The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-07
TAFT THROUGH WITH TARIFF

this Congress make up for the mistake Of last session by appropriations author
 izing the construction of three battle
 ships, in addition to destroyers, fuel ships and the other auxiliary vessels as shown
 In the building programme of the general
 board. We are confronted by a condition Tn respect to the navies of the world
 which requires us. if We would maintain
 our navy as an insurance of peace, to augment our naval force by at least two battleships year and by battle cruisers
 gunboats, torpedo destroyers and sub
 marine boats in a proper proportion. We 1 have no desire for war. We would go as
 Tar as any nation in the world to avoid
 war, but we are world power. Our pop
 ulauon. our wealth, our definite policies l our responsibilities in the Pacific and At lantic. our defense of the Panama canal | together with our enormous world trade and our missionary outposts on the from l tiers of civilization, require us to rec ognize our position as one of the fore 1 most in the family of nations and to
 clothe ourselves with sufficient naval power to give force to our reasonable de- l mands, and give weight to our influence
 in those directions of progress that a DOW
 erful Christian nation should advocate.
 l observe that the Secretary of the | a
 the disciplinary system in vogue In that
 branch of the service. I think there is nothing quite so unsatisfactory to either | the army or the navy as the severe pun | 1shments necessarily inflicted by court
 martial for assertions and purely military l offenses, and I am glad to hear that the | British have solved this important and
 difficult matter in a satisfactory way I | commend to the consideration of Congress l of he
 tenn and recommend that laws be passed | putting the same into force both in the | army and the navy.
 ' l invite the attention of Congress to that l part of the report of the Secretary of the
 Navy in which he recommends the forma-
 ton or naval reserve by the organlza-
 ton of the ex-sailors of the navy. l l repeat my recommendation made last
 year that proper provision should be
 made for the rank of the commander in chief of the squadrons and fleets of the navy The inconvenience attending the 1 necessary precedence that most foreign | admirals have over our own whenever they meet in official functions, ought to
 be avoided. It impairs the prestige of our navy and is defect that can be very easily removed.
 ing has been set for January 1, 1915, the canal will, in fact. from present indca- lions, be opened for shipping during the latter half of 1913. No fixed date can as yet be set. but shipping interests will be | advised as soon as assurances can be given that vessels can pass through with | out unnecessary delay
 Recognizing the administrative prob- lem in the management of the canal Congress in the act of August 24, 1912. has made admirable provisions for executive | responsibility in the control of the canal | and the government of the canal zone The problem of most efficient organza- | ton is receiving careful consideration, so that scheme of organization and con trol best adapted to the conditions of the canal may be formulated and put in op- I eration as expeditiously as possible Act ing under the authority conferred on me | by Congress l have by executive procla- nation promulgated the following sched- ule of tolls for ships passing through the canal, based upon the thorough report | Of Emory R. Johnson, special commis- sioner on traffic and tolls:
 | l. On merchant vessels carrying passen- gers or cargo, S1.D per net vessel ton each 100 cubic feet-of actual earning capacity
 l ?. On vessels in ballast without passen- gers or cargo. 40 per cent less than the rate of tolls for vessels with passengers or cargo.
 | 3. Upon naval vessels, other than trans
 ports, eolliers, hospital ships and supply ships, 50 cents per displacement ton. | 4. Upon army and navy transports, col 1 Hers, hospital ships and supply ships. s1 20 Iper net ton, the vessels to be measured 1 by the same rules as are employed in de- | terminng the net tonnage of merchant vessels.
 Rules for the determination of the ton mage upon which toll charges are based are now in course of preparation and will be promulgated in due season.
 Panama Canal Treaty
 The proclamation which I have issued in respect to the Panama canal tolls is in accord with the Panama canal act passed by this Congress August 24 1912.
 We have been advised that the British government has prepared protest against the act and it's enforcement in so far as it relieves from the payment of tolls American ships engaged in the American coastwise trade on the ground that it violates British rights under the l Hay-Pauncefote treaty concerning the Panama canal. When the protest is pre- sented it will be promptly considered and an effort made to reach a satisfactory adjustment of any differences there may | be between the two governments.
 W0rkmens Compensation Act The promugation of an efficient work men compensation act, adapted to the particular conditions of the zone is await ing adequate appropriation by Congress Tor the payment of claims arising there under. l urge that speedy provision be made in order that we may install upon the zone system of settling claims for | injuries in best accord with modern hu- mane social and industrial theories Promotion of Colonel Goethals AS the completion of the canal grows nearer and as the wonderful executive work of Colonel Goethals becomes more | conspicuous in the eyes of the country and of the world, 1t seems to me wise and proper to make provision by law for such | reward to him as may be commensurate with the service that he has rendered to | his country. I suggest that this reward take the form of an appointment of Col | onci Goethals as major general in the army of the United States, and that the law authorizing such appointment be ac- companied with a provision permitting l his designation as chief of engineers upon the retirement of the present incumbent of that office.
 Department of Justice This department has been very active l in the enforcement of the law. It has