The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1901-05-16
NEW TRANSPORT LINE.
Likely TO Be Established Between New
York and Manila.

NEW YORK. May IA special to
the Times from washington says:
A proposition has been laid before
Secretary Root Tor the establishment OF
n transport line from New York to Ma
nila by way Of the Suez canal. The Sec
retary now has the matter under con-
sideration and will probably decide up
on II shortly.
The plan is not to supeTsede the Pa
clfic transport line but to have two
lines and the chief argument in its
favor is that Of economy. 1t now costs
about s65 to get soldier from New
York TO Manila and the transport line
saves the government about SS0O,0O0 on
each round trip. From New York TO
San Francisco ii costs about SS5, II the
war department arranges things so as
TO take advantage Of the colony rate.
From San Francisco to Manila 1t COSTS
about $50. whereas the private citizen
who wants TO go from San Francisco
10 Manila cannot do II under Sl55 with
out reckoning the expenses OF an en-
forced stay at Hong Kong Of several
days A soldier could be taken from
San Francisco to Manila for about $3.50
bv a private line.
The exponents Of the Suez canal plan
believe that the expense could be still
further reduced by running an eastern
transport line The cost Of taking a
soldier from New York TO Manila by
transport through the Suez cana! is on
Iy about s26. At first sight this appears
a conclusive argument in favor OF the
Atlantic plan, but other things enter.
The cost is s26 If the transport can
bring a soldier back in place Of the one |
she takes across: If she comes back |
empty the cost will be s52, for It costs |
just as much to bring the ship back |
as 1t does TO send her out. But even
S52 man would be cheaper than the |
present Pacific route. It is. however. |
maintained by opponents Of the plan
that there are incidental expenses which |
might bring the total cost much high |
er. for example the cost of maintaining |
transportation facilities in New York
II is quite impossible 10 do away with |
the Pacific transport line and il has |
not been entertained for a minute II |
the Atlantic line is to be established. |
It would not supersede the Pacific line
A compromise plan favored by some
army officials is to run an Atlantic line |
as an adjunct to the Pacific line. Un- |
der this plan there would be no regu- |
lar transport line with transports max
ing trips at stated intervals A trans
Port could. instead, run out from New
York at irregular intervals whenever |
it was thought best to send one from
there instead Of from San Francisco
This would, in the opinion Of these
officers who favor 1t. make the savings
in expense certain, for 1t would enable |
the government TO send out transport
only when troops were to return or at
other times when the expenses could
certainly be figured down to the min
imum. If a regular line We're run,
just as is the case at San Francisco.
the government would, they argue, be
obliged to send out ships whether the
expense was s52 or s26 a soldier. The
trouble with this compromise plan is
that it will not be acceptable TO those
citizens who are anxious for the main
tenance of a transport line on account
Of its convenience and other advantages.
The irregularity Of an adjunct line
would destroy all its attractivenss to
them.