The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-03-11
NEW PANAMA CANAL
TOLLS BILL FAVORED
House Commerce Committee
Stands With President in
Repeal Matter.
PROTESTS ARE HEARD
Representative knowland At
tacks Measure and Atti-
tude Of Executive.
BY International News Service.

BY Jnterna tional News Service.
WASHINGTON March 1o.-The
house commerce committee, at the die
tation Of President Wilson, put through
today new Panama canal free tolls re-
pealing bill, under which, in addition to
American coastwise ships, United States
battleshiPs and revenue cutters will be
forced to pay the same tonnage tax as
Great Britain.
This new feature OF the surrender of
the administration to the demands of
Great Britain, II was said by advocates
of free tolls for American ships, broke
down the last remnant Of American in
dependence in the operation of the Pan,
ANA canal
In effect it is claimed to be nm at
tack on the freedom of this government
itself III that it is restriction on the
military arm in the manner of use of
the navy and army.
There is fear this concession is to lead
to the more humihating necessity for
the breaking of the treaty with Pan
ANA, under which that country is grant
ed preferential duties through the ca
nal, and the repeal Of the provision
against use of the canal by railroad
owned ships.
Sir Edward Grey of the British for
eign office protested these provisions as
well as the two sought to be repealed by
the bill introduced today at the COM
mand of the chief executive. The Ca
madam government wants its railroad
owned ships to pass through the canal.
Referred to as Bargain.
Indignation is growing In the house
against the bargain with Great Britain
for aid in his muddled Mexico and for-
eign policy. Introduction of the bill
and its report from the committee does
not mean its passage through congress.
Underwood, Fitzgerald and Mann, house
leaders, have demanded an hour OF more
each to fight the repealing bill, and 9th
er similar demands are coming to the
committee in charge.
BY vote Of Il TO the house com
mittee passed the enlarged repeal clause
from the act. The vote was:
For-Chairman Ademson, Sims, Cow
ingtoD, Talcott, Stephens of Mississip-
pi, Stevens Of New Hampshire, Barkley,
Rayburn, Montague, Decker, Esch, Ste
vens Of Minnesota, Willis, Hamilton.
Against-O 'Shaughnessy and Know
land
Absent-Doremus, Cooke, Cullop,
Martin, Lafferty.
Provisions of Measure.
Representative Doremus Of Michigan
is chairman of the national congress
sional Democratic committee. He has
been strong advocate of free tolls
Lafferty Of Washington is opposed to
the repeating bill.
The bill presented today as substi-
tute for the original repeating bill pro-
vides:
"That the second sentence in section
) of the act entitled An act to provide
for the opening maintenance, protec-
ton and operation Of the Panama ca
nal and the sanitation and government
Of the canal zone, approved August "a,
1912, which reads as follows:
No tolls shall be levied upon yes
sells engaged in the coaStwise trade of
the United States bo and the same
is hereby repealed,
E1Section 2-That the third sentence
of the third paragraph Of said section
of said act be so amended as to read
as follows:
ttWhen based upon net registered
tonnage for ships of commerce, the
tolls shall not exceed $l25 per net
registered ton nor be less than rs cents
net per registered ton, subject, howev-
er, to the provision Of article 10 of
the convention between the United
States and the republic Of Panama
entered into November is, 1903"
Attitude of KnowIand.
Representative Kuowland said:
In q statement issued last Friday
commenting npon the action of the
committee on Interstate aud for
eign commerce, repeating part Of
the canal act, J. directed attention
| to the fact that the committee had
left in tho bill certain sections
which reserved some American
rights. I predicted then that in
view of the fact that Sir Edward
| Crey in his note ~ Nnyop,lar "A