Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-12-07
sou TRERA BUSINESS
MEN ARE GATHtk2
At WASHINGTON :
COmQerCldl Congress Opens
With Addresses by Prom
inent Men Of
Nation.
SAYS PANAMA CANAL
WILL EXTEND TRADE
Secretary Wright in Speech Points
Out Benefits That viii Re-
suit From Completion
Of the Big
Task.


proye an epoch in the commercial de-
velopment of the south was the open
ing today of the Southern Commercial
congress, an assemblage of leaders in
the nations business affairs. whose
mission is to discuss the resources and
industrial possibilities Of the South.
This congress is one of several that
assemble here this week for a more
thorough study of the problem of
conservation.
Among the speakers today were
Secretary Strauss of the department
OF commerce and labor, chairman of
the meeting; Surgeon General Wyman
of the public health and marine hos
pital service; Secretary of War Luke
Wright, and John F. Wallace of New
York city.
Secretary wright's speech dealt
with the possibilities of commerce for
the South with the opening of the
Panama canal. He said in part:
Secretary Wright carefully an
alyzed the trade situation in this
country and throughout the world In
relation to the Panama canal and de-
clared that it was not possible to full
ly predict the effect of the Isthmian
Waterway "a pun Tic COllAAilGANC Va va
rious industrial nations. The canal,
he said is built for the world al
though the labor and expense of lis
construction fall upon the United
States.
Though we shorten the distance
that separates US from the markets
we desire to reach" said Mr Wright,
1--WE give similar if not equal aivan-
tage to our competitors. Though we
add to our own industries we en-
courage the industries of others, and
though we increase our own trans
portation facilities we afford oppor-
Junity for the same or 6 eater in
crease elsewhere. All of this, truly
is for the progress of the world and
for the benedt of mankind; yet it is
doubtful if these altruistic purposes
would be sufficient in thems Ives or
that the canal would now be bu ldins
if we could not reasonably exp ct to
proht commercially more than the
others we help
The price Of transportation, MT.
Wright said, often means more than
the cost of production to competitors
lor trade. or this reason the first
advantage lies with the producer near
en- the distance to foreign markets
the United States is now devoting, ne
said, the best of its talents and mil
lions of dollars in removing the few
miles Of rock across the sthmus.
that separates the two great oceans
and carries US from the competition
for the trade of the Pacidc.
Mr.. Wright referred 10 the prob
able effect of the canal in shortening
distances for European nations as
well as the United States. Speaking
Ol the trade of western South Am
erica, he said. In the past Great
Britain ana Germany hdye almost
wholly supplied tnis need. The Uni-
ted states supplies less than 10 per
cent Of the imports TO the west coast
of South America. The complq I on
Of the canal should in tlc future g.ve
to the United States the same dom
nance in this region tnat 10 eNerc. c.seI I
in countries similarly situated Can
ada draws nearly 80 per cent Of her
imports from u; and nOtWlthstand-
ing the greater difficulties of trans
pOrtat.On We still furnish 49 per
cent OF her imports to Mexico; and
80 per cent OF theirs to Venezuela and
Colombia.
while a marked effect Of the can
al will thus Oe the reduction in dis
tance along the routes between the
Atlanta ports of the United States
and the Pacific ports Of the two Am
ericas, this is second in Importance
only to the greater trade oppOr.uui-
ties that seemingly must result for US
IN the Eastern Hemisphere. We
have large and increasing COM
merce with China. Aus-ral a New
zealand, the Hawaiian and tn
Philippine Islands, and other Pacific
regions. Where these viii not b
brought closer to our doors by the
Panama canal We SHAH, at lcasr,
have the choice of two routes iu
reaching them. Thus as with jap
an and China, the present rout give
an ady7n'aPe To Europe. whi the
canal may reserve. At present tn
distance from New York to Austral
by way OF the Suez canal and by way
of the Cape OF Good Hope Is practic-
ally the same. BY the Panama canal
New York will be brought nearly A.
600 miles nearer to sydney and over
500 miles nearer to Adelaide he