Gift ofthe Panama Canal Muttum

?7-/-

Vol 4, No. 3 BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE, OCTOBER 2, 1953 5 cents

ACTUAL WORK WILL BEGIN SOON TO INCREASE

DEPENDABLE CAPACITY OF THE PANAMA CANAL

Subcommittee Head Visits Zone

REPRESENTATIVE JOHN J. ALLEN, Jr., Chairman of the Panama Canal Subcommittee of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, looks over a portrait of Canal Builder George W.

Goethals. Representative Allen arrived last month for an extended Canal Zone visit.

Electronics Firm To Send Consultants

To Study Canal Navigation Problems

The Sperry Gyroscope Company, well- known maker of electronic devices, has

be3n invited to sand representatives to the Canal Zone to suggest a solution to navigation problems arising from heavy

rains or fog. Two consultants from the Sperry Company are due here about

October 12. In the invitation to the electronics manufacturer Canal officials suggested the months of September, October, and November for the visit because of the severe

fogs and rains which occur at this time

of year. The solution which the consultants

will suggest toward solving the problem

of low-visibility navigation is, of course, not known. There are several possibilities. One might be an adaption of radar; a major difficulty with this is that most

radar equipment is massive. Equipment

for Canal use would, of necessity, have

to be portable so that it could be taken

aboard transiting ships.

Another might be a heavy cable, imbedded in the center of the Canal prism. Electronic devices aboard transiting ships

would record a veer to either direction from this center line. A difficulty with such a cable is that its location would

interfere with the operations of dredging

equipment which must (See page 11)

The Panama Canal Review

joins in the universal expression of congratulations and best wishes

to President Jose Antonio Remon C. and the People of the Republic of Panama

on the occasion of the

50th Anniversary Of The Birth Of The Nation On November 3rd

A brief summary of some of the outstanding features of Panama's history and its progress as a nation is presented on pages

8 and 9 of this issue.

Engineering studies are under way and actual work will

begin soon on the first part of a two-phase plan designed to

increase the dependable capacity of the Panama Canal and

provide better transit facilities

for shipping.

The initial features of the plan have

bean approved by the Board of Directors

of the Panama Canal Company. The

necessary Congressional authority has

since been obtained to proceed on the

first part of the program, estimated to

cost $1,000,000.

The present "dependable" capacity of the Canal is limited by the number of lockages which can be made in 24 hours during the overhaul periods. These

periods occur every five years for each

set of locks, alternating between the

Pacific and Atlantic sides, and at these times one lane of traffic at one of the sets of locks is closed.

Traffic In Cut

If this limitation were removed the next limiting factor on "dependable"

capacity would be the handling of traffic through Gaillard Cut during varying

kinds of weather and under conditions

requiring "clear cut" handling of certain

ships. The latter rule prohibits vessels carrying dangerous cargo or of a very

large size from meeting or passing other

ships in the narrow confines of Gaillard Cut. The overall program is designed to

substantially reduce both of these limiting

factors. Phase I of the plan provides for modifi- cation of the Locks to permit the overhaul

of the center wall culverts and cylindrical valves without emptying either of the

lock chambers. This will permit doubleculvert operations when one set of lock chambers is unwatered. This is not possible under existing overhaul conditions. This phase of the work, when completed, will increase the dependable

capacity from the present 23 lockages a day at Gatun to 29 a day while an over- haul is in progress, an increase of 25

percent. The second phase of the plan, on which

extensive engineering and research work

remains to be done, is expected to cost

several million dollars. To Be Examined

The following operational features are

to be examined as being of possible contribution in increasing the capacity of the Canal or the locks:

1. Use of spare lock gate leaves which

can be substituted for those (See page 12)
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 2, 1953

Congressman Attends

Employee Conference

At Balboa Heights

A sampling of Canal employee problems

and questions was given last month to a

! mi.. I States Congressman when RepreS sntative John J. Allen, Jr., of California

sat in as an observer at the monthly

"Shirtsleeve Conference." It was the

first occasion that a Congressman has

ever attended one of the conferences. Representative Allen is Chairman of the Panama Canal subcommittee of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. The subcommittee handles

all legislation pertaining to the Panama

Canal. During the conference, which also chalked up another "first"— in that it was the first in which the employee repre- sentatives were from the Civic Councils

only^subjects ranged from a shortage of doctors fco barricades over open culverts. Health Problems

In answer to a previous complaint that reduction of the La Boca dispensary had

resulted in a patient overload at the Gorgas Hospital Out-Patient Clinic, Acting Governor H. 0. Paxson read a report from the Health Director which

showed that the Gorgas out-patient load had not substantially increased. The

daily patient average at the La Boca

first aid station, however, was higher in August than it had been as a dispensary two months before. Health authorities are trying to work

out a solution to the parking problem

near the clinic and are looking into a system of appointments.

