The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-30
MINORITY FOR LOCK
MuLARp MAKES REPORT TO THE
 SENATE.
stand Taken Ia That President should he Allowed to he the Whole Thing While Congress
 HoIds It's Hands.

Washington. May 2s.--In recommen- dation of the construction of lcck canal across the Isthmus of Panama the minority of the Senate Commtttee on Interoceanic canals has drafted an exhaustive report. which was submit tsd to the Senate today by Chairman Willard. One of the chief arguments made in favor of the lock canal is that the spooner act shows that Congress intended that should be the type, all though the authority to decide was conferred on the President, The mi- nority says;
 The President having taken the advice of competent engineers and or ths canal commission has recommend ad that if is advisable to construct a lock canal
 The minority declares that the only question presented Is whether Congress shall annui the action of the President or shall simply hold It's hand and all low the President to exercise the power which has heretofore been com ferred upon him.
 The canal type proposed by the mi- nority of the board of consulting en- aineers is the lock canal, which is the type favored by the minority of the Senate committee.
 The report argues that "the plan is well balanced for it will take just about the same time to construct the dam, excavate for the locks and build the locks as it does to make thNneed- ed excavation through the Culehra cut, period of not more than seven and half years, Everything else to be done before the three dams form ing Lake Sosa. the dam and look at pcdro Miguel ran be completed with in this tine.. The cost of the canal is $1a0, coo. .0oe. This includes everything but the sanitation S2d it. of course. includes the equipment already pur- chased ana preparation for eonstruc- tion already made.
 The central feature of the plan Is the dam and locks at Gatun and the minority says the evidence is over wheimin9 that the dam will be as firm as the everlasting hills. Testi- m ny o' engineers Is quoted to refute criticisms of the dam.
 In answer to objections to the scheme of having locks placed in flight. the minority says they are placed immediately together so that highest level in one lock immediately 1 in the low level of the next lock Locks thus arranged in flight or in steps, SO to sneak. are well known devices in | lock construction and no more of an l experiment than a single lock" It Is argued that the 500 canal de- monstrates that 1t is entirely possible to Install and maintain system or I lock machinery which will work with the utmost sfnoothness and that the liability of accident Is practically ex- cluded The criticisms of w. Henry Hunter. chief engineer of the Man chester ship canal are referred to as "FTxtreme statements" and the reports charges that the accidents at that ca nal were because sufficient "precau- tions and instrumen tallties' have not been adopted. such as have prevented similar accidents in the Soo canal.
 Transformation of lock system into a sea level one. the report says, could he affected without interfering with the trahic in the lock canal. The cost Of such transformation, however, Is estimated at S206,OOO,000- The cost of maintenance of the lock canal Is estimated at S2.50O,OoG a year.
 A large part of the report ia dc- voted 10 objections to the sea level canal. chief of which It says is the nroblem of controlling the waters of tbe ChaRres river This is done by Construction by several big dams. but in spite of these. said the minority, a current of varying force would be made in the sea level canal between Obispo and the shores of Limon Bay.
 The sea level canal says the re-