Evening star., 1934-04-08
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

to Constantinople, and by others, more
modestly, as being as important an
engineering feat as the construction
of the Panama Canal, will be built
with funds from the P. w. A.
That is to say, the P. w. A. Will
advance the necessary funds. since
the Central American republics could
not possibly raise the money for many
years to come. The idea is to form
ar international corporation in which
the United States, Mexico and the
Central American republics would be
partners. The capital will be ad-
vanced by the United States and will
eventually be returned from a sink
ing fund with proceeds from tolls,
sale of gasoline at gas stations. con-
struction OF warehouses and in any
other way which the respective coun-
tries can devise by taking advantage
Of the new road.
Three Estimates Made.
Three estimates have been submit
ted to Secretary Ickes; one for q gravel
road, which would cost $50, ,409. 1854;
another for an oil surface road cost
ing $37,645 1892. and one for a con-
crete road costing $l01 1861 ,208.
Because Of climatic conditions In
this region, especially the tropical
rains, 1t is believed that the last prof.
ect, for concrete road, will be
adopted.
For purely political reasons, the
State Department is enthusiastic over
this plan.
The P. w. A., which was at first
less enthusiastic because Of the heavy
expenditure Of money in foreign coun-
tries. has been won over when 1t
realized that the greatest part Of the
money will remain in this country.
Employment will benefit by this prof.
ect, it was stated, by the fact that
thousands Of people will find work
constructing road-building machinery.
and especially manufacturing enor-
nous quantities of cement. Ickes was
also convinced that eventually the ad-
vanced funds will be repaid to the
United States. 1t is said that the fiow
Of American tourists will increase the
revenue of the Central American re-
pubiics and the road houses. gasoline
stations and other things which may
develop along the road could produce,
in years, sufficient funds to finance
the project. The Bureau Of Public
Roads reports that no less than 1000
American vehicles visit Monterey, in
Mexico. every week end, despite the
fact that Mexico's central highways
are not yet entirely completed.
Great Benefits Seen.
The point Of view Of the State De-
partment Is that even If the whole
amount is not recovered, the benefits
of this highway. from the political
point of view, will be so important
that it might be worth while to risk
q comparatively small amount of
money
President Roosevelt's and Secretary
Hull's policy Of political rapproche-
ment toward the Latin American con-
tlnent has given so far such excellent
results that the State Department be-
lieves it would be q pity not to push
it forward by all possible means.
The Pan-American highways, in the
opinion of the Latin American ex-
perts, will greatly contribute to further
the cultural. economic and political
relations between the two continents.
The very fact that Mexico and the
Central American states which have
been until q year ago so suspicious Of
the motives Of the COLOSSUS Of the
North" have accepted this project in
dicates how much things have
changed in the last few months.
Until recently these states were
afraid Of US. In Mexico the sentence
of Gen. Pershing in 1915 that he
needed either 100000 men and i've
years or a good concrete road to
bring Mexico into submission were
extensively used as an argument
against a good road between the two
countries. Now these republics are
convinced that nobody here even
thinks about bringing Mexico or any
other country into submission. The
flow of American tourists into this
new territory will help materially q
better understanding between Gen.
trail America and this country.
May Aid Confederation.
But what is believed by the State
Department to be still more impor-
tant is the fact that such q road
will bring the peoples Of the Central
American states closer to each other
and might help to break down the
animosity between these small re-
publics, which in the past has led to
violent boundary disputes and In
some cases to wars.
And pushing this optimism still
further, 1t is believed that this new
highway might eventually contribute
toward the establishment of a con-
federation Of the Central American
republics, as had existed under Spain
about 100 years ago.
These states are very close together;
the Inhabitants speak the same Ian
guage, have the same culture and the
same religion. There have been sew
eral attempts in the past to revive
this confederation, but they failed,
principally because the hitherto in
penetrable jungle prevented q closer
intercourse between the peoples.
GIRL HANGS SELF