Charles Hammond, representing the Pedro Miguel Civic Council, protested

the proposed reduction of the dispensary

there to a first aid station, pointing out

the work done by the local doctor on

ship calls. This led into a general discussion of the shortage of doctors, the difficulty in maintaining adequate health services, and

especially the situation on the Atlanticside. Jack Rice, of the Cristobal-Margarita Council, said that the proportion of medical men to residents was out of line on the two sides of the Isthmus and that medical personnel should be dispersed to provide for emergency medical care. Colonel Paxson outlined plans to have

the Diablo Heights and Margarita Commissaries open on Mondays, from 1 to 8 p. m., and close on Wednesdays. It was

uneconomical, he said, to have all retail commissaries open six days a week, but

by opening one or two commissaries on

each side on Mondays the residents of these large areas would have six-day

shopping service. The question was

referred to the individual civic councils

for their opinions.

Panama Line

The question of discrimination on Panama Line ships between tourist and

employee passengers came up again for discussion. Colonel Paxson commented

on the difficulty of "trying to run two

kinds of steamship lines on the same

ship" and pointed out the need for tourist revenue at times of the year when

employee travel is light. Certain courtesies, given on all tourist Set page ih

Fire Prevention Is Year-Round

Program For Canal Zone Force

FIREMAN JOHN OLSEN times a fire drill at Balboa High School while Principal T. F. Hotz watches

Although Fire Prevention Week begins next Sunday and lasts through October

10, fire prevention in the Canal Zone is actually a year-round proposition.

Preventing fires, according to Capt.

A. J. Troup, Chief of the Fire Division,

is an important part of the business of the SO men of the force. That they are succeeding is indicated by the fact that during the past fiscal year fire losses to Company-Government

property totalled only $21,883.

Highly important in the fire prevention

program are the inspections made regularly by firemen from every station in the Canal Zone. Like all firemen, John

Olsen of the Balboa Central Station, who

has been on the force since April 2, 1944,

makes such checks frequently.

Clubhouse First On a typical inspection day he leaves the Balboa station soon after he reports

for duty at eight o'clock. His first stop

is the Balboa Clubhouse. There he is joined by the clubhouse manager, B. S. Chisholm, and together they make the rounds of the big building. Storerooms are checked for combustible

trash or oily rags which can ignite spontaneously. Guards of dry closet heaters

are inspected—as is any exposed wiring. In the theater the two men try the "panic bolts" which are on every exit door and satisfy themselves that the doors will open at the slightest pressure on the "panic bolts." In the projection

booth they make sure that movie film

is properly stored. Regulations allow one

reel in the projector and another out

of its case, but require that all other reels be safely stowed away in tin cans. The

slides which operate automatically to

isolate the projection booth from the auditorium are checked.

Back in the clubhouse kitchen they

inspect storage space and make sure that cooking oils, if any are on hand, are stored

in drums. Deep-fat frying is always

hazardous and they check to see that each frying kettle has a cover to be

clapped over the fat should it blaze up. They tour the barber shop and the beauty shop and, if the Balboa Clubhouse

had a tailor shop it would also be

inspected to see that its supplies were

stored in safe fashion and that inflam- mable fluid was not being used for cleaning or spotting.

Then The Schools

From the Clubhouse, Mr. Olsen goes

to the three Balboa schools. At each of these he sees the principal and, after making sure that students are not taking

examinations which might be disturbed,

rings the fire alarm bell. He clocks the time it takes for every

student and every teacher to reach a

place of presumed safety, 50 feet away

from the school building. All buildings should be emptied within three minutes;

the average time for a school is one minute and 15 seconds. After the students are back in their classrooms, Mr. Olsen and the principal

make the rounds of the building, inspecting the janitors' closets, other supply or water heater rooms, and the school shop.

Wherever they go they are looking for potential fire hazards. Hospitals, Too

Inspection of the clubhouse and three

schools takes an entire morning. After luncheon Mr. Olsen starts out again,

headed for Gorgas Hospital. On the way

he detours to check, again for fire hazards, a row of garages, many of which are occupied by hobby shops. At the hospital he is (See page 15)
October 2, 1953 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

Cunas Visit Zonians; Zonians Visit Cunas

As Isthmian Good Neighbors Swap Calls

was delighted when a young Indian picked

out on her piano the same tune which

Cunas play on their bamboo mouth reeds. Although he had never seen a piano before he did not hammer the keys as children

ordinarily do. Another young visitor was interested

in Canal Zone shower baths. Shown how

to turn the water on and off, he took a bath—clothes and all. Then he solemnly

undressed, wrung the water from his sopping clothes and put them back on. More Formal Visits The Cuna visits to the Canal Zone are a lot less formal than the visits which

the two Canal Zone men make to the Indian villages. Mr. Doyle, an architect now working

with the Contract and Inspection Division, became interested in the Indians

about 1948, and, with Richard Williams

of the Sanitary Division made several

trips up the Bayano River. The Indians

always ask about their old friend; Mrs.

