New-York tribune., 1912-07-14

will pay, directly or indirectly, Panama
tolls. sas they already pay part of the
SueZ tolls on their respective mercantile
fleets; About = per cent S Sd the e.sSaes Snes :
are now paid In one form or another from
the trea suries OF the nations whose flags
those vessels ny.
Commissioner Chamberlain says that
the question of tolls is met in several
ways by nations with respect to the Suez
Canal He says that mail subsidies. ad-
miralty subventions and navigation boun-
ties in a number of instances equal or ex-
ceed the Suez Canal tolls paid by the sub
sidized lines. He is Of the opinion that
by means of subsidies the foreign powers
can pay the tolls charged for use Of the
Panama Canal.
1t has been suggested in the controversy
caused by the protest from the British
government that the subsidy system OF
exempting American merchant vessels
from tolls can be adopted by the United
States and that in that event the other
countries could have no just complaint.
II is shown In reports OF the Department
OF Commerce and Labor that in nearly
every instance the amounts paid by the
respective governments to the various
steamship lines exceed the amount Of
canal tolls.
Commissioner Chamberlain states that
that Spanish Cortes, in 1903. authorized
an annual subsidy of 1.449.55O pesetas
Cs2S5,0O0) to a Spanish steamship line
from CadiZ TO the Canaries. Porto Rico
and Cuba. and thence through the Pan
anna Canal to ports that the government
shall deem necessary" but that he Is In
doubt as to whether the law contemplated
the payment Of tolls through the Panama
Canal, as there is a clause providing that
the service shall be without increasing
the total subvention." However, others
have held that the subsidies includes the
payment of the Panama Canal tolls.
The total tonnage passing through the
Suez Canal I'm 1910 was l6,5Sl.9 800 net tons.
The feet OF the British Pcninsular and ORR
entail Steamship Company was the largest
using the canal, it's tonnage aggregating
1,214 200 net tons. The Suez Canal dues on
the companys ships and passengers In 1910
were approximately cc57,9S9 and its subsi-
dies about e2971i3.
The principal German passo Lger steam
ship line TO the Orient Is the North German
LLOYD, which has an annual SUBSIDY OIL
5.2sO.oo0 marks or s.3S3.l6o for It's mail
steamers 10 Asia and Australia. The COM
pany's feet made ninety-four Suez voyages
in 1910, for which the subsidy would have
sufficed to pay all the tolls and leave a
handsome margin. IT is pointed out 10y Com
missioner Chamberlain.
Commenting further on the size of the
subsidies and the probabilities Of their eX-
ceeding the Suez Canal tolls and yet leaV-
ing a big margin. Commissioner Chamber
lain says:
A japanese subsidy OF 81 ,3S641 was paid
10 the Nippon Yusen kaisha for its steam
ers through Suez to Europe aggregauns
800 900 tons In 1905 the Messageries Mari
times, the largest French company using
the canal, was paid for It's lines TO China,
Japan Australia and Madagascar. y, li5. 232
I'm subsidies, and its canal tonnage IN 1913
was $685. 30 net tons.
Without going into further detail, enough
doubtless has been presented to warrant
the statement that the subsidies and oouh-
ties paid to foreign steamships through the
Suez Canal were over * per cent OF the
Suez tonnage receipts Of l2i.2O3,2 2s5 francs
(s24 so 235). In 1910. There can he no DOUBT
whatever that at least In some instances
the same policy will be adopted IN respect
TO Panama Canal tolls.