Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-09-21
PANAMA CANAL
DOES QUITE WELL
NOT YET PAYING ITS WAY, BUT
THIS WAS NOT EXPECTED BY
THE MOST OPTIMISTIC.
BUSINESS GROWS STEADILY
Number of Commercial Ships Passing
Through the Waterway and the
cargoes Are Increasing Year by
Year.
BY JAMES p. HORNADAY.

BY JAMES P. HoRNADAY.
Washington.-"How does the Pan
ANA canal come on?' This is a ques-
ton frequently asked in government
quarters. The answer is that it is
not yet paying its way, but may event
Cally do so. The great waterway was
not built with the idea that it would
be a money maker As matter of
fact it is doing better financially than
the most optimistic persons had be-
lieved it would.
The business of the waterway for
the last fiscal year. summary of
which has just reached Washington,
shows that during the fiscal year from
July l, 1920, TO June 80 1920. the vol
ume Of traffic passing through the ca
nal exceeded that in any previous H.
month period. A total of 2,41S COM
mercial ships made the transit, as
compared with 2025 in the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1919. 213O in the fis-
Cal year 1918, and 2,134 in the year
1919.
The number of commercial ships
passing through the canal in the fis-
cal year 1920 was about two-fifths
above the average traffic for the peri
Oh of canal operation. 1t was approx
imately one-sixth greater than the
number of ships in 1918 and one-tifth
greater than the number in the fiscal
year 1919.
OF the 2,47S commercial ships max
ing the transit in the last fiscal year,
1,lS0 were bound from the Atlantic to
the Pacific and ,29S from the Pacific
TO the Atlantic.
Tonnage and Cargo Compared
The aggregate net tonnage of the
commercial ships passing through the
canal in the fiscal year 1920 was S, 545,-
COB tons, according 10 the Panama
canal rules of measurement. OF this.
4.16S.ST3 tons went from the Atlantic
TO the Pacific and 4.376.7SO tons from
the Pacific to the Atlantic In the fis-
cal year 1919 the aggregate was g.
131,575 net tons
The cargo carried through the canal
by the commercial ships in the fiscal
year 1920 tOtaled 9.3T4 400 tons of 3
240 pounds. Of these. 4.092.516 tons
We're bouEd from the Atlantic TO the
Pacific and J2S1 .9S3 tons from the Pa
cific to the Atlantic. The aggregate
cargo in the preceding fiscal year,
carried by commercial ships. was g.
ST. $40 tons
! In addition to the traffic of CONNER
ciaI ships. 2G6 vessels passed through
! the canal in the service of the United
| States government without the pay
| ment Of Tolls. These were practically
! all army and navy vessels. They car
ricd total OF 36-.S9S tons Of cargo.
In revenues and earnings in excess
of expenses Of operation and mainte-
nance. new records We're likewise. eS-
fablshed during the fiscal year. The
summation of charges has not been
completed in detail. but the figures in
J dictate aggregate revenues approximate
! Ing SS.S00,000 during the year. FIX
! penSes of operation and maintenance.
| including a proportion of overhead. in
which are the expenses Of civil govern
ment hospitals, quarantine and sani-
taton. the executive department. the
| accounting department. the Washing
son Office. the operation and repairs Of
StorehouSes and quarters. lighting of
! streets. operation of water and sewer
| systems. and roads etc. total about
! S6.650O00 This indicates an excess of
about S2,130000.
NO Real Profit Is Shown.
| No profit has been made in com
nercial sense. since there is no CON
sideration here of interest charges on
| the investment or of the depreciation
of the plant.
The previous record for year for
| revenues WAS made in the fiscal wear
| 1918 in an amount of So ,S43.2S. In
| that wear the excess of revenues over
expenses amounted to S491 .500.34. be-
ing greater than that in any fiscal
scar prior to the fiscal wear 1920.
In the fiscal year 1919 revenues
Amounted to $6,354016.9S. and the
earnings above the cost Of mainte-
nance and operation We're S241 S22 p
To the beginning of the fiscal year
| 1920 the excess of expenses over reve-
nues had made deficit in the account
amounting to S4.61S,990,75. This def
| lett will be decreased about S2.o0OO0o
| ly the earnings in the fiscal year end
! ing June so 1920.
Tolls constituted about 90 per cent
| If the revenues. Other items are Ii
censes and taxes. court fees and fines
tabout $l50.00O), and profits on the
business operations Of the canal ad-
iuncts. The latter item amounts to
about 100000 for the fiscal year 1920
and is on operations in which the ex-
penditureS were over S14,000,00O.
Want a Training System.
Establishment of 4 system OF train
ing for higher positions in the fed
pral system is advocated by the
national federation of federal en-
ploveeS. Such proposal will he
one Of the main topics for con-
sidera,ion at the national conven-
| ton TO be held in s.. Louis next
month. on account Of the numerical
! strength of the federal employees