Williams has the distinction of having

made a trip herself on one occasion. She was invited to attend a fiesta and did much toward breaking down the reticence and shyness of the Cuna women.

Mr. Stevens, head of the Structural Branch of the Engineering Division,

became interested through Mr. Doyle.

Both had read the late Fred McKim's

Forbidden Land which is, in part, an

account of a trans-Isthmian trip through

the Cuna Indian country from the San

Bias to the Bayano River. Mr. McKim

was a local pioneer in Indian contacts and was frequently visited at his Ancon

home by San Bias and Bayano chiefs. Jerry Doyle paved the way for the subsequent trips which he and "Steve" have made into the Bayano country. He

first made friends with a Panama police

sergeant at Chepo, who is an unofficial sort of guardian of the Cuna's outer

portals. Then he began, slowly, to develop

acquaintances among the Cuna men who

bring their surplus produce down the

river for sale. Finally he got permission to go as far as Maje, into the semi-autonomous

Indian territory. Maje, the first Cuna

village about 45 miles up the Bayano

from Chepo, is named for an old-time Indian chief who had eight beautiful daughters. They all married Spaniards;

legend has it that "Maje" (See page tS)

GOOD NEIGHBORS swap calls. In the top picture Jonas Briggs, Chief of the Cuna Indians at Maje, second from the left, drinks coffee with his two Canal Zone friends, Gerald A. Doyle, Jr., left, and

E. B. Stevens. Beside him is another Cuna visitor, whom the Zonians know only as Jose. Below, "Steve" cooks pancakes over a log fire in a Cuna communal dwelling on the Bayano River.

A small-scale Good Neighbor Policy is the project of two Canal Zone men,

E. B. Stevens of Balboa and Gerald A. Doyle, Jr., of Ancon. Their "neighbors"

are the husky little Cuna Indians of the Bayano River country.

And being neighborly, of course, means

that each visits with the other and that each shares his interests and possessions

with the other. Almost any day the Stevens and Doyle

families are apt to find, as some of their friends put it, that they are "surrounded

by Indians." Their visitors, who appear

without advance notice and usually stay

only a few hours, are Cuna Indians whom

the two men have met on trips up the Bayano River. A typical "delegation" is two or three men, with one or two of their sons or nephews. The visitors are always male

members of the tribe, since the women

seldom, if ever, leave their Bayano

River territory.

Qui?t and neat, barefooted but usually

hatted, the Cunas usually arrive just

about time for the noon meal. The

adults eat, without comment, whatever

they are served although obviously many

of the dishes are novelties to them. The

children, however, generally refuse any

fancy or unusual dish, preferring those that are related to their native diet of meat, fish or game, rice, and fruit. Tuna Fish And Ginger Bread

Mrs. Stevens says that a favorite dish, judging from the enthusiasm with which

they eat it, is creamed tuna fish; they

also seem to find hot gingerbread especially tasty. Once some left-over Johnny

Mazetti was on hand and the Indians

re illy "went to town" on it, she says. The Doyles discovered a group of Cuna

visitors so fond of Ritz crackers that boxes of them were included on the next Doyle-Stevens trip up the Bayano.

Luncheon over, the men smoke and

talk in Spanish; the boys either sit silent among the grownups or amuse themselves

in a quiet way. One of the Doyles' occasional visitors is a six-year-old boy, a contemporary of Mr. Doyle's daughter,

Claudia. When he was younger the two

children played together like any two

youngsters. Now he stays with the men. The Cunas accept the strange fashion

in which their Canal Zone friends live and

even the fact that they sleep in beds and

not hammocks like Cunas. Mrs. Stevens JERRY DOYLE takes it easy going down the Bayano River in a dugout canoe.
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 2, 1953

c FOR YOUR INTEREST AND GUIDANCE IN^CCIDENT PREVENTION

THERE IS NO "ABSOLUTE SAFETY"

Every year in the United States there are 2,000,000 p< ople « ho see their first automobile, radio, television, elephant oi you name it. So likewise 2,000,000 people have

a lot to see, hear, feel, and learn every

da] \"'l one ol the important things they have to learn i- how to keep alive. It's not easj

.

A not generallj known fact is that, "Accidents cause the loss ol more 'working

\i-atV of life than cancer, heart disease, or any other leading cause of death." rhousands of scientists, medical men, research workers, and people you never heard of are carrying on vast programs to help you keep

alive longer. In these many great crusades

to discover the way to a longer more healthful life, there is none in which you can do more to help yourself, than in the one

against accidents.

