the concept of what is needed

in the minor modification plan. It is now recognized that more width is re- quired in the Gaillard Cut section for big

ore carriers and supertankers. This is one

of the pressing problems in today's operation of the waterway and it is expected

to increase in severity over the next few

decades. A potent argument in favor of the minor modification plan is the purely economic aspect. If all the improve- ments contemplated under this plan

could be made at a cost not exceeding

$200,000,000, this amount might be added to the capital investment with- out serious consequences to the tolls structure, providing traffic continues

at the present uptrend during the re- mainder of this century. Beyond this point, the cost of projected improvement plans mount astro- nomically and the interest burden becomes

prohibitive. Last fiscal year, the Panama

Canal Company paid some $8,590,000 in interest to the United States Government. With $200,000,000 added to the capital investment, the interest burden would in- crease by about $5,000,000; however, a

billion-dollar improvement project would

bring the interest figure to well above

$30,000,000 a year, almost as much as annual collections in commercial tolls at

present. When it was conceived, and even when

it was initiated in 1939, the Third Locks

Project seemed to offer the finest possible solution to the Isthmian Canal problem. At that time, there were no World War II block-buster conventional bombs, no a- tomic and hydi-ogen bombs, and no

guided missies with atomic warheads. Simply stated, this project was to provide a set of locks big enough to accom- modate all but a very few vessels afloat or expected to be built in the Twentieth

Century, and to place the new locks at some distance from the existing locks for protection against destruction of all locks

Upper left: The hole dug for the new Gatun Locks looked like this In 1 942 before it was flooded. The soft Gatun rock formation shows outline of the locks. Upper right: Extensive model testing was done on the Third Locks project. This model shows flow of water through "rollaway " gate in the lock chamber at right. Lower left: This is a 400,000 pound universal testing machine used In testing

soils, concrete, steel, wood, and various materials for the Third Lock project. Lower right: A scale model of a cargo vessel in a model of the lock chamber was

used during the hydraulic tests, an important phase of the Third Locks project.

by a single bomb burst. The plan also provided for limited protection against weapons then regarded as the most powerful that would be used in attack. The chambers of the Third Locks were

to be 140 feet wide and 1,200 feet long, with a navigable depth of 45 feet. An

expenditure of $277,000,000 was authorized. Of this, about $75,000,000 was actually spent in excavation of the new

Mirafiores and Gatun Locks. The Third Locks Project was abandoned early in 1942 after the United States entered the war because of the more pressing need

of manpower, transportation, and materials elsewhere. The Third Locks Project was carefully reviewed in the Isthmian Canal

Studies of 1947 and new cost estimates were prepared. At that time, it was

estimated that the cost of completing

r

the project with no change in the size of the locks would be $435,000,000. The cost, with the size of locks in- creased to 200 feet in width and 1,500 feet in length, would be $1,143,000,000. Cost estimates prepared today would

probably increase these figures by one- and-a-half to two times.

It is interesting to note also that there

are already afloat both U. S. Navy and

commercial vessels too large to be accom- modated by the 200-foot locks projected

just ten years ago. The aircraft carrier Forrestal has a flight-deck too wide, and a tanker now in service has a maximum

draft of 46 feet. Like "minor modifications," the "Terminal Lake Plan" is a generic term. The

Terminal Lake plan came close to reality while the Canal was under construction. The original plans for a lock canal provided for a dam and large lake near the

Pacific entrance with one set of locks at Pedro Miguel above the lake and two

sets at the Pacific end near Balboa. When this was abandoned in 1907, it was decided to move the two sets of locks

to Mirafiores and work was begun there. Additional subsurface investigations indi- cated that all three locks might be located

at Mirafiores with a terminal lake above

the locks, but the design and other work was already so well advanced that no

change was made. Those well acquainted with the navigational features of the Canal today readily agree that traffic could be greatly accel- erated by having all Pacific locks together and a lake or mooring basin above them. As presently situated, Pedro Miguel Locks constitute a bottleneck for traffic in Gaillard Cut. It is doubly troublesome when there are southbound clear-Cut

ships since northbound traffic must halt

in Mirafiores Lake until the clear-Cut

ship has cleared Pedro Miguel. The grouping of all Pacific locks in one

flight would offer additional advantages

in speeding up traffic, since much time is lost in the approach and clearance of vessels at the locks. There are two main variations in the Terminal Lake Plan. The most eco- nomical of the two would be to build an additional flight of locks above the

existing Mirafiores Locks, raise the level of Miraflores Lake to that of Gatun

Lake, and eliminate Pedro Miguel

Locks. This plan was studied in some

detail after suspension of work on the Third Locks Project. Three variations of this general plan were investigated during the Isthmian Canal Studies of 1947. Two were actually refinements of the least expensive. The plan described in the report sub- mitted to Congress envisioned the completion of a third set of locks but elimi- nated the flight at Pedro Miguel. The

excavation already completed for the new

Gatun and Mii-aflores Locks would be used for two fiights of locks with chambers 1,500 feet long, 200 feet wide, and

50 feet deep. An additional chamber

would then be added at Mirafiores Locks and Pedro Miguel Locks would be abandoned. The second stage development of this plan could be accomplished whenever it became desirable to provide two lanes of large locks at Gatun and Miraflores by

constructing a second set at some dis- tance from those built in the initial de- velopment.

After completion of the second set of locks, the existing locks would be abandoned and the summit level of the Canal would be raised to 92 feet above sea level to provide additional water for lockages. With these im10 THE PANAIvlA CANAL REVIEW May 3, 1957 Ivlay 3, 1957 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

provements, the Canal channel would

be enlarged to a depth of 55 feet and

a 500-foot width at the 40-foot depth, with improvement of the present align- ment in Gaillard Cut. Under this plan, the locks would be designed originally to eliminate outages

for periodic overhauls with maintenance on a continuing basis and only brief in- terruptions in the lock service. Several advantages of this plan over

the Third Locks Project were enumerated

in the report. Among these: A decrease

in the cost of operation and maintenance and in accidents at the locks; a 15-minute

decrease in transit time; provision of an

anchorage basin on the Pacific side above

the locks; and elimination of the need for a surge basin north of Pedro Miguel

Locks. The third variation or ultimate devel- opment of this plan would provide principally for the addition of protective

features.

It was estimated that the initial de- velopment of this plan could be complet- ed within ten years at a cost of $1,126,- 000,000. The second stage development would require an expenditure of $506,- 000,000. The total estimate cost of the plan with the protective features recom- mended would bring the total of $2,- 308,000,000, approximately $175,000,000

less than the estimated cost of converting the Canal to sea level. It was estimated that the transit time would be cut 45 minutes. The transit capacity was estimated at 131 ships a day with the use of the new and existing locks together and at a maximum of 118

ships a day with only two sets of new

locks. The cost estimates prepared included

several features which today would be

eliminated. These include the power

conversion program and construction of a tunnel under the Canal. The 1947 report stated unequivocally

that minor modifications at a relatively low cost could be made to the Canal

which would meet trafiic requirements

for this century except for the limitation on size of ships. With respect to the Terminal Lake Plan, it stated that it would provide ample capacity to meet

the needs of future interoceanic commerce

and would have definite operational ad- vantages in comparison with the present Canal. While agreeing that the various plans

for a lock canal meet the requirements

of interoceanic commerce, the report con- cluded that none could meet the future needs of national defense—and legislation required that both commerce and defense

