The Panama Canal.

Taranaki Herald, Volume L, Issue 12198, 17 January 1903, Page 4

The Panama Canal.

EXORBITANT DEMANDS Btf >WL- ' i •; " ; -■• um^ia.,;- 1 ;"^/,^ *j . "Umted Press .'Awo'oi'^tibnP-lJy Eiec trie Telegraph.— pqpyriolit. i , New'YorlV, January '16; Sooner -than submit- -to-- Gdlumbik's exorbitant , demands,- the Washing ij<)n ajithbrities ' will adqp' t > •the, , JS icz^ra^ua roxite for the'; canal; across 'the usvhnius of Panama; . '„,.,'.- '| ■ Nicaragua .'has .declined to {negotiate while Washington -is negotiathig- ~w|ti Colombia. ■ - " ; .•,:<•' ' | The- Columbian Govermnent xocci(|.]j replied tb, the UniteU; States' propdsi tion for *ihe negotiatioH-of "{f^co^al treaty, and .raised obstacles ! wft3ng back ihe date ;of the" final agreement The " "New York American" tfius suW marises the reply :—: — > I "For one<thingf, the Columbian' Government is Irfow. entirely 'with the small amount _ oosf s the pay.ment to be made to it- by the j United States undjfer the terms of the. protocol, which it is proposed to - use , <f*oi tho .basis' of tha treaty. .The sum/ |is 7,000,000 dollars.. Colombia^wants !a1 least 10,000,000 .dollars. Horeovbr; tho original proposal- looked, toi a wait for fourteen' years -.before .beginning the payment' of annual*' rental, the -amount of-whicli .-was to r b'e thfen by mutual agreement. • i >Qolo|nbia" ,now asks thdi United States io\agree at on\je on~a.yearry' ; TOntal ' jo^ 600,000 dollars, which \yffl,lWrgeiy s increase the immediate cost of .the enterprise. * ,■ ' ■ ','.:' •„ ' " The Colombian Government clinga to its contention,, that it f has no constitutional authority totviJienata-.H^any Colombian territory, ,7 and • reiterates that the best it - can do to meet tht language of .the' Spoop^r , Act, which looks to 'perpetual * control 5 by the United Statos,'over fther^anal strip,- is Ho make, a'lflO-year^ l^ase/.with a distinct stip\»lation; iihat 'thV.sanW shali be renewable ioy^tlie.-U'niied-S^tes jal the , expiration . ,p;fr the ~ijrs|; ; cenSiurj'tM The San, Franciscci^phrpnicle/' " *ir November,/ publjished; „ t^ilbllp.wing message from Washingtoi?,':^ )c rr .i\ ! "[£ he .chances; arc 'multiplying, j> 'thai the President will be obliged <to'chpos( the Nicaragua .'route; instead '■ of, r thc ;Panama rdute fdr'the'isthmiefn' canal: " The canal ' is r; one"of : tho 'matters which ,the President "wbtifd. 'be expected to xefer to in his message, but i1 ,is said to-night that negotiations art in such shapejthat he could now make no reference to it unless adversely tc the Colombian route; " The State Department is anxious to have the views not only of Minister Concha, but also of the Colombian Government direct from Bogota, and it was said to-day that a cablegram had' been sent for the information on which the President might say something definite m his message. It is known ijhat what Columbia^ wants, as reported by Minister Concha, cannot be accepted, and if Columbia does not modify the views held hero the deal will probably be formally called off by the President. If the President, v , after the enquiries now' on foot, should decide *to f end the matter; summarily, tho senate would be asked to ratify a treaty with Nicaragxia and posta Rica, whoso terms are considered fair to this Government.