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Show I CANAL TO BE MADE A TRADE CENTER Washington, D. C, Jan. 9 A bill to set aside the canal zone as free trade territory where merchants of the world may store their goods for distribution dis-tribution in South American ports and the far east, will be introduced soon after congress convenes by Representative Rep-resentative Ira C Copley of Illinois. The effect of such a step, according accord-ing to Mr. Copley, would be to make the canal zone the greatest trade center cen-ter in the world. Merchants could build wharves and groat storehouses at Cristobal or along the shores of Calun lake. They could bring their cargoes right to their own wharves and store their goods in the warehouses ware-houses awaiting orders from buyers and the whole territory benefited by the canal "The big free trade ports of the world at present are Hamburg. Hongkong Hong-kong and Singapore" said Mr. Cop-lev. Cop-lev. "In Hamburg the German government gov-ernment owns about 2400 acres, which is set aside as free territory. Merchants Mer-chants may land their goods anywhere any-where on those 2400 acres without paying duty As soon as they take them over the line they are subject sub-ject to German tax The tremendous amount of commerce of these three port6 gives an Idea of what a vast trade would result In the canal zone if the plan were to be put into effect. ef-fect. "I think It would be of great value to manufacturers They could ship whole cargoes of their goods to the zone and get correspondingly low transportation rates. It would mean the employment of thousands of men and the establishment of many in dusrries. I don't think the Ameri can manufacturers would object to it because it would put them on equal footing with manufacturers of other countries. The army authorities would probably oppose It because they want everyone barred from the zone I think, however, that the other nations na-tions of the world will be Just as much interested in looking to the safety of the canal as we are, and in five or ten years we will pass the point where a great war between this country and any other will be possible." |