Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-11-16
ST|MSON FAVORS
SHIP SUBSIDY
FAvoRs sUBsIDIzING AMERICAN
SHIPS USING PANAMA
CANAL.
Canal READY IN MAY
VIII BE Enough Water In the Ditch
Next Spring 10 Allow Ncsscls 10
Pass Through.

Kansas city, Mo, Nov l4.-ln ad-
dressing the Kansas city Commercial
club tonight Secretary Stimson, IN
dealing with the problems presented
by the approaching completion Of
the Panama canal took advanced
ground in favor of subsidies TO Amer
lean shipping using the canal and for
It's administration as military ud-
junpt. He called attention to the
fact that although there will be wa
ter enough In the canal to float small
boats througout its length by the close
of the rainy season which commences
next May and while The canal viii 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 loss will
be involved in allowing the present
splendidly efficient force Of employees
to disintegrate operation Of the canal
Then there is the problem Of Gre
forms of Administrative government
as he may devise.
Touching the important question of
coal, the secretary pointed out that
the Panama canal would have at least
three great competitors the Suez ca
nal. the Tehauntepec route and our
own transcontinental railroads. The
a af,an .,f tk.,t he
Panama route will be determined
largely by the question of tolls. If
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
neutraliZe a thousand miles of the
advantage in distance which the
Panama route may have over any
competitor. There should be an ad-
ministrative body of officers with
power to fix tolls and to change them
to meet changing trade conditions and
competition.
Touching the right Of the United
States to pay tolls on American ves-
sells using the canal, Secretary Slim
son had not the shadow of a 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 moral,
~ subsIdSe r. shipping passing
through the canal. Under the treaty
with Great Britain the rules Of the
Suez canal were to govern and in that
case it had never been considered a
violation Of the rule of organization
or government to operate the canal
and to control the zone. The coun-
try Is worthless for agricultural pur-
poses; mostly tropical jungle or low
rocky hills and it is preposterous to
think of 1t ever forming a basis for
an American farming settlement. This
fortunate condition affords an op-
portunity for the creation of an or
ganization for the almost sole pur-
pose of opening and shutting the lock
gates and protecting them in time Of
trouble; It is not question of ed
ucating or Of uplifting an independ-
ent people and there is no reason for
introducing all the complex checks
and balances of a self governing COM
munity.
The secretary alluded to the san
itary problem and declared that only
a continually vigilant exercise of the
administrative powers could insure
us against possible contagion, as this
strip of land was notorious for forty
years as the plague spot of the
Americas
Therefore, said the secretary, II was
perfectly clear that the United States