Evening star., 1927-04-03
PANAMA CANAL TRAFFIC
j. SHOWING BIG INCREASE
Question of Enlarging Present Facilities
or Building New Route Soon
to Come Before Nation.
BY HAROLD b. ROGERS.


r n the thirteenth year of its youth,
expanding Panama Canal traffic
has raised upon the horizon a
i question of international import.
Since this great waterway
splitting the Western Hemisphere was
ope.ied August Is. 1914, it has
attracted interoceanic tonnage In
such rapidly increasing volume that
the American Government is pre-
scented with a problem of when and
how TO provide added facilities at a
date much earlier than had been
anticipated.
A long time passed from the day
Aware de Saavadra, companion of
Balboa in the discovery Of the Pacific
began in 1929 to prepare plans for a
canal through the isthmus until the
great day in 1914. when the product
of modern engineering genius was
! opened to shipping of the world. But
. in the short period of its operation
since, the canal has so far fulfilled and
gone beyond the visions of the Span
ish, French, British and Americans,
who successfully had a hand in a
canal project there, that a practical
problem of immense weight, with far
reaching complexities of international
commerce, national defense and
Latin American relations, is now
dropped upon an American President
Just as he is planning a vacation.
Peak Reached i'm 1924.
Although the peak of traffic through
the canal was reached in the year
1924, which as whole exceeded the
record of any other complete year,
the volume of tonnage took another
Epurt during the last six months of
the fiscal year ended June 80, 1926,
which broke all records for this six
months period. The traffic curve is
pointing sharply upward, and win be
given close study by President Cool
idge in his survey of the situation.
Imminence of the isthmian canal
problem serves to throw clearer light
than ever upon the keen interest Of
this government in Nicaragua. In
that Central American republic the
United States purchased under treaty
and for $3,000,000 rights to construct
another American interoceanic canal
from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Whether to enlarge the capacity of
the present Panama Canal or to con-
slider another mammoth ditch across
the neck of the Western Hemisphere
bids fair to become one of the big
questions before the American people
in the very near future.
PreSldent PIanS Survey.
Although 1t had been calculated by
experts some years ago that the canal
would not reach its capacity until
approximately 1855, and the public
was apparently asleep to the rapid
developments going on, President
Coolidge and Senator Edge OF New
Jersey threw the whole matter into
high relief at their conference at the
White House recently, when they
went deeply into the question. It was
later disclosed that the President In
tends to survey the whole problem
with view to presenting the r1attsr
to Congress in his annual message
next December. The pronouncement
from the White House conference be-
tween the Chief Executive and the
chairman OF the Senate committee on
interoceanic canals, who had recent
ly returned from a trip to the canal
itself, was received with some surprise
on behalf Of the public. 1t again
stimulated public interest in the great
American waterway cut through
Panama.
What is the present capacity of the
canal? How near does the present
tonnage fill that capacity? How could
the capacity be enlarged? What did
the canal cost, and is it paying It's
own way now. or is 1t q dead loss
financially to the people2. How many
ships go through the canal in a day,
in a year? Is ii a success? These
are some Of the questions which have
been raised with the injection of the
canal problem into national promi-
nence.
The capacity of the Panama Canal
has been placed at about $4,000, 900 net
tons of shipping per annum. The pres
ent volume passing through, as dis
closed by the latest record, comes
close to the halfway mark. During
the last fiscal year traffic totaled 24,-
774,591 net tons or 26,037 .448 cargo
tons The only year which had eclipsed
this mark was the record year Of
1924, when net tonnage rose TO 26,-
14S,S7S. but as the figures show, the
last six months of the past fiscal year
broke all records for that part Of the
year since the canal was opened. How
big the figures viii now become is be-
Ing watched with great interest.
Gain Is I2 Per Cent.
The aggregate tonnage OF general
cargo carriers" passing through the
canal in 1926 was greater than 1924,
however, by more than two and a half
million net tons, it was explained by
"a. l.. Walker. governor Of the Panama
Canal, but this gain was not sufficient
80 Offset the decline in tonnage car
l1ed by oil tankers.
Considering for purposes of gauging
other traffic that tankers were ex-
riuded, GOV. Walker points out that
1926 traffic shows increases of IL per
rent over the preceding year, and 10
per cent over 1924, with respect to
net tonnage. For the 12 months end
pd June 80, 1926. tanker tonnage
through the canal comprised approx
lnately 25 per cent of the total, as
compared with 80 per cent in 1924,
the peak year for mineral Oil ship.
naents. The decline in mineral oil
shipments apparently reached it's low
est point during the early part of last
Hscal year it was believed, as for the
next nine months the trend was up
ward
The number of ocean-going vessels
passing through the canal averaged
14.2 each day throughout the past
year. exclusive of public vessels of the
United States. and some other ships
wtich are exempt from the payment
or tolls. Tank ships averaged three
transits daily. and the remaining ll.2
transits were made up of general car
20 carriers, passenger ships, warshtps
of foreign nations, etc.
As compared with 1926 the number
pf ships transiting the canal exclusive
Of public vessels OF the united states
Rnd other ships exempt from pay
ment of tolls. increased from 4.673 II
6,i97 and gross revenue from tolls
pose from $21, 400, ,523.5i to $22.931.
t55.9S.
Progress Is Striking.
Thus briefly is disclosed in figures
the story OF the latest development
On Uncle Sans great undertaking a.
the isthmus, but a long look back
ward over the more rapid growth
al...e.rerl, tho ,aa shoA.,s in aa.aEa NOR.