The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-04-30

canal. -,i
The total expenses OF the cana
nroDer. not including its deIense'
which belongs to the military estap-
EShment. should no exceed st,oVV,-
900 a year.
But will the income be as large
as that ..1+
II think so" said Col Goethals. 1T
will be il We fix the proper TONS.
think we should fix them as MS -
the traffic will bear. and II We ~
that We shall have plenty 10 run Tue
canal and still leave a surplus. Ae
to the shipping which Will go through
by estimates made 4 rev years aeo
bv our engineers. there should pc al
least 0 600 tons per annum. Now.
We can safely make our toll u per
ton. This would give sufficient 70
nav All the expenses and Stlll leave
q surplus.
Then" Col. Goethals continued. II
in connection with the operation o.
the canal We retain our present com
missary. cold storage and manufacture
inc plants for the benefit of Shipping
if we sell them fuel. water and make
repairs for ships doing a general snip
chandlery business, at a talr prom,
we ought to have q still greater sur
plus.
The Canal Will Eventually Pay.
But. colonel. in his estimate you
do not consider the original invest
ment. The canal will cost in the
n~eighborhood Of S4OO,000,OOO. IS
Uncle Sam to get no dividends on
that amount?'
Il do not think any should be ex-
pacted,' was the reply. The canal
was constructed not as a financial
speculation or Investment. 1t was
created as Il military necessity. Inc
United States had to have it, and our
and that Of the world
should not be taxed for its CREATION
But may it moi eventually pay?'
[ asked The Suez canal pays We'll.
VIII ours not equal it,"
LAS to its having a traffic as great
as hat Of the Suez canal, that is a
matter of speculation. But | do not
see why it should not. # you will
look back you will find hat every
new waterway that has been opened
has developed a nmerce far beyond
was anticipated. When the
French opened Suez they met with
the most bitter opposition from Great
Britain and from others of the ship
going nations. They were told that
it would be a failure and the canal
was never spoken Of except with a
sneer. no one could have anticipated
the enormous traffic that has actually
resulted. When the Sault Ste Marie
canal was decided upon no one had
any idea that it would have a traffic
7 of forty or fifty million tons per an
mum. 1t will be the same with this
canal. Look where it is.Y IT is or
; the frontier Of the only great unde.
veloped lands Of the future. I refer
> to the vast tracts Of South AmericS
, and Central America. 1t will be tn
: ocean highway from one part of on
country 10 the other and the ocea1
= highway for Europe. Besides, Asi;
is just awakenln~, and the 500, 900,
600 and more Of that continent viii
eventually be sending their goods t
both sides Of our hemisphere. AS i
q is now the distances between Asia an
Q Europe favor Suez. but Asia must d.
a great business with North an,
South America. Indeed, the POSSIBLE
p tiles are ineStimable.
More About Tolls.
'Now let US look at the question /,
II tolls" said Col. Goethals. ..Suppos
; we should eventually have a traffi
D equal to that Of Suez. have locke
IT over the figures Of the Suez ANAL 70
t. 1893. During that year more tina.
" 1000 vessels passed through it, an
,e their sross tonnage was upward Q
l. 1l,ooo,oOO. | have not the receipt
ze Tor that year. but in 1907, when tn
lie tonnage was 100000 less, the actus
ut receipts We're more than $4,000 O0t
is \ traffic like that would more tha
rs pay ! per cent interest on the co.
ne OF the canal and leave a large SUI
IT Plus above the operating expenses ?
IL Well. The Suez canal has in time
at past charged tolls of s. a ton
he mas gradually reduced them. mt
Id with the beginning Of this year tt
in cndrses VIII be s1.25 per ton. TIL
s. are se'tlnE ready TO meet our one
- dollar tolls. and that narhans -
all cause he shipping Of the world b.
ed Deen complaining of its excessive raj,
on ana suggesting hat it may fay,
ry
How ahout ~.