The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-01-06
CANAL LEGISLATION.
NOW IN ORDER
QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE
SETTLED IN ADVANCE OF
COMPLETION.
House and Senate Committees viii
Introduce 4 Separate HiIIs-Discu.-
sion Probable Over Fortifications
and Preferential Rates for Vessels
OF This Country

F..
washington, Dec. 31.-Chairman
Flint, Of California, chairman of the
committee on interoceanic canals. and
representative Mann, of Illinois,
chairman of the House committee on
interstate and foreign commerce, ex-
pect to introduce Panama canal bills.
These will incorporate their differ
ing ideas as to the needs. of legisla-
ton for the waterway-in the light of
the White House conference last
night. This conference deyeloped
substantial harmony of opinion favor
Ing fortiication of the canal; presi-
Dental discretion as to the exact
amount of tolls under prescribed maxi
mum and minimum limitations: gov
eminent operation of the drydock and
repair shop facilities; government sale
OF all the coal, oil and other ship sup
plies at both ends of the canal to the
trade of the world passing through it.,
and for the safeguarding of the COM
petition through the canal.
Views Differ.
The differences of views as to
whether foreign shipping and coast
wise shipping should receive equal
treatment in canal charges could not
be reconciled and the problem still
is unsolved.
Senator Flint's bill will provide
either an unqualified free passage of
American ships or the collection of
toll and subsequent rebate of the en-
tire toll, which, from the viewpoint
of some of those in the conference,
would merely operate as a matter of
bookkeeping. His bill will fix GER
tain maximum and minimum of tolls
on vessels of other countries, probably
from SO to Is cents minimum to $1.25
or $3.50 maximum net ton, leaving the
exact charge to the discretion of the
President, so that it can be adjusted
to changing commercial conditions.
1t will provide that the rebate to
coastwise vessels shall not be allowed
to any vessels owned or controlled by
any railroad with which they are com.
petitive, directly or Indirectly. It will
provide that the Government may take
ever to its own uses, when public
emergencies make it necessary, any
vessels that avail themselves of the
rebate, which would make all coast
wise craft engaged in canal traffic
subject to naval use on demand.
Manns Measure.
The general measure that Mr. Mann
proposes probably will be presented to
his colleagues on the interstate and
foreign commerce commission soon
after the holiday recess. Whether the
bill, carrying the amount wanted for
the initial expense for Notifications,
will come from the appropriations
committee or the military affairs com
mittee is uncertain.
The question of what treatment to
accord coastwise shipping caused the
principal discussion at the confer
ence. Much of the time was devoted
to the Interpretation of the treaties
with England as to whether the gen
eral reference to all powers being
treated alike was to be interpreted to
include the United States or TO mean
all the powers foreign to the United
States, thus permitting lower tolls for
vessels of this country, and to the
treaty with Panama as to preferential
treatment of it's craft
Flint IL Insistent.
Senator Flint was especially insist
ent upon the coastwise exception.
There was unanimity of view as to
the Government furnishing the ship
supplies.
The President believes this ar
rangement is more essential at the
isthmus than'on the Suez canal ports,
because of the distance from coal and
other supply dwepots and because pri-
vate concessions would open the way
for discrimination between canal pa
irons.