The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-11-13
CANAL MAY BE
 FINISHED IN 1914 One Year Earler Than Has
 Been Expected WORK PROGRESSES WE'LL A Tariff War Between the United States and Germany Is Said to
 Be Possible in the Near
 Future
WORK PROGRESSES WE'LL
BY JONATHAN WINFIELD

struction work on the Panama cana are expecting an announcement tha the canal will be in operation at leas operation by July, 1914. a year earlie than the time set for the finishing O the task.
 So well has wok progressed in dig ging the .big ditch" that speculatio as to the ability of the engineers tt complete their task at the scheduled time, July. 1915. ends in the belief that the canal vii be in operation at least one year earlier. President Taft. visit to the canal zone will result ir the announcement Of the rapid pro. gress that is being made. it is said, and the chief executive is expected to off cially fix the date for the opening ot the waterway to commerce as July 1914
 In connection with the canal work nothing more interests officials al Washington at this time than the fight being waged between New Orleans and San Francisco for federal governmental sanction of the exposition each pro- pose to hold commemmorating the opening of the Panama canal to con- merce. Both sides have raised mill lions of dollars to finance their expo sition. Neither asked Congress for an appropriation for a loan or for funds for governmental exposition. Each seek congressional recognition, how ever, and without 1t they cannot in- vite the nations of the world to take part and make exhibitions. San Fran cisco has not been active as New Orleans, and the concensus of opinion at this time is that the Pacific coast boomers will have to hustle hard to overcome the lead that New Orleans has made in getting congressional sup porters.
 Southern congressman and senators are naturally lined up with New Or leans. With her, too, are the congress- men and senators, republicans and dem ocrats alike from the Mississippi val ley region. San Francisco Is depend ing upon the support of the east AS a play for this support Governor Gillett of California, upon the request of Rep resentative Bennett of New York, for bade the holding of the Jeffries- John son prize fight in San Francisco.
 New Orleans, which her boomers have named the Logical point" has estab- lfshed headquarters in Washington and all summer has been actively cam paigning. San Francisco managers have not been heard from. so far, but it is expected before Congress meets in December headquarters will be opened here and a fight for congressional rec ognition inaugurated for the Pacific coast city will prove highly exciting and interesting.
 A tariff war with Germany Is possible. The state department Is striving hard through diplomacy, to offset such a possi- bility. but 1t is known that President Taft Is determined that the German dis eliminating against the United States in the matter of potash must be waived or else there Is to be retaliation.
 The situation created by the new Ger man potash law affects the price of pot ash to American buyers and consumers, who heretofore have bought to the amount of ss.0oO,o0o yearly. Under the law the price would be increased about 70 per cent if the plans of the German potash syndicate are realized. Heavy advances in prices have been made since the log became effective in May five months ago.
 Two million American farmers are deeply interested in the question because they are heavy consumers os potash for fertiliZering purposes. Germany is the chief source of supply of this important farming article, and half of the produc- ton comes to the United States.
 For several years the mining and sale of potash were controlled by a Ger man syndicate. Recently the syndicate had internal troubles and dsbanded. Tn the meanwhile United States buyers went to the individual mine owners and made contracts for two years, with the priv ilege of five years renewal. The members of the syndicate patched up their diff ferences and had @ law passed by the German reichstag invalidating these con tracts.
 After the potash law was put in force the American purchasers were required to pay about twice the amount specified in their contracts. The delivery price for potash in this country has risen from $24. 40 to s34 per ton. The holders of the American contracts have paid the heavy additional prices under protest.
 There is talk around the White House these days of a reorganized republican national committee. An effort is to be made to establish a machine that will be militant and combine the radical as well as the conservative In the republic an ranks. A campaign of education Is to be started through publicity bureau and this winter may see the republican machine made ready for the presidential contests of 1912.
 Postmaster General Hitchcock, who is
  tee, Is to completely sever his connec- tions with the machine, 1t is said. and devote all of his time to politics. mar Is to be selected as the chairman whc will be agreeable to both the radicals and conservatives. It will be a hard jot to select man, prominent enough In the public eye to command respect and at tention, who will be acceptable to the I.aFollette and Cummins brand of re- publicanism as well as measuring up tc the standards set by Vice President Sher man, Speaker Cannon and the conserva' lives they stand for.
 President Taft has had the matter put up to him by many of his political call CTS, and 1t is expected that the reorgan. ization will come speedily after the fuss of election his quieted down and Congress is in session.
 Acting Secretary of the Navy Beekmar Winthrop is fond of a story and likes to tell one. Here Is one of his fayoril' yarns:
 sir John Fisher. the great British naval lord, was hard man to inter view He was always busy and had in numerable callers. A guard stood alwayi at the door of his private office. One day an old sailor appeared. He asked t' see the admiral. Denied admittance b, the secretary. he approached the door man and in loud voice asked permis sion to speak to the admiral for min ute. So insistent was the old salt tha the admiral heard the conversation through the partially closed door,
 'Tell him to go to h." shouted thu admiral to the attendant.
 Tossing aside the guard with one hand the old sailor stuck his head in the doc and answered: TT know I'll meet yol