It is not yet known how you can prevent

yourself from becoming the victim of cancer, polio or heart disease, but much is known about how you can prevent yourself from becoming the victim ol an accident. And in that crusade you are one of the key persons.

It first must be recognized that a certain degree of risk is involved in every human

undertaking. The degree of danger is largely determined, not so much by the inherent nature of things, but by the human failures or weaknesses surrounding the methods of HONOR ROLL

Bureau Award For BEST RECORD

AUGUST

HEALTH BUREAU

AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR

Industrial 5

Civil Affairs 3 Health 3 Engineering and Construction 2 Community Services 1 Marine

Railroad and Terminals

Supply and Service

Division Award For NO DISABLING INJURIES

AUGUST

HOSPITALIZATION AND CLINICS

ELECTRICAL DIVISION

RAILROAD DIVISION

DIVISION OF STOREHOUSES

DIVISION OF SANITATION

AWARDS THIS CALENDAR YEAR

Sanitation 7 Motor Transportation 6 Dredging 5

Electrical 5 Grounds Maintenance 4 Hospitalization and Clinics 4 Railroad 4 Maintenance 3 Storehouses 3 Clubhouses 2 Navigation 1 Commissary

Locks

Terminals

JUST A WHEEL

WORKING DAZE

handling or use of things; such as inattention, misjudgment, recklessness, lack of knowledge or skill, and incomplete provisions and safeguards.

Secondly, it must be acknowledged that

there is no such thing as "absolute safety."

The most that can be reasonably expected

is a definite organized effort to insure an

acceptable degree of "reasonable safety." (Alter all, we are only human—and that means something less than perfect). This

implies there is a best or a better way of doing things to avoid the risk of accidental

injury.

The formal development of practical

s.ilcty measures constitutes only one phase

of a good safety program. An equally

important phase of any safety effort is the

creation and maintenance of a receptive

state of safety-consciousness. Remember

those 2,000,000 newcomers coming up

everj year? We cannot code or legislate safety consciousness. This can only be brought

I'm just a wheel—a steering wheel—and

you're my captain.

Behind me, you're the lord and master of a miracle. You can make me take the kids

to school. You can turn me down the sunny

road to town. With me you can guide your goods to market—you can rush the injured

to be healed—you can go, in minutes, to places that once were hours away. You

can do magic.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, in the tick of your watch, I can turn deadly killer. I can

snuff out the life of a kid still full of life— maybe your kid.

I can twist a smile into tears. I can wreck

and cripple and destroy. I can deal out death like the plague.

And I'm no respector of persons—a child, a grandmother, even you, my friend—it's

all the same to me.

I'm sensitive. I respond instantly to the hands you give me. Give me calm hands,

steady hands, careful hands—and I'm your

friend. But give me unsteady hands, fuzzyminded hands, reckless hands—then I'm your enemy, a menace to the life, the

happiness, the future of every person, every

youngster riding, walking, playing.

I was made for pleasure and usefuln c-s Keep me that way. I'm in your hands. I'm just a steering wheel. And you're my

captain. Behind me you're the lord and

master of a miracle—or a tragedy.

It's up to you.

(The above theme was published by

the American Oil Company, which

grants permission for reprinting—in the interest of a safer America).

about through the broad dissemination ol proper information and the persistent and

sincere application of recognized sale

practices. Exercise reasonable care and enjoy a

longer and better life. Help the new man

who doesn't yet know all the angles. In helping him you may be helping yourself more than vou will ever realize.

AUGUST 1953

Health Bureau

Engineering and Construction Bureau

Civil Affairs Bureau

Community Services Bureau

Marine Bureau

Supply and Service Bureau

C. I. Govt—Panama Canal Co. (Best Year)

C. Z. Govt.—Panama Canal Co. (This Month)

Railroad and Terminals Bureau

Industrial Bureau

Number of Disabling Injuries. 33

Disabling Injuries per 1.000,000 Man-Hours Worked

(Frequency Rale)

4

10

12

12

13

13

38

• j

XXJ j

. 23 i

—. .. ,. * i

*:::•:•:•:•:::!.

1

l1

20 30 40 50

Man-Hours Worked 2 447,552 LEGEND

Amount Better Than Canal Zone Government—Panama Canal Company Best Year

Amount Worse Than Canal Zone Government—Panama Canal Company Best Year

f}i'£v%& Accumulative Frequency Rate This Year
October 2, 1953 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

PRESIDENTS of the Canal Zone's five Federal Credit Unions line up for The Review camera at the office of the Balboa (La Boca) union.

Left to right they are: Ernest Williams, Balboa; Uzziel G. Ayre, Gatun; Thomas U. Sawyers, Paraiso- Red Tank; Foster G. Bournes, Cristobal; Clarence F. Sampson, Gamboa.

