Evening star., 1929-01-02
LATIN POWERS ASK
FOR SECOND CANAL
New Waterway or Enlarge
ment of Present One May
Get Hoover Consideration.
BY EDWIN S. MCINTOSH.

BY Radio to The Star.
ABOARD U. S. S. UTAH, EN- ROUTE
TO HAMPTON ROADS, January a.
President-elect Herbert Hoover, with
Mrs. Hoover and their son Allan,
passed New Year day in taking the
fullest advantage of what may be the
last day of pleasant weather on their
tour
Mr. Hoover's secretarial staff finished
yesterday the task of transcribing, COR
relating and filing the data and in
formation gathered on the South Amer
ican tour, which is to be packed and
carried to Washington for use in de-
veloping the full benefits accruing from
the trip. Mr. Hoover devoted consid-
cradle personal attention himself to
this job, the completion of which means
that he is virtually through thinking
about Latin American affairs until he
gets his administration under way.
Second Canal Considered.
Excepting such matters as involve a
protracted program and expenditures,
such as the question of the merchant
marine or possible prelininaries to en-
largement of canal facilities, it will be
unnecessary to create new machinery
for the United States to avail herself
Of the better understanding which is
expected to result from this trip. It
will be necessary only to put more
energy into the bureaus already exist
ing in the Commerce and State Depart
mentS. That Mr.. Hoover undoubtedly
will undertake, along the lines by which
he built up the Department of Com
merce during his secretaryShip.
The question of a second isthnian
canal or enlargement of the facilities of
the present one was considerably agi-
tated during the Sojourn in the Central
American countries. If the Hoover ad-
ministration runs into eight years it
seems inevitable that preliminary de-
tails in that direction must be started.
Within 20 years, it is estimated, the
Panama Canal will have reached its
capacity both as to traffic and the size
Of the ships 1t can accommodate
Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the ad-
jacent countries are eager for a new
canal on the Nicaraguan route. Wheth-
er that will be economical or desirable
as long as it is possible to enlarge the
Panama Canal is question. Either is
a long and expensive job requiring ex-
haustive preliminary engineering and
probably an educational campaign in
the United States.
The urgency of action in the not too
distant future lies not merely in the
necessity for adequate water transpor-
tation between the east and west coasts
OF the United States, but in the geo.
graphical demands involving the pro-
motion of trade between the United
States and the South American coun-
tries. Unless one has studied the map
1T is natural to picture east coast trade
from the United States going down the
east coast of South America. On the
contrary, the ports of the west coast
OF South America are much more ac-
cessible to Boston, New York, Philadel-
phia and Baltimore than those of the
east coast.
A glance at the map shows that the
South American west coast line is yir-
tually continuation of our east coast.
so that the route to such ports as
Guayaquill, .Callao and Valparaiso is
almost direct, while it is necessary to 60
nall way to Europe and Africa to reach
Hlo de Janeiro and BuenoS Aires. Gu
rlously. the Atlantic entrance to the
Panama Canal is actually west of the
Pacific end.
The comparative sea distance from
the United States and Europe to Rio
Continued on Page 4, Column a.