The Harlowton news., 1912-12-06
.S|DEL|CHTS ON TOLLS AND
TRAFFIC OF PANAMA CANAL
Interest and Maintenance viii
Amount to s15,OO0,OO0
Per Year.

Europe must purchase large QuIHullts
of coal on the east coast OF South
America at prices so per cent above
those that will prevail at Panama and
at West Indian stations. The differ.
ence in coal costs by these two routes
will be equal to a half or possibly
more than half of the canal tolls"
A freight steamship of some 3,OOt
tons register went last year from New
York to the Philippines and back via
the Suez canal. Her coal bill was
$50, O,SGS.75. If she could have been|
routed through the Panama canal ano|
hama to Manila the coal would have
cost $1S,22 so, which would have
meant saving of almost 81 per ton OF
the ships net ton register.
Suppose that the advance in tonnage
using the Panama canal should be Ct
per cent--and 1t may be more-betWeen
1916 and 1925. In the latter year it
would come to something like 17,OOO,
GOO tons. That tie estimate is not ex
cessiye is shown by the fact that the
Suez canal at the present rate of in,
crease, will show 2O,O00,O00 tons in
1915 and 35,OOO,0OO tons III 1925.
Saving In Distance.
There are some instructive tabula-
tions of comparative distances. For
instance, let us take the distances from
Philadelphia to points on the Pacific
seaboard via Panama and via the
strait of Magellan. From Philadel-
phia to Portland, Ore, the isthmian
route is 5,SS4 miles. and that via the
end Of South America is 1882. To
San Francisco the distance is 1924
miles by the former route and 13, 1872
by the latter. AS for European ports.
taking Liverpool as typical, we find the
distance to San Francisco 5,G66 miles
| less by way Of the isthmus than it IS
| via Magellan. To Honolulu the saving
| Is 4.4O3 miles and to Guayaquil 5,19S
| miles. Twenty days would be saved
between New York and San Francisco
by sixteen knot vessel. These figures
are sufficient to Indicate the desirable
tty, from the point of view OF mere
! mileage, of utilizing the Panama canal
| In the opinion Of DR.. Johnson "the
tolls at Panama, in so far as they are
charge for a service rendered may
| be made equal to the money equivalent
| OF the services rendered by the canal
to the commerce that derives the least
benefit from the shorter route afford.
ed by the canal. Neither the
tolls that shipping can pay for using
the Panama canal nor the limits that
any particular toll will give to the ca
nal traffic zone can be determined
solely by comparing distances via the
Panama canal and alternate routes.
But, taking into consideration the va
rious factors that affect the reckoning
1t Is his conclusion that "it is not prob
able that any considerable share of
the commerce of the Atlantic gulf
coast of the United States with west
ern South America would be diverted
from the Panama canal by tolls OF 81
or even more than 81 Il ton net regis
ter" The traffic between this sea
board and Australia and New Iealanc
may be expected to use the Panama
4 EUutG IL LilC lollo tiAC Inv lAoAS IitAAA y
per ton. The traffic between Europe
and New Zealand via Panama. at -
per ton, would probably not be more
than SO per cent of the total traffic
.aThe possibility that the Panama ca
nal may be used by at least a mino1
share Of the shipping between Europe
and the Pacific ports of Asia and thu
apparent prospect that New York may
become a transfer point for a portion
of the trade of Europe with the fal
east make it desirable that the toll:
!. should be lower at Panama than a
. Suez" Suez tolls on Jan. /, 1912, Were
$13O per net ton for loaded vessels
! and 50 cents per ton for vessels in bal
! last ut is uncertain what share o
the traffic between Europe and th'
!, orient can be secured by the ranaln.
; canal in competition with the Sue:
route. In any event the Panama cana
, will obtain a small percentage of th
, total, but it will be well to assist th,
Panama route by lower tolls, in so ia
!, as that policy does not interfere will
, the establishment Of tolls that vii