THE PANAMA CANAL SLIDES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11948, 6 March 1917, Page 4

THE PANAMA CANAL SLIDES.

In his annual report made public by the_ United States. War Department, Major-General George W. Goethals, Governor of the Panama Canal Zone, replies to the published criticisms of tho Panama Canal and the theories put forth regarding the canal slides, and says emphatically that so far as the Culebra Cut is concerned "the worst is over, trie intervals between movements are becoming greater, and the quantity of materia!- less." General Goethals reviews tho published statements of Professor Miller, of Lehigh University, am] that of former Senator Kearnes, of Utah, concerning the canal ,slides, and pronounces them as " erronec'us, unwarranted and unfair," and an injury thereby done commercially to the waterway. The statement of General Goethals on tho canal situation is certainly reassuring, say-; tho New York " Maritime Register," and is a sufficient answer to the. captious critie'sms of those who have no basis for the theories they advance for the prevention of the canal slides, other than that gained from superficial examination of tho slides at Culebra. and who possess but little knowledge of the difficulties that have been met with in overcoming obstacles in order that the recurrence of slides may ho lessened to a degree that the canal may be made free for traffic. The reply of General (lOeihals should serve to silence those who assume to know what should bo done to put an end to tho canal slides, and comes with authority of ono who built the canal and has spent many years in studying tho conditions and ■ peculiarities of this great undertaking. It is not to be presumed that tho able engineers who have completed this great i undertaking are not fully acquainted with all the. details of its construction and tho possibilities of human effort to prepare the canal for the great increa.so of traffic that will use this com- | internal highway after the conclusion of tho European war.