Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-10-17
Commission Talks Of NGCeS.
sary Tolls
EVENT DRAWS NEAR
Soon the Big Ditch Will
be Completed and There
Will be an Easy Means
of Communication Be
tween the Coasts.

WASHINGTON. D. g. oct 16.-
Foreshadowing the early completion
and opening of the Panama canal. the
Isthmian Canal commission. in its an
nual report made public today. rec
commended congressional legislation
governing canal tolls. organization for
the operation of the canal and for
government Of the Canal Zone. utili-
zation of canal revenue To- pay oper-
ating expenses and To- repay the cap
itaI invested. and other action. ENpe-
Gition was urgently demanded in or
der To- advise the commercial world
OF the use II may make Of the great
waterway. or the cost of sending
ships through it and just when II
VIII ie opened.
The commission wished to give at
least eighteen months notice of the
rates 10 permit the worlds maritime
interests time To readjust their routes
and To- build new ships and organize
rev TRANSPORTATION companies. II was
also deemed desirable To- put the
canal to use as early as possible, not
only 10 secure financial returns on
the enormous capital invested. but to
make possible the passage of the
worlds fleets without confusion or
delay.
The report showed that the engi-
neers board has already found that
all the concrete i'm the great Gatun
locks will be laid by June l, 1912.
and five months later the locks on
the Pacific side will be finished eX-
| vt-hfg he
! June ! 1913 Meantime by April l.
next. the giant spillway at Gatun
would be at the fifty foot elevation
and the entire dam there should be
| completed by the following winter.
| The excavation through the Culebra
! cut. the greatest earth digging enter
/ prise the world has ever seen, will be
/ completed July !, 1913, if the slides
4 are not in excess of the estimates.
| In that case the exterior channel will
/ be sufficiently advanced to pass the
shipping that would use the canal.
Though these estimates were made
! year ago the commission stated
| that there is no occasion to make
any considerable changes. Though
the concrete laying in the Gatun
| Locks will be moved back a few
months to January /. 1913 this will
| rot delay the erection Of the gates
or the completion Of the work as
whole
Time can be saved by making pub
| lie announcement Of the rates to he
charged and the formulation of rules
| by which the tonnage of ships is t.
( be determined The commission
| is already preparing much inform
alton on these points for the guidance
! Of congress in Iegislating next session.
The commission expressed the be-
| lief that it can secure the best oper-
/ atirg force for the canal from among
/ the workers now employed on the
| canal. High wages were paid at the
| outset when il was difficult to obtain
men on account of the bad reputation
/ OF the country and the temporary
! character of the employment. But
! the commission contended that as the
/ death rate on the zone is much lower
| than for most parts of the United
| States, and as the operating work
will be permanent, a much lower
wage scale can be adopted. The com
mission regarded it as essential that
| the cost Of operation shall be reduced
| To a minimum consistent with eff
| cheney if reasonable tolls are to be
eSta blished.
The total outlay for maintaining
the canal will be for wages of the
operative force, engineering work.
sanitation and civil administration.
The commission was insistent that
the revenue Of the canal should go
to pay not only the operating ex-
penses. but TO- repay the capital in
vested Every legitimate means for
raising revenue should be adopted.
said the report which recommended
that the government should not only
supply coal and oil for its own yes
sells but should sell them to merchant
shipping. The existing conmissary.
manufacturing plant and laIndry, il
was urged, should be continued for
the benefit Of government forces and
government ownership Of public util-
tiles was proposed in recommends
ton that the commissary furnish all
these things 60 shipping passing
through the canal for a consideration.
1t was suggested that the government
should sell tools and appliances need
ed by ships and, still another forward