The Ensign. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1913. THE PANAMA CANAL.

Mataura Ensign, 15 January 1913, Page 4

The Ensign. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1913. THE PANAMA CANAL.

Now that the American Presidential election is past, President Taft is-will-ing to submit the Panama Canal question to arbitration, It.sfloms, however, «S if the court to -discus's th'e matter is not to be the Hague Tribunal but a body of English and American jurists specially chosen and agreed upon by both Britain and the United States. The Americans had three plans regarding tolls to be paid by ships Using the canal —-viz., (1) That the rate be such as to yield the largest possible income on the nation's investment; (2) that the President be asked virtually to make a present to the World at large of the £80,000,000 of American money invested in the canal-, by making its use entirely free; and (3) that the rat© of tolls be sufficiently high to yield a moderate income on.the capital invested, yet so low as to encourage the largest possible use of the waterway. The third plan was adopted by Congress, with the additional provision that no tolls whatever be paid by American shipping engaged in coastwise trade—-railroad-owned tonnage excepted—and the possible ' exemption of American shipping engaged in foreign trade. By the Hay-Pauneefote treaty America had bound herself not to claim any special privileges for her own shipping. All nations were, the treaty ran, to be treated alike. Whether, then, American shipping is to he exempt from paying canal dues or whether the HayPauncefote treaty is to be upheld is the subject which President Taft is willing before the canal is opened for traffic to submit to arbitration. It is worthy of mention, however, that President Taft will soon oease to hold office, Dr. Woodrow Wilson taking his place. Whether or not the terms of the treaty are to be kept, the toll is not to exceed five shillings per ton, while it may be as much less as is consistent with providing for the actual upkeep and operation of the canal. If we inquire what vessels trading with, nr belonging to, New Zealand are likely to use the canal, we find that it resolves itself into a simple problem in arithmetic—so many days' steaming saved at per day, against so much in tolls. Ships from New York to the Dominion will certainly come by Panama, for in doing so they will shorten the voyage by almost 6000 miles as .against the Suez or Cape of Good Hope routes. From Liverpool to Wellington a. ship would save nearly four days' steaming by taking the Panama route, but obviously this saving of distance would not mean much, gain to vessels if, as wotild happen, no passengers, mails or goods could be landed at Hohart. It is doubtful whether there ever will ..be a fast passenger and mail service direct from Wellington to London via Panama, and this for two reasons—viz. (1) The present lines reaching San Francisco or Vancouver are served by express trains which traverse the continent in about five days and enable passengers to catch the "greyhounds of the sea" which cross the Atlantic in just over four days;, and (2) the Panama route would be a most monotonous one ; since only the sky and sea line would bound J the view day after day, with the canal [ exception, for practically the whole ! time. As New Zealand is so nearly the antipodes .of England, the distance j gained by the new canal route over j

Magellan or Suez is not of great importance—some 1500 miles. Put briefly, the whole subject may be summed up by stating that while trading ships from New Zealand to New York and any other eastern United States ports, or vice versa, will assuredly go by Panama, Home or Dominion ships may as at present—in fact, most likely will —continue to use the trade routes in vogue to-day. It comes somewhat as a surprise to know that the voyage via Panama from Wellington to London is only about 1500 miles shorter than from Wellington to the great metropolis via Magellan.