be considered —and said in part: "Despite extensive protective measures, the Canal could be closed to traflSc for at least one to two years following an intensive attack with conventional weapons against the lock gates. An at- tack with two atomic bombs could render

the Canal useless for four years oi' more."
50 Years Ago

Steamshovel men, making good their threat of the previous month, went on

strike in the Canal Zone 50 years ago

this month, tying up the Canal work

most effectively. The strike started when

they learned that Secretary of War Wil- liam H. Taft had rejected their demands

for a pay raise. The engineers had wanted

$90 more than the $210 per month they were earning, the cranemen an additional

$70, and the firemen were holding out for $22 more a month. As their crews took the first ships bound

for the States, all bid 13 of the 63 shovels working on the Canal excavation stood

silent. The move met with little popular sympathy; the steamshovel workers were al- ready considered the best paid in the Zone. In an editorial, the Star & Herald commented: "The labor question seems

to furnish a difficulty greater than that

of Culebra or the Chagres in digging the Canal . . . Such occurrences as a strike of three-quarters of the steamshovel men

with a consequent enforced idleness of the major part of the machinery and men

employed . . . must serve to convince

onlookers that the labor part of the busi- ness is the part requiring ceaseless at^ tention." In a circular dated May 9, Isthmian Canal Commission Chairman George W.

Goethals announced that "the Hon. Jos. C. S. Blackburn is placed in charge of the Department of Civil Administration." On May 21, with ex-Senator Blackburn

as the main speaker, the Culebra Clubhou.se opened its doors to its members. The formal opening of the Gorgona Clubhou.se followed four days later and the inauguration of the clubhouse at Empire

took place May 28. The clubhouses were

built by the ICC and operated by the YMCA.

Another first session in May, 50 years

ago, was that of the Tivoli Club, which gave

its inaugural hall May 18. According to a contemporary columnist, the Club was an

offshoot of the "Various Soldiers of Fortune." Four men were killed and five others badly hurt when a dynamite charge ex- ploded prematurely near Pedro Miguel.

Other Zoniana: A new baseball park

opened "between the Tivoli Hotel and the Ancon Aqueduct;" George M. Shontz, for- merly Prosecuting Attorney in the Canal

Zone, was named Attorney on the Isthmus

for the Commission and the Panama Rail- road; visionary Islhmiuiis, discitssinij mad

construction, said: "Now we are looking forward to the time when there will be a

nice highway from Panama to Colon;" and Colonel Goethals forbade employees to carry on any business outside of their Zone

jobs. 25 Years Ago

Although Zonians breathed a little easier about the fate of the Panama

Railroad ships after the House of Representatives voted, 298-98, to retain the steamship line and the military transport

service, they were still not entirely san- guine as to what would happen to the

bill in the Senate Old of the turmoil sprang a new organization: The Canal Zone Women's League.

It was formed "to retain for Canal Zone

employees the rights granted in construction days and to further civic spirit." Over 100 women attended the first meeting at the Balboa YMCA.

Budget cuts, imposed by an economy- minded Congress, threatened to halt the Madden Dam project. Late in the month

however. Governor Burgess was authorized to use surplus Panama Railroad funds to supplement Madden Dam and

other Canal appropriations during the emergency.

Zonians also waited to see the final out- come of a bill which would make compulsory

the discharge of one of a working marriedcouple. The U. S. Postal Department an- nounced a new two-day air mail schedule from New York to the Canal Zone. This would cut 19 hours off the previous

time. "Without ceremony, just as the Colonel would have preferred," a painting of George W. Goethals was hung in the rotunda

of the Balboa Heights Administration

Building. The portrait, which was painted by ex-Governor Chester Harding, was the

gift of about 500 Canal oldtimers.

1 Years Ago

Canal Zone news, 10 years ago this month, came mostly from the United

States. In Portland, Oreg., former Vice President Henry Wallace lu-ged the internationalization of the Panama Canal. Testifying before the Senate Civil Service Subcommittee, Gov. J. C. MehafTey said that there was "an astonishing record of no attempt of any kind of sabotage or

disloyalty in the Canal Zone" during two

world wars. Also at Washington, Rep.

Willis Bradley, of California, announced

that he opposed any enlargement of the Canal at that time, and said that in any

case he favored a lock- rather than a sealevel-canal. Because of the continued rise in lumber

costs, the Canal annotinced, several masonry

type quarters woidd be included in the fiscal year's building program. The Canal organization imposed a sys- tem of price control on 16 basic food

items. Any price increases on these had

to be approved by the Executive Office. One Year Ago

Maj. Gen. William E. Potter was

sworn in as the twelfth Governor of the Canal Zone, succeeding Maj. Gen. John

S. Seybold.

Scale Inspector

Joins Review

Singleton List

Walter Guy Brown works quietly be- hind the scenes but his work affects the

lives of Canal employees on both sides

of the Isthmus. As Inspector of Scales and Oil Meters

and latest in The Review's singleton series— his work touches the lives of all

WALTER GUY BROWN

alance Is His n Btj Dusiness

who shop at the commissary retail stores, mail packages at the post offices, buy

gasoline at the service stations, or drop

pennies in public scales to check their dieting success. When the commissary stores are closed

to customers, Walter Brown is often at work inside, expertly dismantling, cleaning, and inspecting the scales. Using

small check-weights, replicas of a master

chrome-plated set kept at the Balboa In- strument Repair Shop, he carefully checks and repairs each machine.

Insects, which crawl inside the scales and are crushed by the mechanism, cause

the most trouble, according to Mr. Brown. As one small insect can cause a variation

of as much as one-fourth of a pound, in- secticide is liberally applied to the inside

of each of the intricate computing scales before it is reassembled. With fishing as a hobby, he and several

friends have spent their spare time, over

the last seven months, constructing a 15- foot boat which they have just taken out

for a successful test run. Born in Ancon into a family long asso- ciated with the Canal his father, the late Walter Graham Brown, retired in 1945

with 38 years of service—Mr. Brown

completed his twenty-third year with the Canal organization last month. He

started work when he was 15 years old, as a machinist helper during his school vacations and began his continuous service with an apprenticeship in the Industrial Division with which he has been con- nected ever since.

THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 3, 1957
, It I

HONOR ROLL

These are the nine men, still on the rolls, whose service began during the construction period. The names in capitals are

those of the men with continuous service. The asterisks indicate holders of the Roosevelt Medal. Can you match their early pictures with more recent ones?1909

Adrien M. Bouche

1911

Bernard W. Mclntyre*

1912

Samuel J. Deavours George Carter Orr ARTHUR MORGAN

1913

David W. Ellis Edward p. Walsh

EMMETT ZEMER

William Brugge

(For answers see page 1

r.=<M«r ^-
ANNIVERSARIES PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS

Adrien M. Bouche, whose 41 years of service put him on top of the list of annis-ersaries in April, knows the Panama Canal, from bottom to top. He was running er- rands, as a messenger during school vacations, around Gatun when the Locks were

great gaping holes and for the last 20 years he has bean opening gates and turning valves from the control tower at Pedro

Miguel Locks. He is now senior of any of the Locks Division's control-house men.

