The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1914-09-10
WORLDS COMMERCIAL GEO.
GRAPHY

Washington, Sept. 8---The National
Geographic society has issued the
following statement on the probable
effect OF the Panama Canal on the
commercial geography Ct the world
today:
/ at seems that the Panama Canal
will carry most of tho freight pass
ing between the eastern coast Of
, the United States and the western
coast of Latin America, and that
! the shorter distance and lower rates
which it offers will greatly increase
that trade; that the trade between
the eastern AID western sections CT
the United States will be greatly in
creased ard transported at much
lower charge per ten; and that
! it will sufficiently shorten the dis
tance to Japan, northern China, Aus
tralia, aid New Zealand to increase
steamship service and mat erially in
crease the traffic with those coun-
tries, and that the European ccun-
tries will use the canal in NEST of
their traffic with western America
and in exceptional ccses with north
ern Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
The canal has shortened travel
routes between New York and Ycko-
homa by $3.50 miles; between Now
York and Australia by from $500 to
| 1000 miles 1t also reduces the dis
lance from Europe to western South
America by more than 5000 miles In
ternatioEal commerce doubled in the
80 years following the opening CT the
SueZ canal, and business and per-
sonal inter-re!ationship between the
Occident and Orient was increased in
like proportion. Will similar re-
suits follow the like shortening OF
trade and travel routes by the Pana-
ma canal?
Highways Of travel On the ocean
are influenced by Surrounding condi-
tions just as are those on land, SC
that the shortest distance between
two given points is not always the
best. Plentiful freight supplies, in
terchangeability CT the products of
the countries forming the termini of
the routes, way stations on such
routes, plentiful coalirg stations, and
cheap coal of a quality suitable for
steamship engines, AID even favo,
able winds and ocean currents are
among the factors contributing the
success of routes of travel upon the
ocean.
The sections of the world which
may be considered as probably within
the sphere of influence OF the Pana-
ma Canal are the eastern and west
ern coasts of America, the eastern
coast of Asia and the islands of the
Pacific. All CT western America is
nearer to Europe than formerly, and
all of western America and most Of
eastern Asia and Oceania are nearer
to the eastern coast of America. A
study of tie production and ccnsump-
tion OF the various countries lying
within the canals sphere of influ-
ence shows that their various products
are thoroughly interchangeable A
study of distances also shows that
both New York and New Orleans arc
now so much rearer to all of western
America than is Liverpool that we
may expect an increasing share
the trade of that section to fall to
the lot of eastern North America; that
the eastern ports Of the United States
are considerably nearer to Yokohama,
Melbourne. Sydney and Wellington
than is Liverpool by her shortest
route, but that Liverpool is still near
er HOng-kong and Manila than either
New York or New Orleans via Pant
ma.
Zone OF the most important re-
suits of the opening of the canal will
doubtless be found in it's effect upon
the movements of merchandise be-
tween the eastern and western, Sec
tons of the United States. The data
at hand seems to justify an estimate
of about 100000 tons per annum of
freight moved by rail and about hall
a million tons by water from the At
lantic coast section to the Pacific
coast section, and obout an equal
amount from the Pacific section and
Hawaii to the Atlantic coast section.
The freight charges on these 1000 :
600 tons are estimated at from $50 to
800 million dollars per arnum. The
canal will chop huge amounts from
these charges