Evening star., 1912-07-13
TO PUSH CANAL BILL
Senate Seems Ready to Ignore
EngIand's Protest.
ARGUMENT IS NOT new
Committee Will Not Even Formally
Consider Statement.
HAGUE ACTION rs EXPECTED
Legislators Believe Free Toll Issue
Eventually Will Reach Inter
national Tribunal.

No indication was evident about the
Senate today of q change In the plan to
push the consideration and early passage
Of the Panama canal bill as result of
the formal protest against it's free toll
provisions by Great Britain.
The question has been considered by
both House and Senate committees in
charge of the legislation and by the
House when it considered the bill. There
have now been added. 1t is pointed out,
the views Of the British government upon
the question.
The friends of the provision for free
tolls for American vessels declare that
the British note adds no new arguments
on the problem, and that they will con-
tinue in their view that the Hay-Paunce-
fote treaty will not be violated. They
are confident that the action of the
House and of the majority of the Senate
committee on interoceanic canals in favor
Of free tolls will be sustained by the
majority Of the Senate.
May Reach The Hague.
1t is becoming more and more the gen.
eral belief among prominent senators.
however, that the question must ultimate
ly be decided by The Hague tribunal.
And II that decision is adverse to the
United States, many believe, the free
tolls provision would become imperative
unless the treaty with England was aDro-
gated.
Senator Brandegee said today that he
did not expect to call a meeting of the
Senate committee on interoceanic canals,
of which he is chairman, to consider the
British protest or to present It 1ormaily
to the Senate. The publicity given to the
protest by the newspapers. he thinks. Is
sufficient and the question has already
been raised before the protest was pre-
sSnted.
The effectiveness Of the British protest,
in the opinion of many, will depend on
whether or not it presents convincing ar
guments that a free-toll provision for
American ships Is a violation of treaty.
The mere fact that Great Britain has
protested, it is held, will not have any
effect.
Question Up to Senate.
The action Of Secretary Knox of the
State Department in giving notice to
the Senate that Great Britain has pro-
tested against the provision Of the
Panama canal bill granting free tolls
to American ships is generally inter-
preted as showing the State Depart
ment's decision to put the whole ques-
tion sQuare1y up 20 Congress.
The substance of Great Britain's
note of protest is contained in let
ter sent last night from Secretary
Knox to Senator Brandegee, chairman
of the Senate committee on inter-
oceanic canals. The note is as fol-
lows:
Sir: 1 have the honor to bring to
the knowledge OF your committee the
fact that a communication dated the
9Th instant, just received from the
British charge d'afraires. indicates that
the attention of the British govern
ment having been called to various
proposals from time to time made for
the relieving of American shipping
passing through the Panama canal.
that government has studied carefully
those proposals, and the arguments in
support of them, with view to the
bearing thereon of the provisions OF
the treaty between the United States
Sums Up Proposals.
1.-The communication sums UP the pro-
posals mentioned as: First. to exempt
all American shipping from tolls; Sec
ond, one to refund to all American ships
tolls which they might pay; third, one
to exempt from the payment of tolls
American ships engaged in the coastwise
trade, and, fourth one to repay to the
last named class of American ships tolls
which they might pay. The communica-
ton indicates 1t to be the opinion of his
Britannia majesty's government that to
exempt all American shipping from the
payment Of tolls would involve an infrac-
ton of the treaty, and indicates further
the opinion that there would be no diff
ference in principle between charging
tolls only thereafter to refund them and
remitting such tolls altogether. The opin-
ion Is expressed that the method Of
charging but refunding tolls while per-
haps complying with the letter OF the
treaty. would still contravene it's spirit
Reference to the Treaty.
"The communication admits that there
is nothing in the Hay-Pauncefote treaty
to prevent the United States from sub
sidizing its shipping. but claims that
there is q great distinction between q
general subsidy. either to shipping at
large or to shipping engaged in any given
trade. and q subsidy calculated particu-
larly with reference to the amount Of use
Of the canal by the subsidized lines or
would not, in the opinion Of his Bri-
tannic majesty's government. be in ac-
cordance with the obligations Of the
treaty.
with respect to the proposal that ex-
emptions shall be given to vessels en-
munication states that 1t may be that no
objection could be taken II the trade
should be so regulated as to make 1t GER
tain that only bona fide coastwise traffic
which Is reserved for American vessels
would be benefited by this exemption, but
government that 1t would be impossible
TO frame regulations which would pre-