The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 1914. SUEZ AND PANAMA

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 56, 7 March 1914, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 1914. SUEZ AND PANAMA

it is rather astonishing to learn that' although there is so much between, 1 '-ho Panama Canal is already iuliuene-1 mg the Suez Canal. At any rate ship-! hug people are credited with believing that the further decrease of the Suez lues is an evidence of this. Since 1911 the dues have been reduced by If. 5()e., bringing them down to Of. 25c. per net I ton, whilst the maximum draught of; water for ships going through the. waterway has been increased to 29ft. i The tolls are still, however, well above 1 the maximum which was promised by .M. do Lesseps thirty years ago, and; further efforts are being made to' secure another decrease. So far as the limensions o) the Canal are concern-, •d, a well-informed authoriU states' 1 that there is no probability of the 1 greater modern ships ever making the " passage. .More vessels are going to Australasian ports by way of the Cape | it (<ood Mope, and, indeed, in many cases they cover the trip in shorter

(ini(‘ than tho cargo boats proceeding by Suez. b\ lion, bowovor, the I’ana'"a Canal is available the likelihood is that many of thorn will take advantage of it, particularly if, as is now expected, the cost of fuel to shins ustho new waterway is lower than it is at present through Suez. 'l'he Eastern route will, however, always be favored on account of the fact that it has so many ports of eall. It is understood that the British dnvernnnmt has already received nearly twenty millions sterling as against its n'iginal investment of four millions, j ind in Australasian and Far Fastorn 'hipping quarters it is suggested that: >art of the largo revenue should he raid into an Empire Fund for the special purpose of making rehates on oils to British vessels using the Suez 'anal.