The Isthmian Canal.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 36, 4 September 1902, Page 18

The Isthmian Canal.

The oonstrucciou of the canal aorosß the Isthmus of Panama has considerable interest for New Zealanders, for when the Atlantic and Pacific are thus united the voyage between Britain and this Colony will lie almost in a straight line on the map. It will be of far greater importance to the United States, beoause the great distance to be travelled round Cape Horn practically isolates the Wes" tern Coast, and it has been a considerable factor in hindering the development of a maritime trade. With every advantage that nature can bestow, notwithstanding shipping laws designed to shut out foreign traders from the coastal-carrying business, the maritime trade of the United States is insignifiaant compared with the magnitude of the oountry in many respects. Cargo between American (using American in its conventional sense as meaning the United States) ports can be oarried only by vessels undei the flag, and yet all the vessels in thoaefwaters are not Amerioan. Communication has been gained between the different parts by a vast sys tern of railways, but when the canal is opened many articles of merchandise will be oonveyed between East and West much more oheaply by sea than by rail. Then may revive the fallen naval glory of the States, wrested from them when iron superseded wood in the structure of ships. That revolution in shipbuilding exerted a marked influence on the naval history of America. Up to that period American vessels oompeted in the carrying trade of the world, and were especially distinguished in the Chinese tea trade. History records some of the triumphs won by American seamanship in the annual race to bring the first tea of the season to the British market, but the use of, first, steam and than iron ousted them from the pride of plaoe, whioh they have not yet regained. The development of a coastal trade may do much to stimulate Amerioan shipbuilding, and will make the United States still more Belf-oontained than they are at present. The international aspeot of the new oanal

is not without significance, but the Americans are far too ' cute ' to permit Britain to obtain the ascendancy as Disraeli did with respect to the Suez Oanal. The construction of the canal wih realise the dream of De Lesseps, though its consummation will bring neither honor nor profit to France, which, alas, in the Panama Oanal, has left only a shocking example of misdireoted energy and blundering combined with something worse.