Omaha daily bee., 1911-11-15
STIMOON is FOR SUBSIDIES
Favors Payments to American Ships
Using Panama Canal.
MAKES ADDRESS IN KANSAS CITY
Advocates Direct Administration of
Canal Zone by Officers to BE
Appointed by the
President,

KANSAS CITY, No, Nov. 1A-In ad-
dressing the Kansas City Commercial
club tonight, Secretary Stimson in dealing
with the problems presented by the APP
preaching completion OF the Panama
canal took advanced ground in favor Of
subsidies to American shipping using the
canal and for its administration as
military adjunct. Ho called attention to
the fact that although there will be water
enough In the canal to float small boats
throughout its length by the close of the
rainy season, which commences next
May and while the canal will be fully
ready for ocean traffic, through our own
neglect no provision has been made for
its operation. As soon as the canal is
completed the presidents authority over
it will cease unless congress comes to the
rescue. A great economic Joss will be in
volved in allowing the present splendidly
efficient force Of employees to disintegrate,
when so much of it will be needed for the
permanent operation Of the canal.
Then there Is the problem of creating a
permanent organization or government to
operate the canal and to control the zone.
The country is worthless for agricultural
purposes-mostly a tropical jungle or low
rocky hills-and 1t is preposterous to
think of 1t ever forming a basis for an
American farming settlement. This for
tunate condition affords an opportunity
for the creation of an organization for the
almost sole purpose of opening and shut
ting the lock gates and protecting them
I'm time of trouble; 1t is not a question of
educating or of uplifting dependent peo-
pie and there is no reason for introducing
al the complex checks and balances of a
self-governing community. The secretary
declared that at the bottom the canal
presents a military problem. For de-
fensive purposes 1t will double the capac-
1ty Of our fleet and e. have it blocked at
critical moment in our national life,
either by accident or design, might be
quite as disastrous as having twenty Of
our battleships sunk at sea. The tempta-
ton which that fact imposes upon any
nation with whom the United States may
be at war must never be lost sight or
Correspondingly it's military effectiveness
will make it a powerful ally in assuring
maintenance Of peace.
Sanitation big Problem.
The secrtary alluded to the sanitary
problem and declared that only a con-
tinually yigilant exercise of the admin
trative power could insure us against
possible contagion, as this strip of LAND
was notorious for 400 years as a plague
spot Of the Americas. In the operation
of the canal the president should be given
free hand, using such forms of ad-
ministrative government as he may de-
wise ,'nat is needed is a method flex-
fO ha nd
tain problems winch are bound to arse.
Touching the important question of
coal, the secretary pointed out that the
Panama canal would have at least three
great competitors; the Suez cer6l the
TehaunJepec route and our own trans
continental railroads. The amount of
commerce that will use the Panama route
will be determined largely by the ques-
ton of tolls. a dollar a ton of freight
per thousand miles represents the coal
consumption of the freight steamers,
every dollar charged as tolls for the
canal will neutrahze a thousand miles
of the advantage in distance which the
Panama route may have over any com
petitor. There should be an admins
trative body of officers with power to
fix tolls and to change them to meet
changing trade conditions and COMPETE
ton.
Right to Grant Subsidy.
Touching the right of the United States
TO pay tolls on American vessels using
the canal Secretary Stmson has not the
shadow of doubt. He said there would
be no violation Of our treaties or any
evasion of them and no doubt as to the !
right Of the United States both legal and