The Hawaiian gazette., 1914-07-07
PANAMA CANAL
MEANS MUCH.
! TO HAWAII
Completion Of Big Ditch Place
This Territory in Direct Toucl
with Outside world-wTl sti
These Islands to Quicker Actiy
ity in Opinion of Noted Mari
time Authority.

When, America built the Paranl
Canal she discovered the western Rail
of her own continent, shifted the divid
ing line Of commerce thousands Of mile
westward and revised the trade route
Of the globe, says svetozar 'ronjorofi
noted maritime authority, in an articI
recently published IN Munseyis Mag.
zine on the "Panafha uanal and It'd
Relation TO the World - PRACTICABLE
every nation on the globe, in Mr.. 4 N
jorof Is opinion, will feel the quicken|
ing influence of general commercial ex
pansion that inevitably will follow tn
opening Of the waterway, but he be
lieves that by virtue of its geographical
location America herself will be thu
chief beneficiary.
Honolulu on Trade Route.
Referring in turn to the probabld
effect upon Hawaii OF the shifting Of
old trade routes and the development
of new ones, Mr.. Tonjoroff says:
Hawaii will be stirred TO quickei|
life by the new conditions. The first
census of the Islands after annexation,
showed population of $4,000. TWENTY
years later, in 1910, there were l91 900
people in the Island group, a large proi
portion of whom were Japanese settlersI
With Honolulu port Of call on the|
great circle route TO and from the ORD
ent, Hawaii will be enabled TO play AM
increasingly important part in the com
merce Of the Pacific and to attract n
large white population"
Map Defines Routes.
On two-page map illustrating the
writer's article are shown the compara-
tive distances between various com
mcrcial centers Of the world by way
of the Panama and the old Magollan
routes This map not only clearly
shows the logic Of Hawaii's claims as
the present Crossroads of the Pa
eific,' y but emphasizes the additional
advantages that are certain to accrue
TO her as the mid-oeean port on the
most direct route from Panama to the
Orient. The lengths Of the various
routes radiating from the Pacific en-
trance TO the canal, as indicated on
Mr.. Tonjoroff s map, are as follows, the
figures representing nautical miles;
Panama to Honolulu, 4665 miles.
Honolulu TO Hok0hama, 3445 miles.
Panama to Yokohama via Honolulu,
$40 miles.
Panama TO San Francisco, 1917 miles.
San Francisco TO Yokohama, 4535
miles.
Panama to Yokohama via San Fran
cisco, 1912 miles. a',..i
Panama to Manila via Honolulu, a47s
miles.
China important Factor.
''The shortening Of the route be.
tween Yokohama and New York by
376s miles, and New Orleans and Hong-
kong by nearly 1000. miles, says the
writer, suggests an interesting pros
peet of expansion. China. with its pop
llation of 400, 100000, is the great COM
mercial and industrial factor of the
future. The total imports Of the Chi.
nese provinces, as shown by the latest
available trade balance sheet, amounted
to 1915, 100000, (. What the m l.
lions of China can accomplish in the
way Of commercial activity is fore.
Swallowed plainly by the fact that
Japan, with only one-eighth of China 2
population, has purchasing power al
most as great as that of China, as req
resented by an import budget Of $685.
600 1000. 4
More Commerce for ALL
Next to the United States, Mr.. Ton
ioroff thinks, Great Britain will profit
most by the operation Of the canal,
and Germany will be next. In lesser
degrees, vet materially all the other
commercial nations of Europe will gain
by the shortening Of the route between
their markets in various parts of thu
world. XIII. .t.s.