The Cairo bulletin., 1907-07-22
PREPARING FOR
PANAMA CANAL
SOUTH AMERICAN GOVERNMENTS
IMPROVING THEIR HARBORS
IN ANTICIPATION
MANY MILLIONS SPENT
Al Buenos Ayres, Rio Janeiro, Val
paraiso and Other Places--AlI
to Take Advantage of Canal
Trade.


Washington. July 81 Some inter-
eseing fig res Rve been complied
here based on the work being under
itaken by South American countries
lin preparing their harbors and water
ways against the completion Of the
Panama Canal PreEara ion is halt
tine victory In peace as well as In war.
and the aLtin,Americans are not 10 be
Icaught mapping when the last shovel.
ful OF dirt is tossed out Of the hig
ditch by Uncle Sam. and the waters OF
the Atlantic and Pacific oceans are
linked to advance the commerce of
tho world
/ A notable instance OF foresight il
found In the action Of the Argentine
Republic In Improving the harbor Of
| Bnenos Ayres. Thirty years ago no
large ships could come within twenty
| or hirty miles Il that city and there
were no channels wharves or docks
At an oufhy OF a cool s50,000,0O the
harbor now IL magnlicently equipped
and on Its tide ride the ships Of everg
commercc seeking nation OF the
world
The Argentine Republic thus spent
lon ne undertaking the amount the
Va ional Rivers and Harbors congress
3 urging the rich United States to de-
ote annually and ssatter over mum
~ Mt f,,axt
schemes The request will be bro ght
prominently before the next congress,
and the organization is working to
increase is membership to include
avery shipping and business interest
In the country, so that its appeal may
be representative sf every section ANA
Of all classes. Capa j. r. Ellison.
Its secretary and treasurer, reports
from Cincinnati that he membership
ss growing rapidly
Another big city 10 the south OF the
United States Is Rio Janeiro on the
harbor Of which the government lf
BMzil is spending 100000, 900 FUR
ther expenditure Of s25,000,0O0 is %
be made for ihe Improvement 4 the
Amazon river and It's tributaries
This viii open up the interior of a
river country and will mean more to
Brazil than anything that the govern
nent ever has undertaken
Then there Is Chile. Despite the
recent earthquake and the country's
urgent need for funds for the rehah-
ilitation of its cities, the government
believes the work of such vital Inn
Isortance 10 its prosperity that 1t has
SCI ASIDE $l5,00o,000 for improvements
70 the harbor of Valparaiso. Colon
Dia, too, Is preparing A foreign loan
Is being negotiated to improve the
river, which flows north
ward from Ecuador. 1t is proposed TO
make this river navigable for seven
hundred miles into the interior
There are a number of other gigan-
ic Improvement schemes, all relating
to waterways or harbors under way
Or contemplated by other South Am.
erisan republics. The figures on these
last are not yet wholly available, but
hey aggregate many millions. For
the next eight CT ten years the South
American program of waterway devel.
)pmenf will be crowded
shis country also is awakening to
he necessity for being ready to take
Advantage Of the big trade that the
opening OF the Panama Canal will en-
gender. The work of the National
Rivers and HarbOrs Congress In
irousng the American people T. this
reed Is beginning 10 bear fruit II is
highly probable that the Slxtie h CON
;ress will pass rivers and harbo-s
appropriation bill at the long session
hat viii eclipse the record one voted
" the Piftyninth congress in its final
Lays.