In his spare time he is an avid explorer

of the Canal Zone and Panama and has gone as far afield as Mexico and Brazil. He has turned up plants which he has passed on to pharmaceutical houses, minerals which may be of commercial value, and relics of the earlier peoples of the Isth- mus which are of help in establishing its history. His Canal Zone service dates back to 1909; he is one of the nine American emploN-ees who have construction-day service, and is one of two still employed who hold

the Roosevelt Medal. The Bouches lived for many years on a

hillside in Pedro Miguel. After the town

was practically depopulated, they moved to Madden Dam but they are back again in the Canal Zone, this time in Diablo Heights.

35 YEARS

The ships which Mr. Bouche helps put through the Panama Canal every day are

old stuff to the two employees who completed 35 years of government service last month.

Carlos E. Centella, senior of the pair by

a week, watches the ships ev-ery day as they

pass his post at the Cucaracha Signal Station, and Rexford T. Ray sees them as they

lock up or down at Gatun where he is a

sergeant in the Locks Security Force. Mr. Centella has spent his entire adult

career with the Canal organization. Born

in Panama City, he went to work for the Panama Canal's Accounting Division on

April 1, 1922. For the next 22 years, he

served in the Payroll Section and the Claims

Branch. In 1944 he transferred to the Marine Division as a signalman, a post he still holds. He was stationed for a time on Sosa

Hill, overlooking Balboa Harbor and Pan- ama Bay but has now moved inland to the

station on the banks of Gaillard Cut. Mr. Ray, who comes from Graham, in the Piedmont section of North Carolina, had over a quarter of a century with the United States Army before he joined the Canal organization as a lock guard nine years ago this month. Part of his military

service was at Fort Gulick with the 33d

Infantry Regiment. He lives in Gatun

where he spends his off-duty time making

color slides of the orchids and oriental and

other e.xotic plants he raises. 25 YEARS

Four Company-Government employees went over the two-score-and-five mark of Government service last month, each rep- resenting a different Division in tlie organization. Of the quartet, Cyril M. Richards, a Signalman in the Navigation Section, is the only one with unbroken Canal service. He

was born in the old construction-day town

of Gorgona in the days when it was a bustling center for shops and railroads. The other three are, alphabetically: Mrs.

Elvira L. Byrne, a native of .St. Paul, Minn., now a head nurse at Gorgas Hospital where

she has been throughout her local nursing

career; Alcide R. Hauser, a born New

Yorker, who is a Policeman in the Cristobal

District; and Anthony G. Lynn, once of Passaic, N. J., Plant Maintenance Lead Foreman for the Industrial Division.

20 YEARS

It was "men only" in the 20-year group

this month with four of the nine employees

having unbroken service. They are: Thomas

V. Kelly, Orlando, W. Va., Locomotive Engineer, Railroad Division; Frank McGuinness, Aitisterdam, N. Y., Train Dispatcher, Railroad Division; Harvey D. Smith, Marion, Kan., Lead Foreman, Building Maintenance, Maintenance Division; and 'Wil- liam H. Will, a native Zonian born in Ancon, Brick and Stone Mason, Mainte- nance Division. Another native of the Canal Zone, also

March 75 through April 75

Employees who were promoted or transferred between March 15 and April 15 are listed below. Within-grade promotions

are not reported. CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU

Mrs. Annie R. Rathgeber, from Clerk (Typing) to Secretary (Typing), Office of Director. Victor H. Higgins, Jr., from LIsher, Diablo

Theater, to Substitute Window Clerk, Postal Division. Maurice W. Sherry, from Window Clerk

to Transfer Clerk. Tocumen Airport LInit, Postal Division. Richard C. Hogan, from Postal Clerk, Mail Delivery L'nit to Window Clerk,' Postal Division. OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER

Joseph J. Saitta, from Accountant to Auditor. General Audit Division. Benjamin S. Chisholm, from Service Center Manager, Balboa, to Construction Cost

Accountant, Plant Evaluation and Transfer Branch. ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION BUREAU

Mrs. 'Wanda N. Middleton, from Clerk- Stenographer, Employment and Utilization Division, to Stenographer, Engineering Division. Claud M. Kreger, Abe L. Lincoln, from Rotary Drill Foreinan to Foreman, Dredging Di\'ision. Richard Swearingen, from Wireman,

Electrical Division, to Electrical Equipment

Inspector, Power Conversion Project. Philip T. Green, from Department Head

born in Ancon, is among those whose service is not continuous. He is George O.

Tarflinger, Foreman, Refrigeration and -Air Conditioning, Maintenance Division. Other

20-year men are: Cliris C. Bennett, Inspector of Elevators and Cranes, Industrial Division, who is a native of Brooklyn, N. Y.

'Walter G. McBride, Police Sergeant, Police Division, another who was born in New

York City; Louis H. Schmidt, Jr., of Bal- timore, Md., Commissary Supervisor, Commissary Division; and Francis X. Moser,

of Cincinnati, Ohio, Machinist, Industrial Division.

15 YEARS

Eight of the 15-year employees have con- tinuous service. They are: James S. Bedsworth, of Morehead City, N. C, Window

Clerk, Postal Division; Wilson M. Camathan, of Jefferson City, Ala., Lead Foreman,

Buildings and Equipment, Service Center

Division; John L. Fischer, St. Joseph, Mo.,

Engineering Aid, Hydraulic, Meteorological, and Hydrographic Branch; Donovan I. Geyer, Reading, Pa., Engineer, Plant Maintenance, Maintenance Division; Emmet T. Harper, Fondis, Colo., Towing Locomotive

Operator, Locks Division; Exier Jime Hopkins, of Nacogdoches, Tex., Supervisory Accounting Assistant, Gorgas Hospital; Patrick F. McDonnell, a native of Swoyarvilla. Pa., Policeman and Detective, Police Division; Charles M. Nelson, Grays, Ky., Commissary Super\isor, Commissary Division; Johii M. Morrison, El Paso, Tex. Operator (Lock Machinist), Locks Division; Esten J. Scott, Hutchinson, Kan., Police- man, Police Di\ision; Reuben Seidman, New '\'ork, N. Y., Wireman, Electrical Division; and Alice E. Suisman, Philadelphia,

Pa., Dictating Machine Transcriber, Health Bureau, Gorgas Hospital. Those with broken service are: Oscar O. Brown, Jr., Tampa Fla., Marine Traffic Controller, Navigation Division; Anna E.

Calvit, who was born in Colon Hospital, and is a Supervisory Accounting Clerk in the Motor "Transportation Division; Duncan Laird, Glasgow, Scotland, Boatbuilder,

InduMri.il Division; Dr. Robert G. Matheney, Philadelphia, Pa., Chief of the \'eter- inary Medicine Division; Jack W. Rocker, Ancon, C. Z., Machinist, Pacific Lock; and Menzies W. Turner, Isafold. Manitoba, Canada, Operator, Towing Locomotive.