Five Local Rate Credit Unions Pile Up

Almost $300,000 In Assets In Five Years

no longer employed by the CompanyGovernment can either withdraw his savings or retain his membership with

the privilege of continuing his savings

and borrowing to the extent of his savings.

By October 29, 1948, all five credit unions were organized and two months

later had piled up assets of over $3,200.

When Mr. Wright returned for his second

visit, in October 1949, the membership

had grown to 1,600 and the five unions

had accumulated over $31,000 in savings.

By December 1951, their assets had

multiplied to the astounding total of $152,043, and six months later had risen

still farther to a total of $205,935.

Now, Mr. Wright believes, the five credit unions have proved their ability to promote thrift among their members.

Each of the credit unions is directed by

15 elected officers. Each has nine directors, three credit committeemen and

three auditing committeemen.

The bylaws do not permit any officer to receive any salary whatsoever, except

that the treasurer may be paid to the extent that the membership votes, in meeting. The board of directors has the authority to hire employees when the workload makes this necessary. The total

salaries being expended by all five Federal

credit unions were less than $250 a month

at the time of the last Bureau of Federal

Credit Union examinations.

None of the officers is permitted

to borrow more than the amount of

his savings. All treasurers and other employees are bonded.

Working Officers Commenting on the officers in a recent

report, Mr. Wright said: "The directors and committeemen

who, by law, cannot be paid for serving

as such, have donated a truly enormous amount of their time to the operation of the credit unions." In all five credit unions, the lives of the borrowers (up to age 70) are insured to the extent of their unpaid loans. This

provision guarantees the payment of the loan without loss to the lending credit union and without hardship to the dead

member's surviving family. The insur- ance in such cases is paid for as an operating cost of the credit union rather than

as an individual assessement against its members.

Four of the credit unions, Cristobal,

Gatun, Gamboa, and Paraiso-Red Tank,

match their members' savings accounts,

dollar for dollar, with life insurance up

to a $1,000 limit and with certain age

limitations. The premiums are paid out

of operating income.

Should a member in one of these credit unions die, his family would receive not

only the money in his savings account but an identical sum in life insurance. Between the time when the credit unions were established in the fall of 194S and June 30 this year, the five unions

had loaned $690,310 to a total number

of 14,407 borrowers. Few Delinquents

The matter of delinquent loans has

presented some problem but not so much

as one might expect considering the large

number of members and the fact that the present experience is the (See page el

A little man with an over-size umbrella

marches across the letterhead of the five Federal Credit Unions which operate

among Canal local-rate employees. His

wide grin indicates that he is comfortably

dry despite the downpour of "hard times, sickness and financial distress" beating onto the umbrella. The umbrella, of course, bears in big letters the words

"Credit Union."

Except for his attire, which is Statesside rather than tropical, he could well be any of the over 5,000 local-rate workers

who, in the past five years, have deposited

almost $300,000 in their credit unions. Through these credit unions which will be five years old this month, any of the 5,139 members can salt away in his credit union savings account any spare cash he happens to have. Or, if he needs cash, he may borrow money to buy anything from

a baby crib to property on which to build

his future home or funds to tide him over some family emergency like sickness or death.

$283,151 Invested On June 30 this year, the latest date

for which figures are available, 5,139

Canal local-rate employees had $283,151

invested in credit union savings accounts;

2,952 of them had loans outstanding, in the total amount of $167,837.

These figures were obtained from a re- port submitted recently to CompanyGovernment officials by Harold B.

Wright, Assistant Regional Representative of the Bureau of Federal Credit

Unions, who spent several weeks in the Canal Zone last spring. All five of the Federal Credit Unions

are chartered under the Social Security

Administration Division of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Mr. Wright helped to organize them and

has made several trips to the Canal Zone

to assist their officers on any problems

which have arisen since his last previous

visit. The five credit unions are, moving

north across the Canal Zone: Balboa (La

Boca), Paraiso-Red Tank, Gamboa,

Gatun, and Cristobal. The largest of the

five, both in assets—$116,372—and membership— 1,872, is that at Cristobal. The

second largest and the last to be organized

is the Balboa union, where 1,407 members

have assets totalling $78,503.

The other three line up, statistically, as

follows: Gatun, with assets of $46,339 and

671 members; Gamboa, with assets of $30,650 and 614 members; and ParaisoRed Tank, with assets of $26,036 and

575 members.

Plans Started In 1947 Plans for some sort of credit union for local-rate employees were started in 1947, soon after the Federal Credit Union Law

was amended to include the Canal Zone.

Officials of the now defunct UPW-CIO

were instrumental in the early planning.

By September 1948 five groups of local- rate employees had filed preliminary applications for Federal Credit Union

charters and the following month Mr.

