The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-11-10
PANAMA CANAL
 AND FRANCE
How The French Government Proposes To Take Advantage
 Of The Big Ditch
Ry The Aesoefated Prega.)

E Paris, Oct 10.-The thoroughness with which France has studied the maritime commercial situation which will arise as result of the comple- ton of the Panama Canal is eVidenceds by a further report from A. Monzie, Under Secretary of State for Marine, who, in addition to speaking for the foreign ofice has given some interest," ing detail as to what certain French shipping companies contemplate in the way of increased passenger and freight service by way of the Istnmus.
 M Monzie Is. directly charged with the affairs of the merchant marine, M Baudin, the Minister, occupying him self more immediately with the Navy. The. views of M. Monzie are:
 t'The general plan of action which may suggest itself to the French gov-' ernment with a view to utilizing the Panama Canal, am not qualified to Affairs to decide whether there is need to enter upon, either today or later, such negotiations as shall appear to him necessary to ensure the partici- patton Of France in the benefits of a work Which-no one forgets-Was in spired by the genius of a famous Frenchman. In regard to the creation of a port of call at Papeete, the Col oniaI Minister alone would be compe-
 tent to indicate and discuss the meas ures already taken or in preparation
 with this end in view.
 .'The creation of such a port of call is of the highest importance to North
 American interests, since a good half
 of the tonnage carried between the North Atlantic and AustEalasla- ttf1e half of 90O,000 net tons-zHe@70o9 TsRe- sent the commerce Of thesaUnifed States and Eastern Canada. By reason of the
 privileged situation Of the United
 States respecting the Australian mar
 ket, this stream of maritime trade must increase rapidly. New York will
 be nearer to Sidney via Panama than Liverpool is now by way of Suez An
 economy Of 2,000 miles in navigation
 will constitute an 1ncaIculable advan- tage to American exporters. am
 therefore sure that the efforts under
 taken by France to create a port Of
 call at Tahiti will be appreciated by
 American shipping as something ad-
 vautageous to-it in the first degree
 s1:ThE- choice between Papeete and
 Rapa is no longer doubtful nor is it being discussed. The facilities of en- try into the harbor of Papeete, it's se- curity and the large surface of water
 available give Papeete an obvious su-
 periority Papeete's happy situation,
 in particular, is fitted to give her pref
 erence over Rapa and Honolulu as the favorite stopping place between Cali
 fornia and New Zealand the route betW cen San HTanc1Sc0 and. AuGkklan0.E5
 eff I add that the construction of
 lighthouses Is Ybeing planned for the
 guidance of ships passing at the north
 of the Tuamotu Archipelago, among the numerous islands soWn through out the ocean, at the same time as the formation of the port at Papeete I will have sufficiently shown the extent and value. internationally, of the program which the Minister Of Colonies pro poses to carry out in the Pacific
 But this is by no means all that France intends to do. M. Jean Morel, the Minister of Colonies. let it be un- derstood in answer to Senator Beren- ger, who pleaded the noble cause of the I French Antilles that the old ports of Pointe-a-Pitre and Fort-de- France ] would be improved in proportion to the needs of the increased traffic resulting | from the opening of the Panama Can al. As far Point-a-Pitre is con- l cerned, a decree already has been pre-
 pared by the Cabinet authorizing the 1 Depa rtment to undertake the works | which have been judged necessary. Fort -de-France will not be forgotten. i There are other problems to be con
 sidered, some of which directly con cern my department. In Central Amer | ica and on the western coast of South 1 America, France has relations tradi- 1 ttonaI Friendships, which claim our at | tention and are becoming more and more important to us. Lastly, 1t ia