(X'ocational Subjects) to Training Instructor (Technical Training-General), Electrical Division. Willard E. Percy, from Teacher (Vocational Subjects) to Training Instructor,

Electrical Division. Mrs. Mildred N. Morrill, from Clerk- Stenographer to Clerical Assistant (Steno- graphy). Electrical Division. Arnold A. Jackson, from Powerhouse Operator to Senior Powerhouse Operator, Electrical Division. James J. O'Doimell, from Senior Powerhouse Operator to Powerhouse OperatorDispatcher, Electrical Division. HEALTH BUREAU

Reginald M. Hayden, from Clerk to Ac- counts Maintenance Clerk, Gorgas Hospital. George W. Fears, from Supervisory Steward, Service Center Division, to Executive Housekeeper, Gorgas Hospital. MARINE BUREAU

Edward B. Frampton, from Locomotive

Crane-Rigger Operator, Industrial Division,

to Towing Locomotive Operator, Pacific Locks. Lester H. Barrows, from Industrial Shipwright, Industrial Division, to Towing Lo- comotive Operator, Pacific Locks. Thomas L. Gregg, from Guard, Locks

Security Branch to Towing Locomotive

Operator, Atlantic Locks. Jack W. Rocker, from Marine Inspection

.Assistant. Navigation Division, to Machinist, Pacific Locks. Dean L. Dodson, Edward J. Husted,

Rexford T. Ray, from (iuard to Guard Supervisor. Locks Security Branch. John R. Bruland, Jr., from Boilermaker

to Lead Boilermaker Foreman, Industrial Division. Earl Cassell, from General Foreman to Chief Foreman, Atlantic Locks. SUPPLY AND EMPLOYEE SERVICE BUREAU

Elsie H. Smith, from Clerk-Txpist to Procurement Clerk (Typist), Division of Storehouses.

P. Byrne Hutchings, from Clerical Assist- ant to Realty Assistant, Housing and Grounds Di-cision. Evelyn M. Molyneaux, from Clerk-Typist to File Clerk (Typing), Division of Storehouses. Mrs. Ruby L. Willa, from Accounting

Clerk to Commissary Supervisor, Commissary Division. OTHER PROMOTIONS

Promotions which did not involve change

in title, follow: Dr. William E. Prier, Medical Officer, Orthopedics, (iorgas Hospital. Mrs. Violette D. Allen, Clerk-Stenographer, Division of Storehouses. Dr. Bernard L. 'WiUett, Medical Officer

(.Surgery. General). Gorgas Hospital. Fred W. Lawrence, Sanitary F^ngineer, Water and Laboratories Branch. Warren D. Marquard, Commissary Supervisor, Commissary Division. Martin S. Sawyer, Marine Traffic Controller, Navigation Division. MAY SAILINGS

FROM CRISTOBAL A neon May 4

Cristobal May IS A neon May 22 FROM NEW YORK

Cristobal - May 7 A neon May 14 Cristobal... May 24 Ancon May 31 Southbound ships which leave New York Friday

arc in Haiti the following Tuesday. Tliose wliich

sail from New York Tuesday spend ,s itui.tiv in Il.iili. Nortlibound, the ships stop in H.iiii i >v " il i\ - .iMrr clearing Cristobal: Monday for thnsr uhh li - nl ii ijii Cristobal Saturday and Friday fut (li-r «l,i, ii , lr.,r Crisl..!),.! Wc.lni'Mhu . 14 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 3, 1957
These Are Busy Days For The Schools

May is no time to be a member of the staff of the Superintendent of the Canal Zone schools. Since the Latin American school year was changed to coincide with

that of the Republic of Panama, the i)reparations for the opening of these schools

coincide with the multitudinou.s details which go along with the closing of the U. S. schools. Plans for graduations have to be completed at about the same time plans

are being made for opening day. Below, The Review presents a round up of the beginning of one school year and the end of the other. U. S. Schools

School ends next month for approxi- mately 7,000 boys and girls in the Canal Zone United States schools. High school and junior college commencement exercises will be June 5, and the schools will close oflficially, Thursday, June 6, when

pupils return for their report cards. The Canal Zone Junior College will graduate the third largest class in its his- tory when 48 students receive their diplo- mas at the Diablo Heights Theater the morning of June 5. Baccalaureate services for the graduates will be held in the same theater on June 2. In the high schools, 177 students

will be graduated from Balboa and 61 from Cristobal, with 28 honor students

in the Balboa class and 10 among the

Cristobal graduates. Commencement exercises for Balboa High at the Balboa Theater, and Cristo- bal High at the Cristobal High School Auditorium, will be held June 5 at 8 p. m.

Baccalaureate services for both graduating classes are scheduled for the afternoon

of June 2; Balboa baccalaureate will be

at the Diablo Heights Theater and Cris- tobal at the high school auditorium. The largest class in history, 330, will participate in class day exercises at Bal- boa Junior High School. Balboa and

Cristobal class day programs will take

place June 3; Balboa exercises will be at the Balboa Theater and Cristobal activities will be at the high school auditorium. Many improvements in the physical plant were made during the 1956-57 school year. A new stadium seating

1,500 was constructed at Balboa and

the night lighting systems were reno- vated at both the Mount Hope and

Balboa stadiums.

Additional playground {See page is) RETIREMENTS

Retirement certificates were presented at the end of April to the following employees who are listed alphabetically, together with

the birthplaces, positions, length of Canal

service, and future addresses. Loy E. Bates, Sr., Illinois; Chief Towboat

Engineer, Dredging Division; IS years, 10 days; Fontana, Calif. Mrs. Evelyn S. Endicott, Indiana ; Accounting Clerk, Accounting Division; 8 years, 8 months, 27 days; Canal Zone.

Capt. Henry G. Ferri, New York; Pilot, Navigation Division; 21 years, 11 months

3 days; San Francisco, Calif. James Horace Jones, Alabama; Carpenter Foreman, Locks Division; 20 years, 4 months, 6 days; Gadsden, Ala. Mary Grace McDonald, Minnesota;

Teacher, Balboa Elementary School; 31

years, 7 months; New York. Edgar S. Momhiweg, New York; Guard

Supervisor, Locks Security Force; 7 years,

1 month, 23 days; Denver, Colo. George L. Radel, Pennsylvania; Machinist Foreman, Locks Division; 21 years, 26

days; Canal Zone. Charles F. Stevens, Oklahoma; Lieutenant, Fire Division; 35 years, 6 months, 13 days; \'irginia Beach, Va. Eva M. Talboy, Iowa; Clerk, Gorgas

Hospital; 12 vears, 5 months, 10 days; Royal Oak, Mich.

Latin American Schools

Canal Zone schools in Latin American

communities will open Monday, May 6, with an enrollment of approximately 3,900 students in Kindergarten through Grade

12. This will be the second year in which

the school schedule has coincided with that

of the Republic of Panama. Schools will close February 5, 1958. School officials expect enrollments to be approximately the same as when schools

closed last year. Second-day enrollment

last year was 3,912. There was a gain

of 29 students during the year, resulting

in a total enrollment when the year closed

of 3,941. High school principals have been on

duty to accept registrations since April

15, and elementary school principals began registration on April 29. School

busses will be provided on the same

plan as last year. Some changes have been made in the

locations where students will attend

classes. By communities, these changes and the facilities available to Latin American students are as follows: La Boca: Grades 1 through 9 students

will attend school in the high school building. The elementary school building was abandoned last year and the La Boca

Kindergarten has been dropped due to lack of enrollment.

Paraiso: Kindergarten through the ninth grade will attend school in the

junior high school building and high

school students, grades 10-12, will attend

school in the new high school building which was opened last year. Santa Cruz: Kindergarten through

grade 9 will be offered in Santa Cruz.