Wright arrived from his home office in Atlanta to organize the groups. In the meantime, Canal officials were

acting as unofficial godfathers to the

groups. They provided office space for the new unions and made available, at a nominal rental, some office equipment.

Today Mr. Wright says of this help:

"They (the credit unions) commenced

operation under a favorable atmosphere.

Without such assistance they could not have functioned." Mr. Wright appeared before each group

to explain that "credit unions are groups

of people maintaining a type of joint

savings accounts from which any member

can borrow at a low interest rate." Restricted To Employees

Membership was, and still is, restricted

to employees of what are now the Panama

Canal Company and Canal Zone Government. Because of the peculiar local situation provisions were made so that a credit union member who is, for some reason,
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 2, 1953

Canal Company's Purchases In Panama Totalled

Over $2,500,000 For Entire Past Fiscal Year

Direct purchases of merchandise valued

at $2,586,000 were made from supply

sources in the Republic of Panama by the Panama Canal Company during the

fiscal year 1953. The total represented a 25 percent

increase over the $2,060,000 in Panama

products bought the previous fiscal year, and 40 percent more than the 1951 fiscal year purchases which totaled $1,525,000.

These figures represent only the direct purchases by the Canal and are exclusive

of those made by the armed forces, other Government agencies, or Government

contractors in the Canal Zone. A tabulation of purchases made by the Canal for the past two fiscal years in nine

principal categories follows:

1952 1953 Meat products $735,000 $794,000

Fruits and vegetables 134,000 123,000 Other agricultural products. 51.000 122,000 Other food products 32,000 28,000 Beverages 146,000 149,000 Sugar and alcohol 76,000 403,000

Forest products 151,000 52,000

Industrial products 360,000 527,000

Miscellaneous supplies 377,000 3SS,000

Total $2,062,000 $2,585,000 The bulk of the Canal's purchases

during the past fiscal year came direct from the farms in the Republic or from

manufacturing firms utilizing natural

resources as their basic products. Heading

the list in dollar value were beef, cattle, sugar, cement, fresh fruit and vegetables,

and native lumber. Beef purchases alone last year amounted

to $694,000 and Panama-produced sugar valued at nearly $400,000 was bought by

the Commissary Division. Third highest on the list of individual items was Panama

cement valued at slightly over $380,000.

The combined value of these three products alone exceeded the total amount of direct purchases in any one year up

to 1951. Meat and Fish

Although the beef purchases repre- sented the bulk of the meat products

bought last year, a total of $100,000 in other meats were bought. Heavy pur- chases of fish, shrimp, and lobster were made in each of the four quarterly periods

last fiscal year. Other meat products

bought in Panama last year included

fowl, pork, and cured meats.

Practically all of the purchases made

by the Canal organization are those for the Commissary, Storehouse, and Clubhouse Divisions. Most of the food products are bought by the Commissary Division for resale. Purchases by the Store- house Division consist principally of building materials and industrial products, while purchases for the Clubhouse

Division are mostly miscellaneous items. Most significant of the increases in amount of material bought during the past fiscal year over previous years was

in Panama-produced sugar. Last year was the first time when locally manufactured sugar was offered on a yearly

basis in sufficient quantities to meet

the demand.

The large increase in industrial products bought last year was caused by the year-round contract for cement purchases. Such purchases have been heavy

for the past several years but last year's

figures exceeded any single year's totals prior to 1953. Panama-grown coffee was bought in substantial quantities by the Commissary

Division during the past year for the first time in several years. These purchases

amounted to over $50,000 in the last quarter of 1953, and were principally

responsible for more than doubling the

dollar value of agricultural products, other than fruits and vegetables, which were bought by the Commissary Division. Among the miscellaneous items in last year's purchase list the most important were magazines and film rentals. More

than $140,000 worth of magazines were

handled by the Clubhouse Division and

the division paid out almost $180,000 in film rentals during the year. The steady increase in the amount of

local purchases during recent years has

resulted primarily from the cooperative

efforts of the Canal administration and

suppliers in the Republic of Panama.

The Canal has long followed the practice

of buying in the local markets when quality, delivery, and price meet requirements.

Continuing efforts are made to increase purchases, particularly fresh fruits and

vegetables. Such purchases in the local market, although significant in dollar

value, represent a comparatively small proportion of the total required annually

by the Commissary Division to meet its requirements.

Five Local Raie Credit Unions Pile Up

Almost $300,000 In Assets In Five Years

{Continued from pages) first venture for many of them into the field of systematic

saving or scientific borrowing.

Some of the credit unions have brought

court action against members who have

failed to pay their loans. The unions

have reported that the court action has had a salutary effect on the minority of borrowers who have been laggard in their payments.

