The age-herald., 1900-02-18

bldlc anu IOTelBH sIOudy ted the report of the committee in favor of the Hepburn bill for constructing the Nica- ragua canal. The report says, in part:
 eff the provisions of the bill can be car ried out the United States will within a few years (from six to eght) be in full own ership and control of a waterway connect ing the oceans, that it can defend, and that it can use in the interests of it's navy and its merchant marine as wisdom may dictate.
 There seems to be but little doubt that the states of Nicaragua and Costa Rica will give their consent for the construction of this great work. These states are friendly disposed toward our government and our people, and have interests connected with it that are in proportion to wealth and pop ulation even greater than ours It will tra- verse either the border or interior of Niea- ragua for distance of about 12O miles. It
 will give to the state a waterway from it's capital and its most productive region to
 the sea. It will place that country on one Of the great waterways of the world, bring ing it into immediate contact with a large foreign commerce and those who conduct 1t. The splendid soil and climate of their d6iASditu4d al ItBlOHS VIII De inducements
 to compel immigration In very many ways the state will have advantages not now pos sessed and that will be for a long time lost if another route by which the oceans are connected should be adopted All of these considerations induce the belief that these two enlightened states will be glad to aid our government cordially and efficiently in carrying out this great design.
 Reports Jus,iiy ,i,. Work
 After reviewing the several surveys the report continues:
 These reports above referred to, the opinions of the engineers and scientists be- Leved ito be entirely competent for their work, justify your committee in recom- mending the undertaking of the enterprise as one fairly practicable, and one that can be completed for sum of money, the ex- penditure of which will be wise.
 ''It Is true that the estimates of costs are variable, ranging as they do from less than $40, 900 900 to possible $145, ,000 900. It is ex- pectSd, however, proper to say that the size and character of the channel estimated for is as variable as is the cost
 The earliest estimates were for Q canal suited to the ships of tho time The later estimates are for ships of this time. Eff teen feet deep and sixty feet wide was the size of Hhe e1rder project. Thirty feet depth and 150 feet width are the dimensions of the later proposed canal.
 Your committee suggests in discussing the cash remuneration that will come to the United States from the ownership of this canal estimates can only bc made, and there has been before the committee as witnesses and by writers on this subject, as to the extent of the use that would be made of the canal by the shipping world. One gentle- man has said that in his judgment not more than 300000 tons would pass through the ValI . nnn nnn tons would pass through the canal. Gentle- men connected with the Maritime Canal company gave it as their opinion that five or six millions of tonnage would be the amount that would pass through the canal annually. Of course we have the right to assume that whatever the amount be, it would be an increasing amount from year to year. At present $1.50 per ton is the toll charged for the use of the SueZ canal. If that rate was the rate charged alt the Nicaragua canal and 4,0O0 900 be the tonnage passing through it an aggregate sum of more than $6 000 900 would be the receipts. It is estimated that the cost of maintaining and operating the canal would be $1,00O,OOO annually. If the United States borrowed the money to invest in the enterprise this sum would pay the annual interest, the cost of maintaining and operating and leave surplus of more than million dollars. And with increasing tonnage we might reason- ably hope for such accumulaitions of surplus that would tin few years fully reimburse the government for dts outlay. Or If It should be the policy to use the canal to stimulate the building up of our merchant marine it could be made most powerful factor. A British vessel trading from any port in Great Britain to Hong Kong, char tering a 5000 ton vessel and using the Suez canal must pay as tolls a sum in excess or SIS 900 for the round voyage. His American rival travelling from New York to Hong Kong using the Nicaragua canal free or toll because he used a vessel made in an American ship yard out of American mate rial and by American labor and loaded Wtth American merchandise would possess mark ed dvantage-advantage so marked as to make 1t his interest to stimulate American ship building.
 In Favrr of Our Merchants
 "It is this kind of canal that may Joe used this way, discriminating against our merchants and our ship builders ana our labor eff such s27ould be the policy of the governmenD, and! that your committee are anxious to secure
 Your committee are aware that taere are a number of persons wno claim to have concessions from the governments or Nicaragua and Costa Rica investing them with rights to navigate the san Juan rlVer and Lake Nicaragua. Others claim to be authorized to construct this great water way connecting the oceans. But it is be- lieyed by your committee that these rights have either lapsed or are of inconsideraole value or have been obtained for speeula- tive purposes However this may be, IL should be the purpose of the government to deal directly with the governments or Nicaragua and Costa Rica; those govern ments can adjust all ques ions growing out of these concessions much more easily than can the United States.
 .'It is not believed that any one of these real or alleged concessionaries have any rights or interests that they can convey to the United States And it is not deemed wise to have any joint interest or inter- ests or co-partnership, or any interest growing out of corporate relations with any of these persons. It is our opinion that the people of the United States want a government canal, one that will be com- pletely under the control of the United States.
 Rights of Other Nations
 Tt Is claimed by some persons that by creating this short passage to our Pacific possessions would be an invasion of the