The Calumet news., 1911-09-20
KN0TTY PROBLEM
FACES CONGRESS
PANAMA CANAL TOLLS AND REG.
ulATloNs is A MATTER
DIFFICULT OF soLu.
TON.

Washington, Sept. 20.-One of tn,
biggest questions which congress will
have before II next session. for solution
In fashion entirely non partisan. will
be the matter OF canal tolls and regu-
lations. This question is becoming
a pressing one and congress cannot
much longer delay solution of il. I'm
the extra Session which has just closed
various commercial interests urged
that something definite be done about
/ II. but both houses were too much oc-
lcupied with the tariff and big politics
To take it mp. Senator Brandegee of
! connecticut. chairman of the senate
committee on interoceans canals. how
over. has given assurances on the floor
of the senate that his committee will
busy itself with the canal tolls and
regulations problem as soon as the
regular session opens next December.
IL is expected that hearings will be
conducted and that q genuine and non
partisan effort viii he made To reach a
solution that will be to the advantage
Of American commercial and shipping
interests. In the house. the committee
on interstate and foreign commerce
will deal with IL.
OF course. the Panama canal will not
be open by the end of next session.
Nor will it be open i'm the life of the
existing congress, though it will doubt
less be about completed about the time
this congress ends, March 4. 1913.
However, large interests are beginning
To figure on transportation via the ca
nal and are trying TO ascertain how
II is going to effect them. Necessar-
lily, they are more or less i'm the dark
in the absence Of definite knowledge
Of what the tolls and regulations are
going to be.
The announcement a few days ago
of the formation of the Atlantic and
Pacific Transport company of sNew
Jersey, $15,000,000 corporation. which
proposes to build fleet of fifteen
steamers, and To bid on ocean mail
service through the canal. carrying on
business from coast to coast not only
I'm mails, but in carriage of freight and
presumably of passengers, emphasizes
the Importance of early action by con-
gress on the matter of canal tolls. In
formation i'm Washington is that other
interests are anxious to prepare for the
canal trade and are only waiting for
congress to act before starting these
1t is not going to be an easy matter
to legislate intelligently on the tolls
and regulations for use of the canal
In the first place. congress will have
to settle whether IL is going to dscrim-
mate in favor of American vessels i'm
tie coasting trade. Technically, at
least vessel plying between New
York and San Francisco is i'm the
coasting trade The question has al
ready been seriously considered i'm the
senate canals committee whether to
allow the use Of the canal free of
charges or tolls TO all American vessels
in the coasting trade This plan has
strong support in both houses of con-
gress, and IL will not be surprising if
1t Is followed. Powerful arguments can
be found for it. one of them is that
this country, which already has a pow
erful merchant marine in the coasting
trade. can build up tremendous ship
ping business by allowing the vessels
of this country to ply back and forth
between the two coasts without any
canal charge being imposed Many of
the opponents of ship subsidies assert
that this plan would build up for Am
erica a great merchant marine without
use of subsidies.
What to do about allowing use of
the canal free of charge for American
ships i'm the coasting trade will bring