Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-05-15
On tho COltTOV0Tted Question Of
tbe Right Of the ISihmial
Canal Commission
TO PURCHASE ABROAD
4 ths Supplies Which Are Required
Can be Secured Cheaper in Foreign
Countries Than in America.
- 30. pisnalea nY sneel. wlre,


Wellington. May i5.-The President
,,Is, transmitted to Congress a letter
t,on Secretary Taft accompanied by
annendices. bearing on the controverted
WESTON OF the right OF the Isthmian
9snal Commission to purchase supplies
sbroad if they can be secured cheaper
hsn In America The President simply
stotes that the views expressed by Sec
,sts-y Taft in the affirmative have his
hll approval.
TT Tbe letter Of Secretary Taft to the Presi-
don't relates 30 the purchase of dredges
Sor tse in the construction OF the Panama
canal In this particular case, says
Sscretarv Taft, were nine bids for the
cors.rlction OF two seagoing suction
dre3ces one 20 be used at Colon and the
otbeT at La Bocha, on the Pacific side
III The Isthmus. The FIRST low bid was
submitted by the Maryland Steel Co. of
Snarrows Point Md. at S724 $50. and the
sdo,nd bv the Scotch firm OF Simons d
n of Renfrew, at 1854 600. The Mary
land dredpes were to be delivered at
SneroNs Point and the Scotch on the
CIvde but the Scotch firm offered TO
deliver them as Cristobal and La Boca
Al an advance from the contract price of
sl- $50 for the FIRST and S34 ,020 for the
second
Having in mind certain arguments
advanced by the Maryland Steel Co. in
favor of these bids. the Secretary says:
The result of these comments seems
tobe that there under any circumstances
difference in favor of the bid of Simons
Il Co. of about eight per cent of the total
eypenditme There is no question OF the
bigh standing of both bidders and no
doubt that If the bid of either is accepted
Il will be satisfactorily performed. The
exact question now presented is whether
ON the sole ground that one bidder Is an
American manufacturing corporation and
the other is Scotch the lsthmian Canal
Commission shall pay to the Maryland
companv from 500 900 to $4,000 more
for TWO steel dredges than the price al
which il may buy these dredges from
simons 81 Co. In my letter of January
18th. 1905. in which transmitted TO YOU
the first report of the Isthmian Canal
Commission I invited your attention tc
he general policy to be pursued in cases
ike this
In the letter referred to the Secretary
lppealed to Congress 10 specifically di
rect him whether or not he should con
anue this policy Of purchasing IN The
heap market, but he remarks that NJ
lction has since been taken by Congress
9n this subject Coming down TO th'
experience Of the army in the Philip
pines. the Secretary shows that largl
mounts of meat have been purchased
from Australia, instead of from th'
United States because its cost was sbou
one-hali of that brought from the Pacih
coast
Therefore, says the Secretary. eth
result Of a consideration Of general prin
ciples Of law and the practices of tn
government in the absence of specific di
rection to the contrary is that IN the con
stucion of the Panama Canal in th
Canal Zone on the Isthmus. which is out
side the tariff wall surrounding tn
United States proper and into which
by virtue of the Hay-Narilla treaty wit
the Republic OF Panama, material sur
plies and machinery Of all kinds for Oh
construction Of the canal are to be intrt
ducod free from tariff or imports. it
your duty to buy where you can obtai
the material, supplies and machinery q
the cheapest price, other conditions wit
respect 10 quality, prompt delivery, &c
beng equal This view It seems to M
Is confirmed by the failure of Congress
direct any different course on your par
although the matter was brought to il
attention more than a year ago, and yoi
view of your duty in the premises,
Congress took no further action, W.
clearly indicated"