Evening star., 1921-11-01
US. COULD REFUND
TOLLS TO HER SHIPS
TOPAC|FY NATIONS
French Engineer Makes Pro-
posaI Which He Believes
Within Treaty Rights.
SEES PANAMA WATERWAY
AS ARMS PARLEY SUBJECT
Would Rebuild It to Sea Level So
That Enemy Could Do No
Damage in War.

Damage in War.
ON BOARD THE STEAMER
LAFAYETTE. November (by Wire
less via Paris to the Associated
Press).-Tolls paid by American YES
seis using the Panama canal cou,I
he refunded by the United States
Treasury without infringing upon th..
treaty rights of any nation, according
to Lieut.. Col. Philippe Bunau
Farilla, chief engineer of the canal
under the French regime. who is Oh
his way to the Washington arma-
ment conference as counselor for
the French delegation. He thinks
these refunds. should be from the
Treasury, and not from the receipts
and surplus of the canal, and he said
there was no reason why the British
government could not refund totIS
paid by vessels in transit from tne
eastern coast OF Canada to The
western ports Of that country.
Three Treaties Concerned.
81 have been looking into the tolls
question. somewhat" he said. 'aIri
/ am absolutely convinced that if the
American government desires to
refund tolls to owners of American
vessels it would be within treaty,
rights. There are three treaties
v hch concern the Panama canal
The first is the treaty OF CONSTANT
nople regarding the Suez waterway.
which guarantees freedom ana
equality OF treatment to ships OF
all flags. The provisions of that treaty
were accepted in the Hay-PauncefotG
agreement The third convention IL
the Hay Narilla treaty. which
! negotiated. giving to the lnited
States title to property rights III the
Panama canal.
The British government is reported
to have planned to raise the Question
of Panama tolls at Washington. In
discussing this report Lieut. Col
Bunau-Varilla remarked the Panama
canal was an essential part Of the
Pacific problem.
Subject for Conference.
The canal" he added. ''is the gate
way of the white race into the Pacific.
and, in consequence, matters relating
to il could properly be brought before
the conference. Under the Constan-
tinopie treaty Russia refunded to YES
sells of her volunteer fleet the tolls
paid to the Suez canal. Great Britain
never raised a question as to the Rus-
sian governments right to do, this.
nor did any other power make ohJec-
tions. If Russia had constructed and
operated the canal she still would
have that right to refund tolls. The
fact that America operates the canal
does not deprive her of the right SO
long exercised by Russia regarding
the Suez canal. Should Great Britain
desire to encourage commerce be-
tween the st. Lawrence and Van
couver via Panama she would also he
free to refund the tolls paid by ships
in this service.
1T is my opinion. however that
the tolls should be repaid by the
United States Treasury, and not from
the Panama receipts and surplus. Re
ceipts of the canal. over the cost OF
! maintenance. administration and rea-
sonable interest charges. should go
toward the reduction Of tolls and the
Improvement of the waterway.
should Reduce Tolls.
THE justification of tearing Pan
anna away from Colombia was the
construction of the canal for the
this America was accomplishing
something. not for herself alone, but
for all. The high quality of that act
should not be reduced by returning
TO her own ships money PAID by the
ships of other nations. She could re-
pay the tolls. but not from the canal
receipts When these have reached
sufficient size they should be used
to reduce the cost of transmission
equitably to all.
lieut.. Col. Varilla feels
strongly the urgency of converting
the waterway from Il canal into a
straight-that is. to sea-level canal
of such width that il could NOT be
sci, by a landslide or by the blowing
up Of a lock oS some other part of
the canal He declared the canal WAS
liable to be closed at any time by.
earthquakes. and in time of war could
be attacked by airplanes and long
range bombardmentS from batt1eshps
which had taken their range observa-
tions by daylight and then opened fire
from behind smoke screens. He said
the great forts guarding the canal
could reply only by firing aimlessly
into the smoke without locating their
| targets.
Urges Immediate Action.
81 think an immense handicap
would be placed upon the United
States" he remarked. 'if in time of
war anything interrupted the use of
the canal for many months. l should
| think the American people would not
| permit another month to pass with
out earnestly beginning work TO
| make the canal a broad sea-level
channel Inc WORN coulo oe coih-
pIeted within few years. From my
experience as engineer at Panama. |
believe the work could be done out
of the receipts without the United
States Treasury appropriating any
thing. The receipts now exceed the
cost of operation by a sufficient
amount to pay the interest on loan
of $5O. O.O0O. .00O, with which work could
he begun. The tonnage passing
through the canal would increase so
rapidly that II would not be unsafe
/; to calculate that they would continue
| to increase so much each year that
| additional bonds could be issued with
which to continue the construction.
| II need not go into too much tech
nical detail, but l am convinced that
! Hy abandoning the railway steam
! shovel for powerful s-redges. the cost
of q sea-level waterway of sufficient
width to be free from Interruption