Chagres: There will be no school at Chagres this year. Students will attend

classes at Rainbow City. Rainbow City: Kindergartners through

sixth graders will attend school in the elementary school building and junior and senior high school students will have

classes in the high school building. Ele- mentary clas.ses and certain junior high

school classes will make joint use of the new wing of the high school building which was built about three years ago. New books have been added to the

school libraries and a number of new

textbooks in Spanish will be used this year. These textbooks were published in Mexico, Chile, Cuba, and Argentina; Spanish dictionaries used by the schools were published in France. Courses of study in 34 subject areas have been completed and will be distrib- uted for instructional use during the coming year. Temistocles Cespedes, who retired re- cently as Chief of the Panama Schools' Technical Service Section, will continue

to serve as a consultant for the Canal

Zone's Latin Ameiican schools. Some major physical changes in the

school plant this year are a junior high

shop and two academic classrooms be- ing constructed at Santa Cruz, which

will permit the ninth grade to remain

there instead of going to Paraiso as in the past. Major changes at Paraiso are the addition of an air-conditioned music room

and the development of a new playground. Other changes in the physical plant

include: demolition of the old Rainbow

City junior high school building; drainage improvement at Rainbow . (.Sec page 18

Activities at Atlantic Side Safety Field Day opened with Lt. Gov. H. W. Schull

cutting ribbon. Seen above, at the Camp Bierd Grounds are, left to right: Keith Bowen, Safety Field Day Committee member; Rex Archibold, announcer; Dave

E. White, Chairman, Safety Field Day Committee; G. O. Kellar, Chief, Safety Branch; Lt. Gov. Schull; Owen B. Shirley, Principal, Rainbow City High SchoolStanley Spence, Charles Davis, and Kenneth Weeks, members of the Committee.

May 3,1957 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 15
Night Schools

For Union Men

On two successive evenings several weeks ago, 40 of the Canal Zone's skilled craftsmen stood up one by one to receive

certificates that they had completed a

special course in the Air Conditioning. They came from the Canal organization, the Army, and the Navy, and each had spent some of his evenings for the previous two-and-a-half months in group

study to bring themselves up to date in work which they are now doing or which

they will do when the entire Canal Zone

has 60-cycle power. The craftsmen who had spent their evenings in this fashion were divided into two groups, one from the Pacific side and

the other from the Atlantic side of the Isthmus. At the Balboa class the certificates were presented by Frank H.

Lerchen, Maintenance Engineer for the Panama Canal Company; Lt. R. N.

Saunders, Public Works Officer for the

1.5th Naval District at Rodman; and Earl

Best, Chief of the Electric Section of the Army Engineers at Corozal.

Atlantic siders received their certifi- cates from M. B. Nickel, Production Superintendent of the Industrial Division, and Charles Slater of the Army Engineers. With each certificate went congratulations from representatives of the or- ganization with which the craftsman is employed and, a more tangible recognition of his accomplishments, letters re- garding their course work have been in- cluded in each craftsman's personnel file. While the idea of evening classes for craftsmen is not new here, the system under which such classes are promoted and operated has changed considerably during the past few years. In 19.5.5, wh?n the Apprentice Committee became the Industrial Training Committee, it was expanded to include a representative of organized labor. The labor

representative since that time has been Ray Hesch, a member of Local 811 of the

International Association of Machinists. The committee acts as a clearing house

for ideas on craft educational programs,

decides what programs are needed and how they can best be operated. Sometimes organized labor has sponHere is a group oF the men who have gone back to school, evenings. They are

Pacific siders who have just finished a union-sponsored air conditioning course.

sored and organized the programs pro- posed by the Industrial Training Committee and sometimes labor has operated

independently, but with the blessings and

assistance of the Industrial Training Committee. The cooperation between labor and the Committee, The Review was

told, has brought credit to all involved. The recently completed course in the Theory of Air Conditioning, taught by

Willard Percy, is the third of a series orig- inally proposed by the Industrial Training Committee and organized by Locals

811 and 699 of the International Association of Machinists. The first course in this series began in November 1955; since then 168 journeymen and engineers have

completed more than 1,344 man-hours of study. While these courses were going on, other unions were not idle. Locals 677 and 397 of the International Brother- hood of Electrical Workers suggested a

series of courses in electrical subjects and these were endorsed by the Industrial Training Committee. A total of 87 men, from a number of different crafts, have enrolled in the first of this seven-course series. When they complete the present class on Mathematics and Physics, taught by Industrial Training Coordinator Philip H. Green,

they will move on to Electricity and DC

Circuits, and such other subjects as Magnetism and Electromagnetic Induction. Meanwhile the two electrical locals are devoting the first 45 minutes of each

union meeting to a course in Electrical Testing and Troubleshooting. These

meetings, of course, are open to union members only. A course in the Corrosion of Metals has been proposed by the Plumbers Local 606 and night classes in this subject will be

organized as soon as suitable material can

be collected and prepared. Also coming, in the night-school line,

is a two-lecture series sponsored jointly by the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association Local 96 and the Division of Storehouses. These lectures, which will be

given in June and July- -the exact dates

to be announced later- -will be devoted

to the designations and characteristics of the lubricants to be stocked by the Division of Storehouses during the coming

fiscal year.

(Left to right, above: Fimt niw: Willard Percy, Instrutor; Henry Dunianoir, Air P'orce; James Boukalis, Industrial Division; M. F. Cowan, Army Engineers; W.

H. Critch, Army Engineers; Vincent Biava, Dredging

Division; E. A. Dyer, Navy Public Works, Second

tow: J. H. Young, Ted Marti, Ray Hesch, all of the Locks Division; D. C. Kaan, Electrical Division; C. E.

Dufiie, W. E. Pullen, N. H. Pedersen, Navy Public Works; Robert Thompson, Dredging Division.) Young Zonians Have Better Teeth

The dental health of Canal Zone school

children shows an improvement over last year, according to a survey of children

in the first, fourth, and seventh grades. The survey, which has become a permanent part of the school health program, shows that 41.1 percent of the children examined have no dental defects or do

not need immediate dental attention. Last year, only 33 percent were included

in this category. The system of checking the first, fourth, and seventh grades is designed to insure three examinations for each student during the time his teeth are developing. Of

these three grades, the fourth grade, in general, proved to have the best dental health this year. Improved dental health for all school

children, which will be reflected in the

adults of later years, is the purpose of the program. All parents of pupils with

dental defects are notified immediately

concerning the dental problems of their children. An additional benefit is that information is obtained concerning the success of the water fluoridation program. The decision to continue the present concentration of .7 parts per million was based on

the surveys conducted the last two years. Dr. Lewis E. Fontaine, Chief of Dental

Services, Gorgas Hospital and Ancon

Dental Clinic, was in charge of the survey on the Pacific side of the Isthmus while Dr. Willard French, C!hief of Dental Services, Coco Solo, conducted the program

on the Atlantic side.

16 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 3, 1957
STATISTICS ON CANAL TRAFFIC

For the purpose of comparison between pre-war and post-war traffic throufth the Panama Canal, statistics for the fiscal year 1938 are used in this section, as being more nearly normal for peace time than those for 1939. Season's Last Trip

Transit of the Cunard Line's SS Caronia today puts an unofficial end to this year's

cruise season. The picture was token during her 1953 transit of the Canal.

