Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1910-12-07
TAFT'S MESSAGE
To CONGRESS
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come will approximate the interest
charges upon the investment. On
the whole, | should recommend that
within certain limits the president
be authorized to fix the tolls of the
canal and adjust them to what
seems to be commercial necessity.
The inquiries already made of the
chief engineer of the canal show
that the present consideration of
this question is necessary in order
that the commerce of the world
may have time to adjust itself to
the new conditions resulting from
the opening of this new highway.
The next question that arises is
as to the maintenance, management
and general control of the canal
after its completion. 1t should be
promised that it is an essential part
of our navy establishment to have
the coal, oil and other ship sup
plies, drydock and repair shops,
conveniently located with reference
to naval vessels passing through the
canal. Now, if the government, for
naval purposes, is to undertake to
furnish these conveniences to the
navy, and they are conveniences
equally required by commercial YES
sells, there would seem to be strong
reasons why the government should
take over and include in it's man
agement the furnishing, not only to
the navy but to the public, drydock
and other repair shop facilities, and
the sale of coal, oil, and other ship
supplies.
The maintenance of a lock canal
OF this enormous size in a sparsely
populated country and in the trop-
les, where the danger from disease
Is always present. requires a large
and complete and well-trained or
ganization with full police powers,
exercising the utmost care. The
pressed with the wonderful freedom
from tropical diseases on the 18TH
mus must not be misled as to the
constant vigilance that is required
to preserve that condition. The
vast machinery of the locks, the
necessary amount of dredging, the
preservation of the banks of the
canal from slides, the operation and
maintenance of the equipment of the
railway-will all require a force,
not, of course, to be likened in any
way to the present organization for
construction, but skilled body of
men who can keep in state of use
fulness this great instrument OF
commerce. Such an organization
makes it easy to include within its
functions the furnishing of drydock
fuel. repairs and supply facilities to
the trade of the world. These will
be more essential at the isthmus OF
Panama than they are at Port Said
or Suez because there are no depots
for coal, supplies, and other COM
mercial necessities within thousands
of miles of the isthmus.
Another important reason why
these ancillary duties may well
be undertaken by the govern
ment is the opportunity for dis
elimination between patrols for the
canal that is offered where private
concessions are granted for the fur
nishing of these facilities. Moth
ing would create greater prejudice
against the canal than the suspic-
ion that certain lines of traffic were
favored in the furnishing of sup
plies. or that the supplies were con-
trolled by any large interest that
might have a motive for increasing
the cost of the use of the canal. 1t
may be added that the termini are
not ample enough to permit the
fullest competition in respect to the
furnishing of these facilities and
necessities to the worlds trade, even
II 1t were wise to invite such COM
petition and the granting of the
concession would necessarily, under
these circumstances, take on the ap-
NI,VVy anvyr