The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-03-30

by the exemption at the expense of the
treasury OF the United States. They
shrewdly seek to becloud the issue BY
raising all sorts Of unfounded claims.
interest of all the people instead of at
their expense for the enrichment Of a
few shipping combines and monopo-
lists; nat the railroads are fighting it
when they know that the railroads al
ready control the ships; that repeal is
subserviency to England, as If to do
as we agreed were a disgrace. The
built the canal. 1t has already cost
them 1875, coo, 900, and before it is fn-
ished it will have cost $500, O00, 900, At
3 per cent the annual interest will
Panama requires us to pay $250,000 an
nually as rental, and the cost Of oper-
ating n maintsn a66 eoa n sanitation
Ing in es FUND Of s. $685. s@t; Co., OU a. t sfa a an maj
Expense Of nearly I$2o,ooo,ooO. The
money invested has been or will be
borrowed necessarily al interest,"
and political wisdom demand that the
canal shall be self-supporting provided
return large enough to enable the
canal to carry itself can be secured
limiting it's usefulness"
Saving I'm Transshipment.
Mr.. STEVENSON asserted that the
Hawaiian sugar fleet between the is
land and New York could save the tolls
and operate at a less expense for the
voyage by tr~ansshipment by way of
the T~ehuantepec railway, the present
route. He quoted from the testimony
of the president of the American-Hl-
Waiian Steamship Co., showing that
the present cost of sending a ton of
sugar from Hawaii to New York is SO
per ton.
The canal toll is $40 per net ton,
said Mr.. STEVENSON, which means 100
cubic feet of cargo space in a vessel.
A commodity like sugar is so heavy
that two and a half tons are carried in
fore only IS cents a ton actual weight.
BY paying 4S cents the steamship COM
pany will ave $3.50 q ton on sugar GO
ing through the cana. .-
Mr.. Stevenson declared that free
tolls for coatstwise vessels is merely a
second subsidy. To totally exclude for
eign vessels from the coastwise trade
Is a subsidy, he said, for behind this
'coastwise' wall the vessels have form-
ed a. combination by which they charge
what the traffic will hear in every in
stance; Free tolls would be the sec
ond subsidy. 1t would be like prohibit
Ing the entry Of an article Of merchsr-
disc and then granting a bounty on the
home production in addition.
Not i'm Interests OF Railroads.
Mr.. STEVENSON derided the statement
is In the interest Of the railroads. ut
costs at the lowest figure over Sc a ton
to carry freight across the continent"
he said. by way OF the canal, freight
such as coal could be sent from the At
lantic to the Pacific for $2.50 a. ton.
The railroads will never fight the
canal by competing in rates directly,
but by getting control of water lines
and raising rates from interior points
to the seaboard." ~
Benefit to Pacific Coast.
Mr.. Stevenson also denounced the
extra benefit given the Pacific coast
farmer by reason of toll exemption.
The farmers of the Pacific coast" no
said, will be greatly benefited by the
general lowering of rates by reason or
the canal. With a. toll charge of say
65 cents a ton for wheat, they could
send their crop to market for about is
cents q bushel. The Minnesota and Da-
kota who ship their wheat or
their barley to New York pay 25 cents.
a 100 pounds from Minneapolis or Du-
luth, and from 10 to Is cents a 100 to
reach those markets. Why should
they be taxed in order that their com
petitors may have their grain laid
down in the same market for 10 or IS
cents instead of Is cents? Why should
the eastern lumber producers, who now
pay tribute to the coastwise vessels on
lumber from southern states, be furth-
err taxed in order that the Pacific coast
lumberman may lave their product, ut
the competing point at Sc a 1000 feet?
1t would be better to protect the Paci.
fic coast lumbermen by imposing a duty
of IS a 1000 feet than to give him this
advantage"