While the credit committees are sympathetic to borrowers who need funds for emergencies or for worthwhile purchases,

they are less receptive to the requests of those wishing to do some large, out of line with income, buying.

This does not mean that the credit unions frown upon installment buying. For some time local-rate employees who

are credit union members have been able

to borrow money to buy from the commissaries such items as furniture, radios,

and refrigerators.

The borrower, of course, has to satisfy

his credit union's credit committee of his ability to repay the loan, before a loan is made. The credit union pays the commissary and the borrower makes his "install- ment payments" to the credit union. Zone Students Once—

Zone Teachers Now

CANAL ZONE youngsters had better think up new reasons why they were late to school or didn't have their homework done. These two teachers know all the time-worn local answers. Both attended elementary and grade school in the Zone. Miss Ann Newhard, left, was born in the Canal Zone and is a graduate of Cristobal High School. She is teaching at the Fort Kobbe school. Miss Barbara Schnake right, was only nine months old when her parents brought her to the Isthmus;

she is a graduate of Balboa High School. She is teaching second grade at Diablo.
October 2, 1953 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

PANAMA fe{M) CANAL

Official Panama Canal Company Publication

Published Monthly at BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE

OF CURRENT INTEREST

Printed by the Printing Plant Mount Hope, Canal Zone

John S. Seybold, Governor-President

H. 0. Paxson, Lieutenant Governor

J. Rufus Hardy, Editor

Eleanor H. McIlhenny

Editorial Assistant

SUBSCRIPTIONS—$1.00 a year

SINGLE COPIES—5 cents each On sale at all Panama Canal Clubhouses,

Commissaries, and Hotels for 10 days after publication date.

SINGLE COPIES BY MAIL-lOcentseach

BACK COPIES— 10 cents each On sale when available, from the Vault

Clerk, Third Floor, Administration Building, Balboa Heights.

Postal money orders should be made payable to the Treasurer, Panama Canal Company, and mailed to Editor, The Panama

Canal Review, Balboa Heights, C. Z.

Consultants Study

Compensation, Tolls,

For Congress Report

Special studies were in progress throughout the past month by two

groups of consultants on subjects

scheduled for consideration by Congress when it reconvenes in January.

A study on rates of tolls in progress now for many months was greatly

intensified at the end of August by the

arrival of personnel of Ebasco Services,

Inc., of New York. This firm was

employed earlier this year for engineering consulting services primarily on the estimated service life of the

major Canal plant and equipment, also a factor in establishing rates of tolls. The present study by Ebasco Services

relates primarily to Canal traffic and

future trends. Considerable ground

work on the tolls study had been completed earlier by the Canal administration. The present study compares in scope with the one conducted prior to the opening of the Canal when rates were first established and the one con- ducted in the mid-1939's on which

present rates are based. The study of special interest to Canal

employees is one being conducted on

the 25 percent differential and fringe

ben?fits as directed by Congress at its

first session this year. This study is being conducted by

Booz, Allen and Hamilton, management consultant firm with headquarters in Chicago. A feature of this study,

and only one of many phases, was a questionnaire to all U. S. -citizen employees on living and working conditions, the family or individual budget,

and other similar topics.

Reports of both groups are to be made by December in time for consideration by the Board of Directors

before presentation to Congress.

EDWARD A. BACON, third from left, looks over Miraflores Locks with a group of Canal officials. Mr. Bacon, Special Consultant to the Secretary of the Army, visited the Canal Zone early last month and

attended Company-Government budget hearings with two members of the Board of Directors.

Left to right: Lt. Col. David S. Parker, Military Assistant to the Governor; Col. H. 0. Paxson, Acting Governor; Mr. Bacon; and Capt. Frank Munroe, Marine Director.

The first group of houses in the new

development at Corozal are scheduled

to be turned over to the Housing Divi- sion for assignment about November 1. The houses in the first group, now

nearing completion, are located opposite the boundary of the post of Corozal

and include some masonry and some

composite types.

The last of the new quarters at Margarita were accepted by the Housing

Division late last month, a few days

after the last of the Empire Street houses was transferred by the con tractor. Landscaping and other work at Empire Street has also been completed.

Although one football game has already been held, the Canal Zone football season

gets under way formally tonight when the annual Football Jamboree is held at Mount

Hope Stadium. Playing tonight will be the

four teams in the Canal Zone League:

Junior College, Balboa and Cristobal High

Schools, and the Athletic Club.

