The Washington herald., 1912-02-25
BIG TASK FOR UNCLE SAM
WHEN PANAMA CANAL OPENS
President Tafts Plan to Enlarge the Present Supply
Establishments in the Canal Zone So as to Meet
All Demands for Food and Other Necessaries.

huge picking tanks which together have
capacity OF ss6 cubic feet.
Butter fetched from the States IN the
shape OF prints costs 3 cents Q pound
more at wholesale than the same butter
In bulk. Accordingly. a special business
| Is made at Crfstobal Of converting the
best grade OF tub butter into small and
| appetizing parcels. done up In tissue
paper and tinfoil. !, 400 pounds Of II be-
Ing handled in this way every twenty
four hours.
also maintains q laboratory, In which
many household necessaries are manu-
factured. including bay rum. vanilla, and
lemon extracts, and denatured alcohol
There is in addition an automatic weigh
ing and packing outfit. which makes IL
possible to sell nearly everything In
original packages thus saving much time
and trouble. The cost OF such Weighing
and handling Is only $50 per ton.
When one comes to investigate the mat
ter one finds that the whole business Of
buying, transporting, and distributing
supplies for the Zone is practically in
the hands Of the Panama Railroad And
this might seem rather puzzling were IL
not explained that the railroad Is owned
outright by the United States govern
ment The buying is done by an army
officer In New York. who purchases what
ever he wants all over the United States
wherever II happens to be cheapest), and
has the merchandise shipped byxhe most
direct possible routes to the isthmus.
Thus people residing In the Zone get fruit
from California by water and pay San
Francisco prices for IT,
The Panama Railroad owns six big
steamships. which are continually voyag-
ing between Atlantic ports and Colon.
and between Pacific ports and Panama
four Of these being provided with re-
frigerator outfits II has also a seventh.
weekly.
During the Last year the supply de-
partment of the Zone furnished over
100000 pounds OF beef-representing s.efs
head OF cattle. In addition. Il distributed
the meat of 7.6H sheep; also 116,5B chick
ems, 6.e52 turkeys. nearly half a million
hams. $4,000 dozen eggs, 4.2sO.ss4 pounds
OF sugar. 2.0s.sss pounds of condensed
milk, 6.14.1os pounds OF -four, 5,5o6oa
pounds Of potatoes. and many millions
Of pounds OF food products OF various
kinds in tins.
But =, should not be supposed that the
establishment at Cristobal Is merely q
grocery and butchers shop on a large
pale It is a magniied department store.
dealing In whatsoever human need or
fancy can requtra, including dry goods
boots and shoes. household furniture and
equipments. hardware. "notions"-every-
thing. In short, down TO such trifes as
candy and toothpowder. The trade IL
though no such huge item as smoking
tobacco, cigars. and cigarettes.
Ships must have coal, OF course. and
steps are now being taken 10 provide
for this all-important item. Congress is
expected to appropriate money for build
ing at least a dozen Golfers, which (whilo
always available for use by the navy IN
case OF emergency will be employed
under ordinary circumstances In carry
ing fuel to the isthmus. At least I.ooooe0
tons of coal will be needed to supply
naval and merchant vessels arriving at
Colon and Panama
Many steamships are now beginning to
use oil as fuel We shall have to supply
II. And there are many other requisites.
Mr.. Taft recently called the attention OF
Congress to the fact that We must build
at least one dry dock. for use by vessels
passing through the canal. and that other
facilities for repairing ships will have
to be provided.
Though hard to realize, Il Is a fact
traffic within less than three years from
now. We have got to get ready for tho
business that Will arrive. The ditch will
be a sort OF interoceanic street-a trans
isthmian great white way. brightly light
ed from end to end with electricity. A
large part Of the selgoing trade Of the
world will pass along Il, and It Is high
time that We got ready to meet the de-
mands Of this wonderful traffic with ade-
quate supplies of whatever II may de-
mand. II the goods we offer are first
class and prices low. we shall gain pro-
portionately through an increased use Of
the canal For this Is purely and simply
commercial proposition. and We have
a dangerous rtval-the Tehuantepec Rail-
road-which, spanning the narrowest neck
of Southern Mexico. II already trans
shipping merchandise in vast quantities
at surprisingly low rate from ocean to
ocean RENE BAcHE.