New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-04
LETTEPS TO THE EDITOR.
CANAL md COMMERCE.
Hosc the Panama Strait WI affect
European Steamship Lanes.


To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir: When the Panama Canal is coI'pee -
,,e,as ~ traffic we have been led to believe 'H''
the commerce of the world viii undergo d oon
,,lete transformation and With it that OF me ~
t;nept OF South America. This is the poPl .
lief of course. founded upon nasty s 80 hat
Taking into consideration the important "a -
,.-,. ttan tlree-fc,lrtlls of the foreign co4iil
Of south America is with Europe ana eait .,u
European steamships. it is apparent nc +a5a
,.,,e-,ce OF the Panama Canal IN oi'eie- -
fror, rresert lines OF communication mus. 10
- ,,,,r steamship lines operating from the &c
-ri,ni,,.- ,,orts of Europe. The crcums taii00 -,
The canal will shorten the voyage from Nv -
90 vaiparsiso by about $500 miles has no oeaII
-, rho question whatever The prlhclPal l
-. -. ,s with Liverpool. and the canal VIII
xborren the distance between those points US o"1S
100 miles approximately. and afforo no
intermediate traffic counterbalance the losS %
casionet1 bv giving up the longer route obviously
the prohtableness OF regular commercial iou'e
g Of much more Importance than its distance COM
nsred with q shorter line Of communication me
definite solution OF the problem therefore cahlo'
be determined by the cutting Of the Panama Canal
Let US now consider how that great work VIII
affect South America and its foreign trade IN me
first place the canal will be of no benefit whatever
20 the republics of the Atlantic Coast on the con
4rary it will exert pre1udical influence upon
their revenues and upon their European trade 20
the extent that it draws away steamship trafnc
from, their ports The Zealand steamships
will of course, make use of the canal. as their
calls az Montev1deo and Rio de Janeiro are for coai
rather than for cargo. and those ports will there
fore lose in revenues and shipping facilities through
the change. The diversion of the Gillian and Pc
rJyian trade from the Straits OF Magellan route,
or even division OF it. will result also in serious
prejudice to those Atlantic ports Of Brazil Url-
quay and Argentina used as ports Of call by
the steamship lines trading between Europe and
the Pacific Coast
Just how the canal will affect these steamship
lines may be easily foreseen- The German Kosmos
line. which makes only two Atlantic cals-Monte-
yfdeo and the FaIklands-and then trades along
the Pacific Coast all the way UP 10 San Francisco
will naturally use the canal II viii be found
one line of steamers north Sa1 Francisco, Wnlch
viii return oyer me same :9gte anu an9tner me
OF returning over the same route Or through the
will lose in revenues and shipping facilities
With the Pacific Steam Navigation Company, of
Liverpool however the problem is altogether dill
ferent This company operates a feet OF large
the Atlantic ports OF Pernambuco Bahia. Rio
Janeiro, Monteyideo Buenos Ayres and Port STAN
Francisco n this cempanv's interests were con
fined solely to the Pacific Coast trade is the case
with the hosmos line, transfer to the Panama
point. would manifestly be the better arrangement
But this is not the case. Its steamers enjoy.
lucrative freight and passenger traffic with the
Atlantic ports above mentioned. and. believe,
STANLEY. The traffic in steerage passengers from
Portugal 10 Brazil and from Spain to The River
lsborers 10 sIsrl ir The ase,1t me 1x,eat p
which has become peculiar and interesting feat
are IN the economic situation there, and have
company could afford ignore. 1t is true that the
Mediterranean steamers carry the greater part of
these migratory laborers but the PACING steamers
get small part. and Will get more when the coffee
planters of Brazil wise enough to solve their
labor troubles in the same way.
Under these circumstances it cannot be expected
that the Pacific company will make any change
is copcerned There IS one nos sg 3l
ana that Is tne opening OF the transandean rail-
way between Buenos Ayres and Valparaiso Should
compete for the transportation of Chifs foreign
Trade, which they easily do in connection with
their service at Buenos Ayres. then the straits
Pacific Company viii find it eXpedient to 1-1 divide
its service at Liverpool, sending one line of
steamers to the South Atlantic and another to the
pend; as have said. on the policy and manag cement
competition afforded by the canal In this
respect the antagonsm the canal of Brazil Uru-
quay and Argentina must be counted upon
When the effects of q transfer of traffic to tile
7 Brazil and Argentina we may expect to see not
only decided change Of sentiment toward it but
diversion traffic Should this lead 10 Al more
liberal policy toward foreign steamships sIcI1 ae
lover port charges, less vexatious customs rcGu-
coastwise trai it may not be fIposBie f6r N
TO hold the greater part of the trade now nassng
1Ro; n, doors 10 TINS an exception should be made
par OF The English traffic would naturally pre-
Ter the canal route should the Royal Mail or some
other company open regular communication with
the PACING Coast through that channel
steamship lines from Europe "a f- AtIsTtic orts
81 South ATnerfca-British. German French Span
for the Gillian trade soon as the transandcan
railway Is open TO traffic. The railway viii afford
Iaiso and if efficiently operated without any IN
strong competitor Of the canal for the foreign trade
ithaca, \, 7, Nov p 1855 I. 800 = =.