TRAFFIC MOVEMENT OVER MAIN TRADE ROUTES

The following table shows the number of transits of large commercial vessels (300 net tons or over) segregated into eight main trade routes:

United States Intercoastal East Coast of U. S. and South America. . East Coast of U. .S. and Central America

East Coast of U. S. and Far East Europe and Far East Europe and West Coast of U. S.-Canada. Europe and South America Europe and Australasia

All other routes Total Traffic

Third Quarter, Fiscal Years1957

121 498

127 373

69 236

215

147 396

1956

121 562

119 303

17 194

19897 446

1938264

14530

142

8

271 l.U

1,386 MONTHLY COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC AND TOLLS

Vessels of 300 tons net or over By fiscal years

July August

September.

October November.

December , January

February.

March

April

iVIay June

Totals for first 9 months

of fiscal year

Totals for fiscal year.

Transits

1957 1956 669 653

646

699 654

751 701 673

727 676

686

709 627 658

664

681

712 692

703 674

8,209

457

505 444

461 435

439 444

436

506 487

465

445

4,127

Tolls

(In thousands of dollars)

1957

$3,054

2,888

2,861 3,083 2,876 3,420

3,161 3,033

3,603

$27,979

$27,979

1956

83,247 2,980

3,053

3,065

2,705 2,944

2,844 3,008

3,069

3,021 3,210

3,008

$26,915 $36,154

1938

$2,030

2,195

1,9,56 1,981 1,893

1,845 1,838

1,787 2,016

1,961 1,887

1,801

$17,521 $23,170

May 3, 1957 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 17

Canal Traffic, Tolls,

Set All-Time Record

For Nine-Month Period

Hu.siiU's.s is hooming in the Panama

Canal. For the finst nine months of the current

fi,scal year, a period which ended March

•31, a total of 6,2.54 ocean-going commercial vessels of .300 tons or over transited the Canal, paying tolls which were only a few thou.sand dollars short of $28,000,000. In both transits and tolls, this is the

biggest business done by the Canal in

its history. This year's nine-month traffic total for commercial ships of ocean-going size ex- ceeded by 114 the total for the similar period during the preceding fiscal year, and by 732 the traffic for the first nine months of five years before. Taken by quarters this year, commercial shipping has shown a steady increase

1,968 large commercial ships for the

first quarter, 2,104 for the second three- month period, and 2,182 for the trimester which ended March 31. But, by months,

the traffic trend has fluctuated with a number of ups and downs, reflecting ship- ping strikes and other factors. For six of the nine-month period, large commercial ships were numbered in the

600's; two other months saw more than

700 large commercial craft transiting the Canal while in March commercial as well as total shipping reached a new high. The figure for ocean-going commercial

vessels (upon which most of the accompanying statistics are based) was 808, the first time the 800 figure has been sur- passed in the Canal's existence. As this issue of "The Review" went to

press, it seemed doubtful that another

possible record was in sight. For the

first 23 days of April, a total of 583 ocean-going commercial ships had made the ocean-to-ocean transit, and

traffic was averaging 25 ships per day. The biggest upswing in traffic in the past quarter, by trade routes, was for vessels running through the Panama

Canal from the U. S. east coast to the Far East. The trade route showed an

increase of 70 ships, or over 18 percent from figures for the comparable period in the past fiscal year. An even larger per- centage increase—although the number of ships was much smaller—appeared in the trade between Europe and the Far East

via the Panama Canal. This percentage

increase was a few points below 74 percent. Other trade routes showing increased business in the third quarter of this fiscal year, compared to the third quarter of

fiscal year 1956, were: the East Coast of the United States and Central America; Europe to the U. S.-Canada West Coast; Europe to South America and Europe to Australia. Intercontinental trade remained exactly

the same as for the third quarter of the past fiscal year and there was a decline

in the U. S. East Coast-South American

business. By nationalities, the (See page 19)
HONOR ROLL

Answer to pictures on page 13 (How'd you do?) Bouche, top center Brugge, top right and left Morgan, bottom center Walsh, bottom right and left The other old and new pictures cor- respond down the page in this order: Mclntyre

Orr Zemer

Ellis Deavours

Busy Days For Latin American Schools

(Continued from page lo) City Elementary School; the construction of covered passageways at the Santa Cruz and Rain- bow City schools; the addition of showers and dressing rooms at Paraiso gymnasium

and the installation of a safety fence at the Paraiso playground. This is the first year the Division of Schools has not conducted a summer in- stitute after schools closed. Instead, teachers were encouraged to attend the summer session at the University of Pan- ama and approximately 35 did so. A number of teachers are on leave of absence in the United States, where they

are pursuing further studies. Included

are Miss Mabel McLean of La Boca, Mrs. Ena Ellis of Paraiso Elementary, and

Miss Carmen Dawkins and BjTon McDougall of Santa Cruz. Mrs. Sylvia Doig and Miss Malcolm of Paraiso High School and Miss Leafy De Sousa of Rainbow

City High School are also studying in the United States. Those on the teaching staffs promoted

to new positions include Miss Ruby

Thompson, promoted to Rainbow City High School, Miss Maiziee Headley to Paraiso Junior High, Basil Cragwell to Santa Cruz Junior High, and Leslie Thomas to Rainbow City Junior High. Miss Nidia Avila and Aston Parchment

are expected to return to duty in August

after studies in the United States. Three new elementary teachers will join the teaching staff of the Latin American schools. They are: Mrs. Vilma Rivera, who will teach the third grade at Paraiso; Miss Asuncion Atwell, who will take over the third grade at La Boca; and Miss Jilma Ayala, also assigned to La Boca as fifth grade teacher. C. A. Cragwell and Elliot Yearwood will join the Paraiso High School staff this year.

Canal Traffic, Tolls Set All-Time Record

{Continued from page 17) United States and

Great Britain continued to hold the first and second places, respectively, they have occupied for many years. The next

five spots were occupied by: Norway,

229; Germany, 172; Liberia, 168; Japan,

152; and Panama, 110. Among the flags showing with more

frequency in the Panama Canal during

the past quarter, as compared with the

third quarter of 1956, were those of Ger- many, Japan, Liberia, and Great Britain. None of the declines, by nationalities, were as marked, either by number or percent, as the increases. It is worthy of note that Norwegian ships managed to remain in third place this quarter—identical with its standing for the third quarter of 1956—although the number of Norwegian-flag ships declined from 255 in

fiscal 1956 to 229 for the third quarter

of the present fiscal year.

Canal Zone Library Seeks Data On Those Interested

In Blind Reading Material

Information as to the number of blind or partially blind persons living in the Canal Zone who would be interested in reading material transcribed in Braille or recorded "talking books" is now being

collected by the Canal Zone Library.

If sufficient such persons are living

here, the Canal Zone Library may be

designated as a distribution point for such material from the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress requires that an area library, or distribution point

for material for the blind, must serve no

less than 750 blind persons, but its offi- cials may be willing to make a special arrangement which will meet the Canal

Zone's needs. Reading materials provided by the Li- brary of Congress for loan without charge

are available to those "whose central

visual acuity is 20-200 or less in the better eye with correcting glasses, or whose field of vision at its widest diameter subtends

angular distance no greater than 20 degrees." A person with such vision can

read the top line on a standard eye chart, while he is wearmg glasses. Anyone knowing of persons who are

eligible and would be interested in the Library of Congress reading material should write or telephone to Mrs. L. B. Burnham, Canal Zone Librarian at the Main Library in the Civil Affairs Building.

