New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-08-22
CANAL WORK AND FUNDS.

That is an interesting state Of affairs at Pan
ana which is disclosed - current Official
statement We are informed that construction
work is outstripping the supply Of funds tor
payment 1t would be possible TO spend this
wear SS,OOO00O more than was Appropriated
or. to express it more accurately, it would De
possible TO do this year SS000O00 worth of
work more than there has been money provided
to pay for The commission is. therefore. con-
fronted with the alternative of delaying opera
tons and doing much less than could be done,
or of going ahead with the work beyond appro-
priations and trusting TO Congress TO provide
for the deficiency in its accounts
There is apparently a most formidable OBJ
stacle TO the latter course The law explicitly
forbids, under penalty. any officer 10 exceed IN
his expenditures the amount CT his approprla-
ton. Moreover, 1t requires an appropriation
which like that for canal work is TO be ex-
pended throughout the year to be divided into
twelve portions, and forbids the spending in
any month of more than the share apportoned
thereto-excepting any remainder which may
have been left over from a preceding month
But il is possible in some cases TO make eXcep-
tons TO this latter provision The law provides
that in an emergency the head Of department
NAV authorize a redistribution Of the appro-
priation, so that monthly portions may be used
before their time. Of which transaction he must
make to the House of Representatives a salts
factory statement and explanation. 1t would
appear to be possible, then, for the Secretary of
War regarding the present state of affairs as
an emergency, formally to authorize the spend
ing Of the ,=ear's appropriation more rapidly
than at the rate OF one-twelfth q month. In
that case of course, Il would all be exhausted
before the END of the fiscal year, June 30 next,
and the Secretary would have to depend upon
CONGRESSES making a deficiency appropriation
before that time, on receiving his statement
corning the redistribution. We can scarcely
suppose that Congress would in this case hest
tate TO make such appropriation. For 1t
surely intended to appropriate all the money
that would be needed for pushing the work with
all possible energy, and If 1t had known SS,O00.-
900 more could be advantageously spent this
year it would have appropriated that additional
sum.
There can be no doubt either that 1t IS de-
sirabe to push the work as rapidly as possible
consistently with the best possible plans and
most thorough workmanship. There is no econ
omy in delay; on the contrary, there Will be
economy in expedition and IN getting returns
from the vast investment az the earliest possible
date. We need scarcely refer TO the strategic
and other reasons which have for years been
urged in favor of the prompt construction OF the
canal. They are all valid, and they every
whit as pertinent and as urgent now as they
were when they were first put forward. Hith-
erto the fear has been that the work would
take much longer than was estimated. 1t
should be highly gratifying to know that it is
proceeding much more rapidly than was ex-
pected. Seeing that the nation has ample funds
for the purpose and that Congress has already
authorized the entire appropriation needed, it
would be deplorable TO be compelled to dismiss
workmen and shut down work and thus delay
the completion of the canal, Just because Con-
gress did not expect the engineers and laborers
to he so efficient.
When a great work is proceeding more favor
ably than 1t expected to do there should
certainly be no ground for complaint The
plain duty of the situation is TO keep 1t going
at full speed.