170 DOCUMENTARY HISTORY OF THE FLORIDA CANAL

fag vessels Such a course would result in a very substantial and indirect sub-
sidy to the American merchant marine, which subsidy is very greatly needed.
 saIPs AND oaeonS

 28. Through the Kiel Canal the predominant traffic is coastwise; that is, it
 consists of trade between ports on the North Sea and the Baltic. It is conducted
 in a great number and variety of craft, but not of a very great aggregate ton-
 nage. In 1929, 49,000 so-called ships passed through the canal, while the net
 registered tonnage was only 21,740,087 tons. Other reports show over 56,000
 separate craft or voyages and over 2,000,000 tons. For 1929 the statistics show
 2,56 vessels as steam or motor ships having a net registered tonnage of
 ,1er,247 tons.
 29. For the Florida canal a very complete analysis was made of the shipping
for 1929. Every vessel was traced into and out of the Gulf, and, out of a total
of 1,71 vessels carrying the total foreign and domestic commerce of the United
States Gulf coast ports, it was found that 1,487 different ships made 10,841
voyages that could have used the canal to advantage. The total net registered
tonnage for these voyages was 88 45,124, while the cargo amounted to 45,174,704
tons of 2,000 pounds each. Of these voyages, 7,610 were made under the Ameri-
can fag, with a net tonnage of about 28,800,000 tons. A similar analysis of the
181 commerce was made by another agency and showed 9,575 potential transit.
The reduction below the 1981 figures was due to the smaller number of foreign-
flag vessels, and this, in turn, was due to the world-wide depression and the
corresponding reduction in commerce.
 30( The analyses above mentioned were limited to ocean-going vessels, but the
canal, once constructed, would show a very considerable traffic in self-propelled
and towed barges. It has been estimated that this trade will amount to over
1,400,000 tons annually on which the average savings in transport costs will
exceed 80 cents per ton. In addition, there will be a large movement of yachts
and other pleasure craft, with correspondingly large money benefits to the com-
munities of Florida.
 THE COMMCM OF TrHE OUI POrTS
 31. In recent years, the Gulf ports have shown a relative gain in their share
of the total domestic and foreign commerce of the United States. In 1923
these ports handled 9.2 percent of the total water-borne commerce of the United
States, but in 1982 it had increased to 17.6 percent In that period the total
water-borne commerce of the United States declined from 449 million tons to
301 million tons, but the commerce of the Gulf ports increased from 41 million
tons to 53 million tons.
 32. Furthermore, of the total commerce of the Gulf ports, the greater part is
-coastwise." This consists very largely of trade between the ports on the
Gulf and those on the Atlantic. As shown in the upper corner of the plate, this
trade in 1982 amounted to nearly 88,500,000 long tons and was 725 percent of
the total Gulf ports trade. During the depression of recent years, foreign trade
of all United States ports has greatly declined and the foreign trade of the
Gulf ports in 1982 was about 25 percent of their total commerce, although in
1923 it was nearly 50 percent of the same total commerce. An analysis of this
foreign commerce indicates that 'about 70 percent thereof may be fairly con-
sidered as potential traffic for the Florida ship canal. This, together with the
coastwise traff, indicates a total potential traffic of not less than 39 million
short tons which will profit by the "short cut" ship canal between the Gulf and
the Atlantic coast. The resulting savings based on the operating costs and
fixed charges of the vessels are evaluated at about 16 cents per ton. This
figure might well have been considered in determined tolls, for which 8 cents
per ton has been suggested in some quarters. However, aside from these
benefits, calculated on operating costs and fixed charges, there are other col-
lateral benefits amounting to millions of dollars annually on which it would
not be practicable to levy tolls or taxes for the operation of the waterway.
 THE PANAMA AND SUB CANAL

 33. Various persons not familiar with commercial statistics have sought to
compare the Florida canal with the Panama Canal and have asserted that the
traffic on the Florida canal cannot possibly approximate one-half of the traffic