These Are Busy Days For U. S. Schools

(Continued from page lo) equipment waS

provided for Gatun and Margarita and a

concrete playing slab of 120 feet by 60

feet was constructed at the South Margarita School. At Balboa, a covered pass- ageway and loading platform were pro- vided for the Balboa Junior High School and improvements were made in the girls' dressing room at the Balboa swimming

pool. Public toilets were constructed at Gaillard playground. Dressing rooms

were added at the Ancon gymnasium and

soundproofing was accomplished at the Balboa Junior High School, Diablo

Heights, and North Margarita elementary schools. Throughout the school year, there was increased emphasis on physical ed- ucation activities in all the elementary

schools in line with the expanded physical education program.

During the vacation months of June,

July, and August, the Division of Schools

will conduct a playground program for the benefit of those boys and girls who

will not be leaving the Isthmus during

the vacation months. Gymnasiums, swim- ming pools, and playgrounds will be open

with supervised activities. Among the playground activities that will be avail- able are classes in beginners' swimming

for which registration will be held at the swimming pools between the hours of 2 and 4 p. m. from June 10 through June 21. Schools will reopen on September 4, 1957. Enrollments are expected to in- crease the coming year. Principal commodities shipped through the Canal

(All figures in long tons) ATLANTIC TO PACIFIC

Commodity

Petroleum and products (excludes asphalt) Coal and coke

I ron a nd steel manufactures

Metal, scrap Phosphates

Metals, various Soybeans

Ores, various Sugar Cotton Paper and paper products

Tinplate Potash Machinery Ammonium compounds

.Xll others

Total

Third Quarter, Fiscal Years1957

1,206, 877,

775, 507,

377,

174, 167, 160

117, 10499

95

9.V 90

86

1,266,

6,200,261

1956

1,274,686 740,552 520,526

156,356 334,270

31,501 165,998

70,585 119,928

39,802

100,962

75,135 26,042 85,960

162,512

1,272,320

5,177,135

1938

236,644

27,862 362,008

134,275 67,518

104,081 493

7.800 32,587

56,323 90,274

56.451 6,485 40,735

10,409 815,709

2,049,654 PACIFIC TO ATLANTIC

CommoditN'

Ores, various Wheat -- Lumber

Sugar Canned food products. . Bananas

Food products in refrigeration (except fresh

fruit) Petroleum and products (excludes asphalt) Metals, various

Nitrate of soda _ Barley Wool

Coffee Cotton, raw

Copra

.'Ml others -. --

Total

Third Quarter, Fiscal Years1957

1,688,801 908,144

696,316

414,299

325,614

246,484

240,838

235,202

226,993 222,499

177,7,56 116,131 90,729

85,847 85,686

1,000,822

6,762,161

1956

1,495,915

524,0.30 827,379

284,532 313,244

257,619

186,736

1.54,6,39 162,450 375,560

132,991 74,912

87,0,39 78,639 68,118 870,030

5,893,8.33

1938

542,9.36 267,904

632,901 299,404 220,124

23,411

106,820 498,282

165.473

5,30,861 62,089

37,915

53,179

37,801

52,011 782,012

18 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW May 3, 1957
PRICE INDEXES

{Continued from paye J) comparable quality and quantity. Determininft The Market Valne

Th(> first sti'p in preparing these indexes was to find out how the average employee and his family spent their money; in other words, to determine what they bought

over a period of time. A four-week period, between September

11 and October S, 1955, was selected as a sample period for review. During this period, a complete record was kept of all Panama Canal Company consumer sales. The commodity spending pattern of these employees was established by maintaining a complete record of all issues of goods from the various warehouses to the

retail outlets. By grouping every item under its proper category—flour under cereals, detergents under household operations, for instance,

it was possible to determine the relative importance of each item to the consumer. These purchases were analyzed and

averaged to determine: (1) The kinds of goods and services purchased; (2) the

quantities bought and the amount spent

for each article; and (3) the quality of each article. This market basket, or record of ex- penditures, contains the following broad

classifications of goods and services: Food, housuig, apparel, transportation, medical care, personal care, reading and

recreation, and other goods and services. Each of these categories is broken down

into several smaller groups. Food, for example, consists of: Cereals and bakery

products; meats; poultry and fish; dairy products; fruits and vegetables; other food bought to be prepared at home;

food away from home. Not all items are equally important to the average consumer, so each item and

group of items is given a weight which

indicates its relative importance to the consumer. The average householder is apt to spend more money on bread during a month than on rice; bread, therefore, carries a weight of 1.66 while rice has a weight of only .34. Selection Of Items

It would be unnecessary and impossible

to price every item bought by an employee. Consequently, those who pre- pared the price index selected a repre- sentative list of 225 it«ms. They were chosen because of their importance to the consumer and because,

in combination, their price movements re- present those of all goods and services. Each item selected for pricing is so defined that the same item, or one of equal quality, will be priced each period. The prices used are those in effect on the

fifteenth of each month. The items

selected are exactly the same as those used in compiling the U. S. Index. Each month prices are compared with

the average prices during the base period —calendar year 1956, for the Consumer

Price Index—or with published U. S. prices for that month—for the Comparative Index. Percentage price changes

are computed for each item and the rela- tive importance of each item for that month is calculated.

If flour, for instance, has increased 20

percent in price over the previous month,

the weight given flour in the month's

time-to-time index becomes 1.48 as compared with the 1.23 in the base index. In other words, a buyer is spending $1.48

CANAL TRANSITS — COMMERCIAL AND U. S. GOVERNMENT

Third Quarter, Fiscal Years--^ 1957 1956 1938

.'\tlantic 10 PacificPacific to Atlantic Total Total Total

Commercial Vessels: 1,128 125

1,054 109

2,182 234

2,057 209

1,386 *SmalL . - 219

1,253 1,163 2,416 2,266 1,605 **U. S. Government vessels, ocean- 38

49

47

71 85120 63 *Small 83

Total commercial and U. S. 1,340 1,281 2,621 2,412

*\'essels under 300 net tons or 500 displacement tons. **Vessels on which tolls are credited. Prior to July 1, 1951, Government-operated

ships transited free. Canal Commercial Traffic by Nationality of Vessels

Third Quarter, Fiscal Years

Xatioiiality 1957 1956 1 1938 Number of

transits Tons

of cargo Number of

transits Tons

of cargo Number of transits Tons

of cargo

11

1 356

17

1350

12

566

7,08566

2,343,966

104,067

100,771 68,238

85,465

298

19

7 58

8

1,814,576 120,168

57,831

75,391 47,738

348

3

1 626 625

Chilean Chinese

10,012 Colombian . Costa Rican ,. . 2 Danish 56 Ecuadorean.. _ 84

14

820

17235

108

360,014

29,414

30,990

105,395 618,070

323,289

.111,772

77

17926

14528

124

1 32

115

282,484

24,493

,U,891 167,574 449,617

259,957

102,109

10,350 182,631 905,050

161,735 Finnish 1 26

86

1910

4,021 138 30^ German 312,330

96,467 Honduran 3,839

Italian Japanese

39

152 165,9261,115,768

1277

1

31,762 495,136

Liberian ,. . . 168

2 50

11 229

110

104

1,545,708

1,650 244,042

29,892

1,603,271 495,424

50,148

24,032

149

3 39

13 255

100

8

76

2

17 3i

1,260,920 10,429 189,305 21,592

1,380,445 425,983

35,488

43,494

17,513

1,927 72,317 175,163

Netherlands Nicaraguan _ 77 179,917 Norwegian Panamanian

17444

3

2

848,325

56,087 4 008

Philippine

Soviet 31436

1 460

10,103 63,564

196,239

1,180 3,117,665

2 4,375 Swedish 28 187,191 United States 459

11

2,888,442 3,924

9,161

413 2,195,344 Yugoslavian 1 8,642 2 7,300 Total 2,182 12.962,422 2,057 11,070,963 1,386 6,362,777

