The Evening standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1910-1913, 1910-12-06

products of the Philippines, and has
opened the Philippine markets to
American manufactures. The rapid
increase In the trade between the two
countries is shown in tho following
figures:
Latest monthly returns show eX-
ports for the year ending August, 1910,
TO the United States,H $50 ,035, ,902, or
40 per cent of the Sal ,075,738 total
against $li.031.275 to the United /
States. or "a per ccn1 OF the S32.lS3,-
S71 total for the year ending August.
1909. r1'
Note-Latest monthly returns show
imports for the year ending August
1910, from the United States, S1l,615.
esq, OF 80 per cent OF $39. .025, SCI total,
against S5.193,419 from the United
States, Or Is per cent of the S2S.94S,011
total for the year ending August. 1903.
Porto Rico.
The year has been one Of prosperity
and progress in Porto Rico. Certain
political changes are embodied In the
bill 'To Provide Civil Government
for Porto Rico and Tor Other Pur-
poses which passed the house Of rep
rssentntiyes on June Is, 1910, at the
last session OF congress, and it Is now
/ awaiting the action OF the senate.
Rivers and Harbors.
/ have already expressed my opinion
10 congress In respect to the character
vi the river and harbor bills which
SHOULD be enacted into law: and | have
| exercised as much power as | have
under the law in directing the chief
OF engineers to make his reports 10
congress conform TO the needs of the
| committee framing such a bill in de-
| termining which of the proposed I'M
provements Is the more important and
ought to be completed first and
III omptly.
Panama Canal
Al the instance Of Colonel Goethals.
| the army engineer o1Ticer I'm charge OF
| the work on the Panama canal, have
| just made n visit to the Isthmus to in
snect the work done and TO consult
With him on the ground as to certain
problems which are likely to arise In
the near future. Inc progress OF the
work Is most satisfactory II no un-
expected obstacle presents itself. the
canal will be completed well within
the time fixed by Colonel Goethals, to-
J wit. January l, 1916, and within the
estimate OF cost. 100000
Press reports have reached the
| United States from time to time. CIV
irs accounts OF slides OF earth of very
large yarIage in the Culebra cut and
elsewhere along the line, from which
1t might be inferred that the work has
been much retarded and that the time
of completion has been necessarily
postponed.
| hn Of nr nj ba
logical survey, whom 1 sent within the
last month TO the IsthmuS TO make
ALI investigation, shows that this sec
tion of the canal zone is composed OF
sedimeniary rocks of rather weak
structure and subject to almost i'm
mediate d.sintegration when exposed
TO the knife. Subsequent TO the de-
position OF these sediments, igneous
rocks, harder and more durable, have
been thrust into them, and being cold
at the time of their intrusion. united
but indincrently with the sedimentary
rock at the contacts. The result oil
these conditions IS that as the cut Is
| d9epened, causing unbalanced pres
suTes, slides from the sides Of the cut
| have occurred.
These are in part due TO the flowing
OF surface soil and decomposed Sedi-
mentary rocks upon ;nclined surfaces
CT the underlying decomposed rock,
and in part by the crushing Of struc-
| turally weak beds under excessive
pressure. These slides occur on one
side or the other of the cut through
distance OF four OF five miles, and now
that Their character is understood. al
lowancc has been made in the calcula-
tons of yardage for the amount OF
slides which Will have TO be removed
and the greater slope that Will have
to be given to the bank in many places
In order to prevent their recurrence.
! Such allowance does not exceed TO-
coo, 900 yards. Considering that the
number of yards removed from this
cut on an average of each month
through the year Is 100000, and that
the total remaining TO be eXcayated.
including slides, IL about 30.000.000
yards, 1t will be seen that this addl-
ton to the excavation does not offer
any great reason for delay.
While this feature OF the material
to be eXcavated in the cut Will not
seriously delay or obStruCt the con
| struction of canal of the lock type.
| the increase Of excavation due 10 such
slides In the cut made IS feet deeper
tCr a sea level canal would certainly
have been SO great as to delay its com
pletion to u time beyond the patience
OF the American people.
Among questions arising for present
solution is the decision of whether
the canal shall be fortified. | have
already stated to the congress that |
| strongly favor fortiiCatou, and [ now
rcileTate this opinion, and ask your
/ consideration oil the subject in the
| Light OF the report already before you
made by a competent board.
| If. In our discretion. we believe
modern fortilications 10 be necessary
to the adequate protection and policing
OF the canal, then it is cW duty to
construct them, We have built the
canal 1t is our property. BY conyen-
tlon we have indicated our desire for,
and indeed undertaken, its universal
and equal use II is also well known
that one OF the chief objects in ne
construction OF the canal has. been TO
increase the military effectiveness oil
| cur navy.
Failure to fortify the canal would
| leave the attainment Of botn these
aims in the position of rights and OBJ
| legations which we should be power
| less to enforce, and which never could
| in any other way be absolutely safe
guarded against a desperate and lire