El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-02-24

/ in tissue paper and tinfoil, 400 pounds
of e being handled in this way every
p hours.
The supply department at Cristobal
also maintains laboratory, IN Whlcn
many household neCeSSarleS are manu-
featured. including bayrum, vanilla ana
lemon extracts and denatured alcOhoL
There IS in addition, an aulOInaI nc
weighing and packing outIlt Whlcn
makes 1t possible to sell nearly every
thing in original packages. thus saw
ing much time and trouble me cost
of such weighing and handling is only
$50 per ton.
When one comes to Investigate the
matter, one finds that the whole busl-
ness Of buying. transporting ana us
tributing supplies for the zone is prac-
tically in the hands of the Panama ran
road. And this might seem rather puz-
cling were ii not explained that the
railroad is owned outright " Dy tHe
United States government. me DuylhS
is done by an army officer IN New
. York, who purchases whatever ne
wants all over the United states
wherever it happens to be cHeaper) ,,
and has the merchandise shippeu Dy
the most direct possible routes 10 the
isthmus. Thus people residing In the
zone get fruit from California by water
and pay san Francisco prices FOR It.
The Panama railroad owns SIX DIG
steamships. which are continually Voy-
aging between Atlantic ports and Co
lon, and between Pacific ports ana
Panama-fOur of these being PROVIDED
with refrigerator outfits. 1t mas also
a seventh. which leaves New Orleans
for Colon weekly.
During the last year the supply de-
partment OF the zone furnished over
T. 600 900 pounds of beer-representlnS
6z46 head of cattle In addition, 1t dis
tributed the meat Of 164l sheep also
1861 4S chickens, 500 turkeys nearly
500 600 hams, 696, 600 dozen esgs,
$3.50, 394 pounds Of sugar 2,ttS,S6s
pounds Of condensed milk, 6,l4O,l26
pounds Of flour. $3.50, 609 pounds OF
potatoes and many millions Of pounds
Of food products Of various KINDS IN
tins.
Not Merely Butcher shop.
But it should not be supposed that the
establishment at Cristobsl is merely a
grocery and butchers shop on a large
scale 1t is a magni1ied depar tInenl
store, dealing in whatsoever human
need or fancy can require, including dry
goods, boots and shoes, household FUR
niture and equipments, hardware, no
lions every thing, in short down 10
such trifles as candy and toothpoWder
The trade il does in candy IS very con-
sidera ble-thOugh' no such huge item az
smoking tobacco, cigars and cigarets-
Ships must have coal, OF course, ana
steps are now being taken to proNloe
for this all-lmpOrtant Item congress
is expected 10 appropriate money Tor
building at least a dozen golfers, which
(While always available for use Dy the
navy IN case OF emergency VIII LC
employed under ordinary circumstances
in carrying fuel 10 the isthmus- AT
least 100000 tons Of coal yearly viii
be needed to supply naval and mer-
chant vessels arriving at Colon and
Panama.
Many steamships are now beginning
to use oil as fuel We shall have 10
supply it. And there are many other
requisites. Mr.. Taft recently called the
attention of congress to the fact that
we must build at least one dry dock,
for use by vessels passing through the
canal and that other facilities for re-
pairing ships viii have 10 be provided
Though hard TO realize, it IS fact
that the Panama canal Will be open
for traffic within less than three years
from now We have got to get ready
for the business that will arrive. The
ditch will be a sort OF interoceanic
street, trans-isthmian great white
way brightly lighted from end to end
with electricity. a large part of the
trade OF the world will pass
along it, and it is high time that we
got ready TO meet the demands Of this
wonderful traffic with adequate sup
plies Of whatever it may demand II
the goods we offer are first class and
prices low. we shall gain proportion /
ate through an increased use Of the
canal For this is purely and simply I
commercial proposition. and we have a /
rival-the Tehuantepec rail-