Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-10
Panama Canal Business Increases
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

ships, the North German Lloyd two
new 12,O0O-ton ships, the East Asiatic
Co. two i0,000-ton ships and the French
Compagnie Generate TransatlantiQue
three II ,OO0-ton vessels, ali designed for
the Panama route, while the Osaka
Shosen Kaisha Of Japan has announced
construction of two 17,000-ton ships
and the Navigazione Generate Italiane
one of $4,000 tons.
These. with many smaller vessels
under construction, viii be complete
addition to Panama Canal traffic. With
two or three exceptions they are not re-
placements, and even in case Of the ex-
ceptions old withdrawn ships are being
supplanted by vessels Of greater tonnage.
Obviously this means a greatly In
creased toll collection during the next
AS Is natural, ships flying the Ameri-
Panama Canal. In 1928. 2,753 American
ships passed through the canal, paying
q total Of 12,645, $50. British ships came
second, with 1912 passages. paying So
O73.Sl6. Ships of other nations have
used the canal In the following order:
Germany. Norway, japan. Holland.
France, italy, Sweden, Denmark and
Jugoslavia. No country Of South or
Central America sent ships through the
canal In SUFFICIENT number 10 be listed.
separately.
What Commodities Lead.
As compared with 1927, every coun-
try showed an increase In the number
of its ships transiting the canal. The
most striking increase Is shown by the
last country on the list, Jugoslav1a.
whose use Of the canal In 1928 was
274 per cent greater than IN the prev1-
Gus year. In 1877 JugoSlavia sent IA
ships through the canal and SO In 1928.
1t is the more remarkable because Jugo-
slavia has not previously been mari
time nation of importance. having no
important seaports. and O. rockboumd
and almost harborless coast.
Manufactures Of iron and steel lead
all kinds of cargo In passing through
the canal from the Atlantic to th9
Pacific, being more than 100 per cent
ahead of any other material. This tom
mage. amounting to / .b55, 644. moved In
| 1923 to the extent of 70 per cent from
the Atlantic to the Pacific. Shipments
originated In American ports almost
wholly and were destined to American
Pacific Coast ports and to the Far East.
| Mineral oils come next. The tonnage
| In 1928 amounted to 717,080. No other
item exceeded 200 900 tons. The first
| 10 in order are the iron and steel. oils,
textiles, cotton. cement. coal and coke,
metals. sulphur, phosphates and paper
and pulp.
The tonnage Is immensely larger IN
transit from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
Mineral oils lead by wide margin with
o tonnage of 5.619.076: then lumber.
3,673,S32; wheat. 3.035, 884: nitrates,
2.565,572: ores, 1.600, 600; canned goods:
III, 793; metals, skins and hides, dried
and fresh fruit. and cold storage
products, such as meat, butter and truit,
| In lesser quantities
Although the Suez Canal was opened
back in 1859 and Is sea-level water
way, recurring no locks. tTafIic through
| the Panama Canal now Is greater, In
1927. the latest year for which figures
are available. 5.544 ships passed through
the Suez Canal. while Panama tranSits
numbered 6,O85, or an excess OF o4I.
Moreover, AL 900 more tons OF cargo
passed through the Panama than the
Suez. But Suez tolls are much higher.
exceeding Panama collections by ap-
proximately so per cent