Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-08-07
PANAMA CANAL IS
HIT HARD BY WAR
Fear Great Waterway Will Not
Be SeIf-Supporting for
Five Years.

WASHINGTON, Aug. War in
I Europe strikes a damaging blow at
the Panama canal, and one which, in
the opinion of experts, will defer for
at least five years the date at which
it was expected the new waterway
would become self-supporting. AL
though the canal is not expected to
figure as military factor in the
European conflict, it is susceptible of
serious injury in other ways The
commerce of foreign nations, partic-
i.ularly European nations, through the
canal, was figured to set 1t upon it's
fleet in a financial way, because it
was recognized such commerce would
far outrank in Importance any that
might be contributed by ships flying
the American flag.
Thus, on the eve of its formal open
ing to world commerce, the canal is
confronted with conditions which
cannot mean anything but arrested
use. The toll money which
was expected to pour into the Golfers
of the United States and go a long
way toward defraying the mainte-
nance of the canal, even at the outset
bf it's commercial career, will not be
forthcoming in anything like the
solume that the experts estimated.
those European nations whose mer-
shant marine was relied upon to fur
iish practically two-thirds of the
hnal income are involved in war
which is certain to affect their foreign
c5mmerce unfavorably for long
period.
1t seems assured that the elabo-
rately planned International celebra-
ton of the opening of the canal in
March, 1915, will either be called off
or fall completely fiat. While this in
itself is a mere incident in the his
tory of the waterway, the failure of
the great powers to participate in
such a celebration will afford a true
index of commercial conditions which
must inevitably follow such war as
is now being waged on the European
continent. Even though the war may
be closed long before next March, it
Is doubted here If any of the Euro
pean navies will be in shape TO send
representatives to the Panama cele-
bration, or that European govern
ments will find the time or the in
clination to pay any attention to the
event They will be overwhelmed by
problems at home. AS an incident of
this condition of affairs, it is expected
that the Panama Pacific exposition at
San Francisco, to which the govern
ment has already contributed about
Sl,25U,0OO, VIII either dWlndle 10 a
purely local affair, die natural death
or be postponed.
If the Panama canal had been
built with a view to caring for the
coastwise trade of the United States,
or even those ships engaged in foreign
trade which fly the American flag, its
future would not be so seriously
menaced by the war In Europe But
the government experts have recog-
nized from the start that American
ships would play a comparatively
small part in the payment of tolls.
Only one-tenth of the vessels that
will use the canal when it is ready
for traffic will be engaged in the
American coastwise trade The
foreign trade of the United States
was literally estimated to furnish
about one third of the tonnage. All
the remaining traffic would fly
foreign flags These estimates, of
COURSE were based upon the steady
development of world commerce, and
did not take into account any such
contingency as a destructive Euro
pean war.