Evening star., 1938-09-22
M'KELLAR PLANS
NEW CANAL BILL
Route Through Nicaragua
Is Urged Strongly by
TenneSSean.
By ]. A. O'LEARY.

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Construction OF another inter-
oceanic canal across Nicaragua, which
was considered even before former
President Theodore Roosevelt built
the Panama Canal, will be advocated
in the next Congress by Senator Nc
Kellar, Democrat, of Tennessee.
Just back from South American
trip, the Tennessean was loud in his
praise of the Panama waterway and its
facilities. but announced that he still
believes the second canal should be
built in Nicaragua.
Accordingly, he is preparing to REIN
troduce bill he has sponsored in
prior years, authorizing this Govern
ment to make a start on the Mica
raguan project, under the terms of a
treaty entered into with that country
in 1914. This treaty granted the
United States, in perpetuity, rights
necessary for such canal, the de-
tailed terms to be agreed upon by
the two governments whenever the
United States notified Nicaragua of
its intention to undertake the canal.
Would Be Short Cut.
The last time Senator McKellar
introduced the new canal measure,
about two years ago, it called for an
appropriation of sloooo,O0o, together
with authority for the Secretary OF
the Treasury to issue bonds up to
$780, 100000
The exact provisions of the new bill
he will offer in January have not
been worked out.
The Nicaraguan route to give ship
ping short cut from the Atlantic to
the Pacific was recommended in 1901,
but laid aside in favor of the Panama
Canal. 1t continued to receive the
attention of congressional committees
from time to time, however, and as
late as the Seventy-second Congress,
in 1882, Army engineers filed a new
report both on the Nicaraguan project
and on proposed enlargement of the
facilities Of the Panama Canal The
substance of that report was that no
immediate action was necessary, al
though various advantages of a second
canal were outlined. The recon-
mendations of the then chief of En-
gineers, Maj. Gen Lytle Brown, were
summed up as follows:
The present traffic seeking transit
through the Isthmus and the prospec-
tive increase in such traffic in the
next few years do not require that
any steps be taken now to provide
further capacity at Panama A second
canal would have important advan-
tages, including saving in time and
increased dependabllity to shipping,
An increase in trade and commerce,
improvement in international rela-
tions, and added safety and speed in
the mobilization of our naval forces
in the event of national emergency.
However, the advantages do not ap-
pear to be sufficient at the present
time to warrant immediate action for
the construction of canal across Mica
ragua."
Filed During Depression.
That report was filed at a time
when the depression was becoming
serious, and since that time Congress
has been concentrating on efforts to
bring about recovery.
The report of six years ago advised
that the most practical route for a
Nicaraguan canal would be from Grey
town on the Atlantic Ocean to Brito
on the Pacific, by way of the Deseado
and San Juan Rivers and the Great
Lake of Nicaragua. 1t was estimated
such a canal could be constructed in
10 years at cost of s722, 900 900, in
cluding s25, 100000 for certain rights
and franchises. The annual mainte-
nance cost at that time was figured
at $l0,800,000.
The same report estimated that to
expand the Panama Canal by building
a third set of locks would cost Sl40.-
100000, and that to convert the PAN
anna Canal into sea-level passageway
would require sl,00O,0OO0 900 or more.
Although the Nicaraguan route was
first recommended in 1901, discussion
of it in this country had begun as far
back as 1926.