Nicaragua does not suffer from earthquakes, and the canal would not, therefore, be subject to the landslides which occasionally interrupt traffic at Panama. A waterway with larger locks than those at Panama—through which H.M.S. Nelson has passed only with difficulty—would raise the size limit which the Panama locks now impose on warships, an advantage which would be welcome in U.S. naval circles.
The whole question of the canal remains a matter for the future. It is estimated that the waterway would take at least 10 years to build, and. allowing two or three years more for preliminary diplomatic negotiations. it is hardly likely that the canal would be finally opened for traffic until 15 years had elapsed after the final decision to construct it had been made.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.