The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-05-21
FOUk HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS
The Cost of Uncle Sans Canal and Wbaro thu
Money Goes.
By FRANK G. CARPENTER.
Money Goes.
By FRANK G. CARPENTER.

Are Let-DO we Get Our Moneys
Worth-The Cost of Panama Yer
sus That Of Suez-Watching the
Corners and Saving the Scraps.
How Men M Machines Earn Their
Wages-Something About Uncle
Sans Bookkeeping.
Copyright, 1912, by Frank c.. Car
penter.)
Four hundred million dollars!
That is what the Panama canal will
have cost when completed. You need
not question the figures. They are
dead right and I will give you the
items farther on.
But stop first and think what $780,
earn it and your wages were 81 a
day. How long would it take? It
would take 20O,00O,00 days, or more
than 100000 years. The history Of
man goes back only 5000 years, and
you would a V had to work one
hundred times the life Of this world
as far as history is concerned to have
done this Job.
Four hundred million dollars?
Suppose it were all in silver coins,
such as are now paid to the men who
are doing the digging. What a pile
and what a weight! One thousand
such dollars equal ffty-fve pounds,
and the whole sum would weigh in
round numbers twenty-five million
pounds. or eleven thousand tons. At
a ton to the wagon it would be
enough to load a train of twO-horse
teams. making a single file over sixty
miles of roadway, and the noses Of
each team might rest on the tailbOard
Of the wagon in front Of it.
Indeed it is a goodly sum! Where
has it gone? And is Uncle Sam get
ting the worth Of this money! These
are some of the matters I have been
looking into this week. I have gone
over the canal work n hunted for
leaks, and have also made notes Of
some places where Uncle Sam is
using the principle of scientific man
agement and modern economy. I had
a look at the books in the administra-
ton building here at Culebra, and
with the clerks have gone over the
ledgers to learn how Uncle Sam
counts the cost and to show you what
has already been spent and what we
must spend in the future.
Our Four-Hundred -Milion-Dollar
Ditch.
But first let me satisfy you as to
the total. President Taft and Colonel
Cocktails have estimated the cost OF
tuC CdUdl Oh 'O,OVO,VVV. LII OAC
way they are right. out there are
other items which will amount to at
least $25, OO0,O O more. These are the
extra charges entailed by the annual
sum we pay Panama. and h FORTH
cations. The first estimate Of the cost
Of the latter was $4,000, 900. and
Congress has now cut it down to $12,
600, 900. We nave already spent more
than $4,000, 900, and we will run w
to $4,000, 900 before we get through
Moreover, we have agreed to pay
Panama s250,000 a year, beginning
with nine years after the treaty by
which we took the canal. Eight year,
have already gone. and a year from
now we will be spending that quarter
of a million which will be a fixee
charge upon the Treasury for all tims
to come. Two hundred and fifty thou
more than six million dollars, and 81
we must capitalize that six million:
and add it to the cost Of the canal
And so you have the twenty-five mil
lions without going farther. making
as | have said, a total of -four hundre(
millions.
Now let us see where the none.
has gone. We shall first take 1T IL
the rough. We spent $50,00O,OOO a
the start to get control Of the cana
property. The French re
ccived $40, OO0,0 900 for it's rights an
the work it had done and go
5000, 900 for the Canal Zone an
other rights. Then we began to cleal
up the canal. to organize the worl
and to dig. We spent less than 81,
100000 in 1904, the year we bough
the canal. We paid out about $4,000,
900 in 1905, $11, 900, 600 in 1905, WI,
100000 in 1907 and from then o
have steadily increased until we ar
now spending millions a month. 3
the both Of June next we shall nav
used up the total appropriations S
far made by Congress. and they no'
equal the vast sum Of S293,565,S72.1
At the beginning Of this year we ma
already expended more than $3.50,
900, 900 and the remaining $4,000
600 is the cost Of the current 81
months