ITEMS OF INTEREST October 5, 1912 Issue

ITEMS OF INTEREST

The engineers' calculations as to the sufficiency of the water supply in the Panama canal have been amply vindicated by the figures just reported from the isthmus. The great lake of Gatun, which is being created by the dam at that point, during the week of Sept. 2 to 9 accumulated more than five and a half billion cubic feet of water. During the period the water level of the lake rose three feet. Every time a ship is locked through the canal, five and a half million cubic feet of water must pass, and when the lake is full it will afford enough water to fill the locks one hundred and fifty times daily, which is at least twice as fast as the ships can pass. When the surface of the lake reaches its maximum height of eightyseven feet above sea level, with the water just flowing over the crest of the dam, it will contain 192,250,000,000 cubic feet of water.

New Orleans, with its population of three hundred and forty thousand, is the first large city to adopt the commission form of government. Six others have one hundred thousand population or more: Oakland, Cal., Birmingham, Ala.; Memphis, Tenn.; Omaha, Neb.; Lowell, Mass., and Spokane, Wash. Since Galveston, Texas, put its government into commission eleven years ago, after its great disaster, over two hundred cities have followed its example, getting short ballots and responsible efficiency.

The fifth international congress of Chambers of Commerce and Commercial and Industrial Associations was held in Boston, under the auspices of the Boston Chamber of Commerce last week. Many countries were represented. The official program was printed in sixteen different languages. President Taft at a luncheon had an opportunity to speak to the representatives of the commercial world on the subject of world peace.

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