THE PANAMA CANAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 23, 10 January 1912, Page 7

THE PANAMA CANAL.

PRIVILEGES FOR AMERICAN SHIPPING. Writing on November 15, the Washington correspondent of the Times states: —A highly important contribution was made last night by Mr Stimson, Secretary for War, who is officially responsible for the Panama Canal, to the controversy which has lately broken out with renewed vigour about the shipping dues. The question which exercises American public opinion is whether the HayPauncefote treaty of 1901, with its clear provision about equality of treatment i*or vessels of all nations using the Canal, precludes the, possibility of extending some kind of special privilege to American shipping. Mr Stimson evidently thinks that the tiling can be managed. Various countries, he pointed out, reimburse their mercantile marine for the expense of traversing the Suez Canal. Let the United States (and presumably other countries if they want to) adopt the same principle at Panama. “I think,” said Mr Stimson, “that the United States has a clear right co appropriate to vessels sums paid into the Treasury by those vessels in the form of Canal tolls.” To Mr Stimson’s remarks may be ippended a passage of the speech delivered recently by the. President of -Jan Francisco, which for some reason or other failed to attract much notice. The President is reported to have said: “The Government must ;ee to it that the tolls charged in .he Canal, at least to American vessels, shall be met either by the reduc--cion or the wiping out of the tolls, or, f that cannot be done under the Treaty, by a contribution from the Treasury of the United States amounting to the sum of thq, tolls.” . A Bill has already., been introducd into Congress with just .that end in view. , Whether it will pass is, however, another question., It will he ppposed by those who oppose shipping subsidies on .the gijound that American .shipping needs, not. financial aid, but the repeal- ,of the obsolete. navigation., laws. Its feasibility under the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty is also questioned .in . certain quartrs. The Journal of Commerce, for astance, is quite sure that it would , jplate, Jie, Byibish .agrpfimfipt,, , ,