New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-29
MORE MONEY NEEDED.
canal FUNDS RUN Low.
Eo.sress Must Act Promptly to
Pyepent Stoppage of Big Work'
IT.prn The Tribune suresu-l


u.~ntn~4on Oct cS-The necessity for fniriie-
"a. a. LEGISLATION providing an appropriation TOT
~. continuance of work on the Panama Cate'i
~s,, confront Congress soon as 1t asseIhoieS'
m. entire amount OF the S10o00ooo heretofore
concentrated Will have been exhausted pS DC
remser 81 and only an appropriation hiaue w
fore the Christmas recess of Congress can pic
vent work on the istflnus from coming 70 q
dad stop. with perhaps hardship and suffer-
ing TO the Iaborers and employees. to pay whom
there will be no funds
An official statement issued to-day py the
panama Canal Commission shows that a bal
a,,ce of sc. 0SS, 415 53 remained at the oIsposal
Of the commission on June so hut 1t is further
.scertained that on October this sum had been
reduced 70 approximately Sa.50o,0o0. and at the
nresent rate of expenditure. which cannot be
curta,led that amount will be completely "ipou
out In the next two months.
In addition to the sums expended ano 10 pe
expended before the end Of the year. large SUMS
viii fall due next year for contracts alresoy ie'
three items alone, for locomotives, freight cars
and steam shovels. amount TO s@'o@8'Voo III
round numbers and numerous smaller cohuaces
have been let OF the expenditures since june
Ro the largest was for the purchase Of two
sl,ips the Havana and the Mexico when were
bought for the Panama Railroad Company and
,.ased 70 that corporation, and now in COM
,rtssfou between New-York and Panama These
vessels were purchased out Of the funds OF the
commission because the Panama Railroad had
not sufficient in Its treasury to permit of so
large en- investment the s1,3oo,oO0 they cost
NO TIME TO WASTE
Congress will find itself confronted with the
necessity OF approaching further funds for the
prosecution of the canal work. without ex-
tended discussion of what it is pleased to term
organic act
OF course Congress has itself to blame for
this situation. The urgent representations of
the President and of Secretary Taft have never
been needed by either house OF Congress, and
both Senate and House committees have wasted
two entire sessions OF Congress in pickering and
uuarrelIing over their respective prerogatives,
when they should have been enacting coInpre-
hensfve legislation, so that it became necessary
for Senator Spooner to jump into the preach
and draft for the Senate Committee, OF winch
r. vss not even q member compromise meas
ure which would at least save the adinlIilstra-
ton from embarrassment and the caI4 WORN
from stagnatioE. ~ o,o
ndouted there was 10 time to frame conlpro-
hensfve legislation, and all power 10 oifecI saiiu
control the Canal Commission was conferred on
che President When a year ago, it was sus-
rested by the administration that tne eAiSliiAs
commission WAS unwieldy and should be reduced
again Elared at each other over their respective
prerogatives and individual members sacrinced
general legislation to the interest OF their per
EonaI friends on the commission until II became
too late to accomplish anything, and the status
of the commission and the absence OF oeIsiieu
legislation were permitted to continue
CAREFUL HANDLING OF FUNDS
Even the simple legislation necessary to make
available the $50 1000, coo issue previously au-
thoraze5 fell before the irreconciliable DIFFER
ences of the respective committees, and only the
beet of management Of the canal funds has pre-
vented the commission from being confronted
with a deficiency before Congress again con-
yeues Under provision of general Legislation
of the last session of Congress. the Cabinet
officer who permitted liabilities 10 be incurred
"a the face of deficiency liable TO all sorts
of dire punishment
In so far as direction and supervision Of the
canal is concerned there is little doubt that the
people at large are entirely satisfied with the
existing status, and that any effort on the part
of Congress TO delegate or curtail the powers
now vested in the President would prove most
unpopular 1t is equally certain that the public
will censure Congress in no uncertain terms II
1t fails Immediately, and without a moment
wasted In useless pickering, to appropriate the
funds necessary for the uninterrupted prosecu-
$sov, Of ft,a al xs-ar