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 The young boy answers, "There must be a pony in here somewhere."
 You can look at it either optimistically or pessimistically. I think it stands us in good stead to look forward.
 Mr. GOLDWATER. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?
 Mr. GRAVEL. I am happy to yield.
 Mr. GOLDWATER. I have listened to the Senator talk about the canal and refer to it as a coming anitque that should be in the Smithsonian. I would like to bring to my collea gue's attention a few things 'about this canal, even though it is 70 years old. If it -were built today, I doubt Seriously that it would be built any differently. Many of the gYates have never been out of repair in 70 years. They weighb more than 750 tons apiece. Damaging them by explosive would be almost impossible. The gear ratio that operates them is 1,600 to 1. To get at that gear would require easier access than they have today.
 Some improvements can be made in th present canal. The distance' can be shortened, and they are working on that. Some of the curves, some of the islands, they have to go around could be eliminated. In f act, they all could be eliminated. The ditch could be -made 1,000 feet wide' and 300 feet deep.
 I was very interested in the sea-level canal, and have been for many years, but it presents many more problems than one not acquainted with the general area might assume.
 To begin with, on the Atlantic side there is about a 15-foot tide and' on the Pacific side there is a 17-foot tide. Contrary to what we have believed all our lives as to water seeking its level, sea level is not the same around the world. There is a 6-inch difference in thle two ends of' this canal relative to sea level, which means that a sea-level canal, except for ebb tide, would always have a current through it.
 The Senator from Alaska is aware of traveling in -narrow straits and' fjords, and he knows that handling a boat in moving water, in narrow confines, is very, very difficult.
 Even though we made the sea-level canal a thousand feet wide and with necesary depths, it would probably have to be about 120 feet to take care of the supertankers. I thought it could be operated like the Suez Canal-free entry and free acess. But there would be times of the day when ebb tide did not occur, when ships would have to stop, slow down, or be prevented f rom having access or egress because of the locks that would be needed to make the flow as low as possible to maintain stability.
 Consequently, the studies of the sea-level c-anal versus the improvement of the present canal-namely, widening the. cuts, deepening it somewhat, adding another set of locks-looks to be the better bet right now. A sea-level canal can be built in Panama or it can be built on the border of Colombia in Panama, a less preferable spot, to be sure.
 But I just wanted to defend the canal. I do not think it is ready for the Smithsonian. I think this canal will be in operation many, manyV more years. It will require constant improvement. This is one of the things that has bothered me about this treaty-whether or not, whatever government it is, and it has to be another government, would be willing to spend the money that would be taken in by the tolls to constantly improve and constantly repair the canal, something that has to be done.