20 JANUARY 1939, Page 22

CANAL DUES

[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR] SIR,—What does Sir Arnold Wilson mean when he recom- mends the Egyptian Government to make the passage of the Suez Canal free, as was done "in the case of the Panama Canal by the United States of America "? I have before me a Board of Trade publication which states that during October, 1938, the tolls collected at the Panama Canal amounted to

1,977,000 dollars; in September the tolls amounted to 1,741,000 dollars. He is perhaps nearer the mark when he says that the U.S.A. " has been amply rewarded " for its enterprise in constructing the Panama Canal; but the con- tradiction in his article remains.—Yours faithfully,

A. SPENCER.

Crocodile Works, Alma Street, Birmingham,6.