Arizona republican., 1910-12-07

] duced in the house far better meet.
 conditions existing in Porto Rico ] This is an important measure. anC
 I recommend it's early consideration
 and passage.
 RIVERS AND HARBORS. I have already expressed my opin- | ion to congress in respect to tn, | character of the river and harbOl bills which should be enacted into law, and I have exercised as much l power as I have under the law iT directing the chief of engineers to
 make his reports to congress conform to the needs Of the committee fram- ing such a bill in determining which
 more important and ought to be com
 pleted first, and promptly.
 PANAMA CANAL.
 At the instance of Colonel GOethals
 the army engineer officer in charge
 Of the work on the Panama canal.
 have just made a visit to the isthmus
 to inspect the work done and to con
 suit with him on the ground as to
 certain problems which are likely to
 arise in the near future. The pro-
 gress of the work is satisfactory If no unexpected obstacle presents it.
 self. the canal will be completed we'll
 within the time fixed by General
 GOethals to-wit January l, 1915, and
 within the estimate Of cost. S375,- 900, 900.
 Press reports have reached the
 United States from time to time giv- ing accounts of slides of earth of very large yardage in the Culebra cut and elsewhere along the line, from which it might be inferred that the work has been much retarded and that the time of completion has nec- essarily postponed. The report of Dr. Hayes of the geological survey whom I sent within the last month to the isthmus to make an investiga- tiOn. shows that this section of the canal zone is composed f sedi- mentary rocks of rather weak struc- ture and subject to almost immediate disintegratiOn when exposed to the air. Subsequent to the deposition 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 indifforently with the sedimentary rock at contacts. The result of these conditions is that as the cut is deep ened. causing unbalanced pressures. slides from the sides of the cut have occurred. These are in part due to the flowing of surface soil and de- composed sedimentary rocks upon in. alina1 enr r-fa nT h.. decompOsed rock and in part by the of structurally weak beds under excessive pressures. The slides occur on one side or the other of the cut through a distance of four or five miles and now that their character is understood. allowance has been made in the calculations of for the amount of slides which will have to be removed and the greater slopes that will have to be given to the bank in many places in order tO prevent their recurrence. Such allowance does not exceed ten millions of yards Considering that the number of yards removed from this cut on an average of each month through the year is 1.3O0.0 and that the total remaining to be cx- cavated including slides is about :O.- 100000 yards. it is seen that this ex- tra excavation does not offer any great reason for delay While this feature of the material to be exca- sated in the cut will not seriously delay or Obstruct the construction of | canal of the lock type. the increase l Df' excavation due to such slides in | he cut made eighty-five feet deeper | Tor a sea level canal would certainly | nave been so great as to delay its | 10 a time beyond the pa fence of the American people
 Among questions arising for pres mt solution is the decision whether | he canal shall be fortified I have | Ilready stated to the congress that |
 strongly favor Qualification and I | low reiterate this opinion and ask our consideration of the subject in he light of the report already before 'ou made by a competent board
 If. in our discretion. We believe modern Qualifications to be necessary O the adequate protection and polio ng of the canal. then it is our duty o construct them. We have built he canal. It is our property. By We have indicated our de ire for, and indeed undertaken, it's niversal and equal use. It is also 'ell known that one Of the chief ob- ects in the construction of the canal as been to increase the military ef- ectiveness of our navy.
 Failure to fortify the canal would
 
 inns in the position of rights and bligatiOns which We should be DOW rless to enforce and which could ever in any other way be absolutely against desperate and enemy.
 CANAL TOLLS.
 Another question which arises for and possible legislation | !
 the question of tolls in the canal his position is necessarily affected l y the probable tonnage which will . 0 through the canal It Is all a latter of estimate but one of the | overnment commissions in 1900 in- !. the question and made a port. They concluded that the to- ] of vessels employed in commerce lat could use the isthmian canal in IA would amount to 6S43.S05 tons et register. and that this traffic {. ould increase 25.1 per cent per de-