to purchase the same amount of floiu- he was able to buy for $1.23 during calendar year 1956. While considerable reliance has been

placed on the vast amount of material published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and while the indexes have been pat^ terned to a considerable extent along the

lines of the current U. S. Consumer Price Index, there are several major differences between the index for the United States and that for the Canal Zone. The Canal Zone index is based on the spending pattern of all U. S.-citizen employees and their dependents residing in the Canal Zone. Living habits are diff- erent here from those in the United States. This has influenced, to a considerable extent, the relative importance, or weights,

of certain items. What a family buys in the way of food,

clothing, and recreation materials are all influenced by this geographical difference and consequently certain items are more

important and carry a heavier weight

with the Canal Zone family than they would with its U. S. cotmterpart. The second difference is that the Zone

index takes into account only the Zone

consumer's expenditures in the Zone; the U. S. index covers all spending. In the third place, the Canal Zone

index is based on the buying pattern of both married and single employees; the U. S. index is based on families of two or more persons. These major differences are indicated

to prevent any erroneous conclusions should the Canal Zone and U. S. indexes be compared.

*There is an ob\ioiis lag in movements of food prices in the Canal Zone because of the time interval between purchase date and

final delivery to the C. Z. consumer. Because

of the distance from the market there will undoubtedly be many months when the commodity price movement here will be

inconsistent with comparative price move- ments in the States. May 3, 1957 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 19
AND SHIPPING

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

3 1262 08544 4858

The Ore Prince and her sister ship, the Ore Monarch, together have carried a

total of 1 89,661 tons of Peruvian iron ore on five trips through the Panama Canal

Record Breaker The record for the amount of ore hauled through the Panama Canal in a single shipment was broken again last month when the 15,662-ton Ore Monarch of the Navion Corporation was northbound with

40,594 tons of ore aboard. This is not

only the largest cargo of ore but the

largest cargo of any kind ever carried through the Canal by a smgle ship. The Ore Monarch made her record- breaking trip on April 15. Her load ex- ceeded by 1,401 tons the previous record

carried aboard her sister ship. Ore Prince, on March 4. The Ore Monarch's cargo was out of San Juan, Peru, for Morrisville, Pa. The two ships gross 15,662 tons each, have an overall length of 735 feet and a beam of 98 feet. They are registered under the Liberian flag, and are handled

locally by Payne & Wardlaw. New Look

The Matson Line's 24,762-ton Matsonia, which was taken through the Canal

last April as one of the largest "dead"

tows ever to make the transit, will return

to the Isthmus May 31 under her own

power with more than 700 cruise passengers aboard. The 24-year-old vessel was recently transformed into one of the most modern

and up-to-date luxury liners afloat. The

work, done at a Newport News shipyard, included air conditioning throughout, re- placement or overhaul of all engines, and

the complete redecoration of all public salons and cabins. Due in Cristobal May 31 from New

York via Haiti, Nassau, and other West

Indian ports, the vessel will make the

transit the same day and sail at 2 a. m., June 1, for San Francisco via Acapuico, Mexico. After her coast-to-coast cruise, she will join the Matson Line fleet run- ning between San Francisco and Hawaii. The Matsonia, operated during the war

as the transport Monterey, was towed

through the Canal last April with the

assistance of five Panama Canal tugs working in relays. She will be represented

here by Norton, Lilly. Tropical Travellers According to an estimate made by

Atlantic side shipping men, a total of 13,383 tourists disembarked in Cristobal from 28 ships and visited various points

of interest in Panama and the Canal Zone

during the official tourist season which

started in November. Of this number,

6,836 cruise passengers made a partial transit of the Panama Canal aboard the excursion feiryboat Presidente Porras as part of their tour of the Isthmus. The estimated number of tourists this year did not include those passengers who

arrived here aboard the Panama Line

vessels and other ships regularly sched- uled to call at Canal ports. The Cunard Lme cruise ship Caronia brought several hundred more visitors to Balboa Thui'sday when she arrived here

after a 108-day round-the-world cruise. The ship is due to make the Canal transit today, and will sail for New York at 6 p. m. Utopia Right Here

E\-eryone dreams of Utt)pia but the

residents of Cristobal have it anchored

TRANSITS BY OCEAN-GOING

VESSELS IN MARCH

19-56 1957 Commercial 712 808

U. S. Government 32 v^2 Total _. 744 840 TOLLS * Commercial $3,073,307 $3,608,748 U. S. Government- 198,079 110,103 Total $3,271,396 $3,718,851

* Includes tolls on all vessels, ocean-going and small. 20 THE PANAMA

at the Panama Canal Yacht Club. The Atlantic side Utopia is a 65-foot schooner a\\-ned and operated by Fred J. Peterson, of Sturgeon Bay, Wis. The

skipper and a crew of six brought the

sailing vessel to Cristobal from Sturgeon Bay by way of Chicago, New Orleans, St. Petersburg, Fla., Havana, Cuba, and Ja- maica. When it sails from Cristobal and makes the Canal transit southbound, as

it is scheduled to do soon, the Utopia

will start on a round-the-world cruise with the Galapagos Islands as her first port of call. Bunkering Brisk March was the busiest month in ten years for the Marine Bunkering Section

of the Terminals Division. During that

period, figures show that the load in terms

of barrels of petroleum products handled was the highest since the end of the last war.

Division officials attributed the in- crease, in the most part, to the increase

in the number of ships being diverted from the Suez to the Panama Canal, and

to an increase in trade to and from the Far East. Lots of Cargo

Cargo handling activities of the Terminal Division also reflected a considerable

increase over previous months on both

sides of the Isthmus. The increase in March was more or less anticipated since

at this time of the year large shipments

of cotton and coffee are received from

Latin American countries for trans-ship- ment to world markets. On the Pacific side the busy period was made ever busier by the handling of 11,500 tons of scrapiron and steel which was loaded aboard

the Japanese freighter Fukuzan Man.

This was the largest single shipment of scrap handled at a Canal Zone port. Japanese Fishers Five Japanese whale catchers, part of

the former Olympic whaling fleet sold last year by the Onassis Company to the Kyokuyo Hogei K. K., arrived in Balboa

from the South Pacific u'haling grounds

during April and took on bunkers here

in preparation for the trip home to Japan. The whaling boats, now named the Otari Maru Nos. 6, 7, 10, //, and 18, were under

the Panama flag until June 1956. They

were handled here by C. Fernie and Com

pany. Migration By Sea A group of 358 Hungarian refugees en

i-oute from Europe to Wellington, New

Zealand, where they will make their new

homes, made the trip through the Canal

during April aboard the Rotterdam Lloyd

ship Sihajak. Sponsored by the Intergov- ernmental Committee for European Migration under the U. S. Escapee Program,

the refugees included men, women, and

children. They are among the first Hungarian refugees to come through the Panama Canal. The ship here was handdied by C. B. Fenton & Company. CANAL REVIEW May 3, 1957