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over the Zone. He claims that the
Canal issue is " the only religion
uniting all Panamanians." (Con–
versely, American lawmakers and
administrators involved in the Ca–
nal dispute are divided asto how far
- or whether - to give
in
to Pan–
ama's dernands.)
Torrijos and his associates
in
Pan–
ama's military junta regime have
been dropping hints that unless
Washington reconsiders its stand,
the Panamanian people rnay again
be obliged to " resort to violence" to
make their voices heard.
Panama is also counting heavily
on the friendship of people through–
out Latin America and on other
continents to restore its "national
dignity" and elimina te U. S. "colo-
nialism" from what it maintains is
its own territory.
Being overlooked by the revolu–
tionaries in their nationalistic zeal,
however, are these facts of life.
About 11 ,000 Panamanians are
employed by the Panama Canal
Company and Canal Zone Govern–
ment - in increasingly more impor–
tant positions and a t higher wage
scales than prevail in the Republic
of Panarna. Panamanian employees
a re protected by U. S. minimum
wage legis lation - $1.60 an hour
mínimum. The eq uivalent in Pan–
ama is about $0.25 an hour. Pan–
ama simply cannot afford to pay the
higher wages.
Furthermore, approxirna tely one
third of tiny Panama's gross na-
tional product is accounted for, di–
rectly or indirectly, by the Canal -
over $168,000,000 a year. Should
access to the Canal at acceptable
rates ever be denied to the world's
great trading nations, these reve–
nues would drop and plunge Pan–
ama into an economic depression.
Also overlooked is the fact that
Panama has been one of the great–
est recipients of U. S. foreign aid on
a percapita basis. The United States
has funneled over $225,000.000 in
all forros of aid into Panama since
1946. Panama's population is only
1
1-l
million.
But these economic facts of life
are being submerged in a highly
ernotional issue fanned by nation–
alistic passions.
Ponomo Cono/
Compony
GATUN LOCKS
ot the Atlontic Ocean
entrance to the Ponomo Canal. Ships
entering here ore roised 85 feet to the
leve! of Gotun Loke. Locks ot the Poci–
flc end, 32 miles distont, complete
freshwoter "bridge" between the