El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-06-07
A Noon. Canal Zone. June THE
~ canal commission is already
- - IOoLfpo forxyord RI the time

"A
~ canal commission is already
looking forward to the time
when the canal is finished and ships
are ready to go through. The practi-
cal interest OF the shipping world is
shown by the fact that steamship lines
are already ma king inquiries as 10
what the tolls are going to be, and for
other information which will enable
them to adjust their affairs so as TO
be ready to use the big waterway at
the earliest opportunity.
1t is the desire Of president Taft to
have the tolls so fixed that it will be
more profitable for the ship owner to
serd his vessel by way Of Panama than
by Suez The net ton charge through
Suez is about $3.50 per ton. and YES
sci with 1000 tons of cargo would have
to pay $4,000 to pass through Suez. 1t
is proposed to fix the toll on the Pan
anna canal at 81 per ton. On this ba-
sis a vessel with a 1000 ton cargo
would pay $1,000 less to get through
Panama than il would have to pay TO
go through Suez.
The Probable Traffic.
OF course there can be no way Of
definitely estimating the amount Of
traffic that will pass through the ca
nal. but in 1900 member of the COM
mission, who was well acquainted with
the shipping business of the world es
timated that $500. 900 tons net register
would pass through the first year the
canal is open, and that this would in
crease % percent year thereafter. He
said it would take years for shipping
to readjust itself to the new condi-
tons and that it was his opinion that
to make the tolls greater than 81 a
~ drfv l.ffci S1I1f
cargoes as lumber would be carried
around Cape Horn as at present, rather
than pay excessive tolls.
The Total Cost.
The total cost OF the Panama canal
will amount to s375.000.000. and at 2
percent-the rate at which Uncle Sam
can borrow money+this will involve
an interest charge Of $7.500,00O a year
The cost OF maintenance and operation
is expected to exceed $4,000 900 a year,
so that the total expenses of operation
will amount approximately to $1,000,
900 a year. It Is not intended to
charge the American navy anything
for the privilege OF using the big wa
terway. At present 1T is the hope of
the administration that congress will
Professionally fix the ton at one dollar
per ton. leaving 1t optional with the
president to change the toll as COM
mercial exigencies may seem to de-
mand.
Canal Should Make Profit.
1t IS the hope OF the chief engineer
that the United States will make early
provision for the maintenance Of the
canal He would have matters so ar
ranged that the government could fur
nish' everything required by the traffic
through the canal on commercial ba
sis. For instance. he would have coal
furnished the passing ships as part
of the business of maintaining the ca
nal A coaling station for the navy
will have to be maintained, and this
may as we'll be used to supply the de-
nands of commercial shipping DOL
Goethals would not deny to private
enterprise the right to handle coal or
any other essentials to the conduct of
tine shipping business. He seeks only
to- have a government plant operated
at a safe margin of profit, so as to
guarantee that the use of the canal
would not be rendered Improbable by
excessive prices ships might have to
pay if competition were stifled.
1t is also proposed to maintain
commercial dry dock, where ships Of
all classes and condition can be re-
paired. This is practically one Of the
SSScHIldlS IN the operation OF the ca
nal 1t Is also planned to continue
the ice factory at Colon, supplying ice
to the passing vessels at commercial
rates Also that a laundry be main
tanned for the purpose Of meeting the
demands of shipping. 1t would then be
possible for a ship to put out of LiT-
erpool. have it's laundry ready when ii
reached Colon. send it to the laundry
there, and have it finished and sent
to Panama by rail In time to overtake
the ship at the Pacific entrance All
OF these things would make the Pana-
ma route attractive and would prevent
the greed OF local enterprise from
charging extortionate prices and thus
interfere with the usefulness of the
canal
Many Tests Necessary.
When the canal is completed some
time will be spent trying out the ma
chinery and breaking IN the picked
men who are to constitute it's operating