Bisbee daily review., 1913-11-12
FRANCE ALERT IN
 HER COMMERCIAL
 PLANS FOR PANAMA
Provisions for h. creased Passenger, Freight Service by Way of Isthmus and New Port of Call

with which France has studied the maritime commercial situation which
 will arise as a result of the comple- Iion of the Panama Canal is evi- denced by a further report from A.
 Monzie, Under Secretary of State for Marine, who, in addition to speaking for the foreign office, has given some interesting detail as to what certain French shipping companies contem-
 plate in the way of increased passen- ger and freight service by way of the Isthmus
 M Monzie Is directly charged with
 the affairs of the merchant marine,
 NJ. Baudin, the Minister. occupying Himself more immediately with the navy. The views of M. Monzie are:
 ''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 state. It is for the Minister of For eign Affairs to decide whether there is need to enter upon, either today or later, such negotiations as shall ap- pear to him necessary to ensure the participation of France in the benefits os a work which-no one fcrgets- was inspired by the genius of a fa. nous Frenchman. In regard to the creation of port of call at Papeete. the Colonial Minister alone would bc competent to indicate and discuss the measures already taken or in prep aration with this end in view.
 The creation of such port of call is Of the highest importance to North American interests, since a good hal. of the tonnage carried between the North Atlantic and Australasia (the half of 9OO,O0 net tons in 19o9l. rep resents the commerce of the United States and Eastern Canada. By req son of the privileged situation Of the United States respecting the Aus tralian market, this stream of mari time trade must increase rapidly. New York will be nearer to Sidney via Pan anna than Liverpool Is HOW by way of Suez. An economy of 2.000 miles in navigation will constitute an incalcul- able advantage to American export CTS. I a mtherefore sure that the 3f- forts undertaken by France to create a port of call at Tahiti will be ap- rreciated by American shipping as something advantageous oit in the first degree.
 'The choice between Papeete and Rapa is no longer doubtful nor is 1t being discussed. The facilities of en- try into the harbor of Papeete, its SC ct.-ity and the large surface of water available give Papeete au obvious su- periority. Papeete's happy situation, in particular, is fitted to give her preference over Rapa and HOnolulu as the fayorite stopping place between California and New Zealand on the route between San Francisco and Auckland.
 If add that the construction or lighthouses is being planned for the guidance of ships passing, at the north of the Tuamotu Archipelago, among the numerous islands sown thoughout 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 proposes to carry out in the Pacific.
 But this is by no means ali that France intends to do. N. Jean Mo rel. the Minister of Colonies, let # he understood in answer to Senator Berenger, who pleaded the noble cause Of the French Antilles, that the old ports of Pointe-a-P -Pitre and Fort de-France would be improved in pro portion tc the needs of the increased traffic resulting from the opening of tiie Panama Canal As far as Point a-Pitre is conccrned.a decree has al ready been prepared by the Cabinet authorizing the Departmnet to under take the works which have been judged necessary. Fcrt-de-Frsnce will not he forgotten.
 There are other problems to be considered. some of which directly concern my department in Central America, and on the western coast of South America, France has rela- tions. traditional friendships. which claim our attention and are becoming hore and more important 10 us. Last ly. 1t is necessary 70 strengthen our relations with the western coast of North America. Our great shipping companies cannot remain indifferent and inactive while German and En- glish companies are renewing and in- ereasing their services iE the Pacific.
 "It is impossible for me to state the decisions Of the French shipping companies, which moreover have not yet been formulated All I know is that the Compagnie Generale Trans ;.tlantique after sending one of it's inspectors, M Prudhon, to study the general problem of navigation in the Pacihcs delegated its General Director As. nal Piaz to proceed to Colon and 1sansma. to go further into the ques- ton It is on the return Of the gen eral director that the transatlantic company will. with all the facts be- fore tEem. decide upon their arrange ments regarding the lines of steam gl,sue ,,-bfch ft will apnoar roraSzarv