Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-04-28
BEGINS TODAY ON
TOLLS BILL REPORT
Chairman O'Gorman of Conn.,
mittee Expects Conclusions
in Two Days.

The Senate committee on interoceaui,
canals met at go O'Clock this afternoon
to begin consideration of its report On
the Panama canal tolls repeal bill Sew
ator o'Gorman. chairman of the COMMIT
tee, has expressed the opinion that thu
committee will lie able 20 report within
two days.
Senator simmons of North Carolina.
one of the supporters OF the repeal I'M
ana member of the committee. sad
that he believed the committee was even
ly' divided on tine bill. lie suggested that
either an amended bill would he reported
to the Senate. Or that a report without
recommendation would he made
Hearings Brought to Close.
Hearings on the bill 10 repeal the free
tolls provision of the Panama canal H.,
were closed last evening
The hearings OF the committee began
April .. and continued without intcrrui
ton. Scores of witnesses We're heajl
and many different arguments. econonu.
and legal were presented
Joseph y. Teal of Portland Greg. oil
behalf of the Portland Chamber of t on
merce and other Pacific coast trad. o.
CARNATIONS, protested before the commits
tee against the repeal.
Mr.. Teals Argument.
Mr.. Teal. early in his statement. do
clared:
Although the people of the racjfo
coast are economically greatly interestcI
in the exemption Of American coastp1se
vessels from the payment OF tolls. IL thcy
were convinced that such exemption coz
stituted violation OF any treaty they
would not oppose the repeal bill for
minute"
Mr.. Teal discussed at length the effect
which a small advance in the cost of
transporting heavy commodities. liko
lumber, would have upon the trade, and
indicated that the imposition of tolls upon
such commodities would be felt heavily
He said he believed it would be I'M
possible to control water rates from coast
to coast by means OF combinations or
conferences because the great bulk of the
trade would be done in tramp steamers.
He submitted to the committee figures
prepared by ship man showing that tolls
would range from 81 cents to S1.5l ton
in ships of various construction.
Senator O'Gorman brought out the fact
that IL the entire capacity of the steamer
could not be utilized the tolls might 90
as high as So q ton.
Foreign Competition a Factor.
Senator Simmons asked whether much
iron and steel were shipped to the Pacific
coast from the Atlantic states. Mr.. Teal
said Yes. but since you have lowered
the tariff. Great Britain and Germany
are making arrangements to compete
with American manufacturers as soon
as the canal is opened
Mr.. Teal, by way of showing how
much lower the water rates than
the rail. told the committee that IL
would be possible to ship from Seattle I"
New York and thence by rail to Chicago
at a lower rate than to ship BY raj
direct from Seattle to Chicago. He sal
that many low-grade products Of IT,.
Pacific coast would be shipped east -
the canal, which not now shipped
east at all. including low grade lumh'
and low grade fruits. He showed how
the back haul would be OF importance
in making rates low.
Submits New Proposition.
r. H Phillips. a traffic man OF Ken
sington. Md, presented a new proposition
to the committee. He suggested that Al.
the coastwise traffic of North and South
America be exempted from the payment
of tolls. In this way, he said. all as
elimination would be avoided against
Canadian and South and Central AMER
can ship owners. lie would continue 10
compel the foreign traffic TO pay tolls'
He suggested, too. that charge be maze
Of s. head for every passenger through
the canal, saying that he beteved tlls
might bring In &5,0OO,Op a year revenue
He urged the classification OF ireighls.
az is done with railway trafnc, that
charges be made upon actual weight
carried instead Of upon the vessels
capacity. ,;.t
by President Taft We're suggested ny
college professor" said Mr.. Phillips
They should have been based on recon-
mendations of a traffic man. lie SAID tllat'
he did not want to , SEE the , den no. a..
country he said. were generally oppose
to the repeal bill, and his plan would "e
a way out Of the difficulty.
1.-THE republicans have put the demo-
Gratis in a hole" said Mr.. Phillips.
Arizona Opposed to Repeal.
r. II. Jones OF Phoenix. Ariz.. a mcm-
Der of the state public utilities commits
sion. declared that the intermountain DIS
trict was just as much interested in The
retention of the tolls exemption as WAS
the coast. He said that he believed 90
per cent of the people ia Arizona, not
guided primarily by political considera-
lions, were opposed to repeal.
President Dobson of the chamber %.
commerce of Pensacola, Fla. WAS tn"
last witness heard. He said the o.
ganization he represented was strongly
in favor Of the repeal bill
I'VE believe that under the treaty NJ
exemption to American ships Ia justified
said Mr.. Dobson. LAS a business prop"
sition, 1 believe that it would be uuwis'-
for us to seek new markets in forr.Ed
countries. we intend to do. when IT,"
people of those markets believe that We
have acted in violation of our treaty.