Including last week's game and tonight's

Jamboree, 12 games are scheduled for this season. All will be local games and with one exception will be played at night. For

the first time in several years Canal Zone

teams will not play Florida high school teams, either here or in Florida. The schedule, including tonight's Jamboree follows:

Oct. 2, 7 p. m., Jamboree, Mount Hope

Oct. 9, 7 p. m., BHS vs CHS, Mount Hope

Oct. 10, 7 p. in., AC vs JC, Balboa

Oct. 16, 7 p. in., JC vs CHS, Balboa

Oct. 23, 7 p. m., JC vs BHS, Balboa

Oct. 24, 7 p. m., CHS vs AC, Mount Hope

Oct. 30, 7 p. m., CHS vs BHS, Balboa Nov. 5, 7 p. m., AC vs BHS, Balboa Nov. 6, 7 p. m., JC vs CHS, Mount Hope

Nov. 11, 4 p. m., AC vs CHS, Mount Hope

Nov. 13, 7 p. m., BHS vs JC, Balboa

Over 11,000 students are enrolled in the Canal Zone schools this year, an all-time high for school attendance. On September 18, the total enrollment was 11,015; of this number 6,505 were in the white and 4,510 in the colored schools. This was an increase of 543 since the schools opened; additional enrollments, particularly

in the white schools, are expected as some

school children are still returning from summer vacations in the ITnited States. In the white schools enrollment was

especially heavy in the first and second

grades. On opening day there were 948

first grade pupils, 159 more than on opening

day last year. Enrollment in the secondary schools is also up. Balboa High School, on September

18, had a record student body of 773 stu- dents; last January the student body

totalled 751. Other figures: Cristobal High

School, 313 students on September 18, compared to 289 last January; Balboa Junior High School, 476 students on September 18, compared to 448 last January; Cristobal Junior High School, 203 on September 18, and 178 last January.

A final inspection was made late

last month of the newly-completed

Goethals Memorial at the foot of Administration Building Hill in Balboa.

The landscaping is now finished and

water is flowing from the basins, which

represent the locks, into the reflecting

pool at the base of the monument.

Plans for the dedication ceremony

have not yet been finished and the date on which it will be held is not definite. A special round-trip rate of $120 will be

given on the Panama Line for employees of the "Goethals Era" and their wives who wish to attend the dedication.

The special offer will apply on only one southbound sailing, the date of which will be announced as soon as the

date of the dedication is known. Return

passage must be taken not later than two sailings after arrival in the Canal

Zone.
THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 2, 1953

Half Century Of Progress

For Republic Of Panama

Panama, lodestar of travel and trade

for four and a half centuries, will be at one of the crests of its history as it cele- brates on November 3 the 50th anniversary of its birth as an independent nation. Ample evidence exists of its remarkable

progress as a nation in the half century of

its existence in the social, economic, and

political fields. Its schools; its beautiful homes and apartment buildings; the modern, new El Panama Hotel; its expanding

system of public highways; its inter- national airport at Tocumen; the Colon

Free Zone; and the development of its

fertile land all tell a story of great

progress in the past five decades. Although one of the least spectacular,

perhaps the most significant marks of its progress today is the program of its leaders to expand the economic base of the nation by the intensive development

of its agriculture and its natural resources which would in turn lead to a growth in revenue-producing exports.

Time and again in the 450 years of its history the Isthmus of Panama has been

one of the richest spots on earth. Unfortunately, these periods have been more

than matched by years of economic

paucity. Its leaders today have inaugurated a program designed to free the country of these spasmodic peaks and

lows by providing a broad and stable base

for its economy.

Geographically Favorable

Panama, youngest of the American

nations, is geographically one of the most

avorably located. Both its size and loca- tion have greatly influenced its history

since the time of its early colonization

only a few years after the New World was

discovered. The Spanish conquerors used

the narrow strip of land as an easy pas- sageway from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and geographically it was suited as a base

of operations for the conquest of Central and South America.

Cup Of Gold

During the very earliest part of its history Panama experienced such a fantastic era of prosperity that it became

known as the "Cup of Gold." It was in this period that gold, silver, and other

precious cargo by the shipload was

brought from Peru and Central America

and transported overland to Portobelo

for reshipment to Spain. This golden era was broken by the decline of Spanish sea power and for decades the Isthmus

languished in economic doldrums.

The building of the Panama Railroad

in 1855, discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill

in California, and the rapid settlement of the west coast of the United States, combined in the middle of the last century to bring a temporary period of prosperity to Panama as the narrow isthmus was again

used as a pathway for travelers and

commerce. Hopes For Canal

Another wave of prosperity came for Panama with the French Canal construction during the 1880's. However, the

collapse of the company in 1889 meant

near economic ruin in Panama and for the next 15 years its economic and politi- cal fortunes were at a low ebb. During

this period the hopes of the people of Panama, then a State of the Republic of Colombia, alternately rose and fell during

the talk, rumor, and negotiation stage of continuing the construction of a canal. One of the gravest blows to Isthmian

hopes for a canal came in 1901 when the Isthmian Canal Commission recommended the Nicaraguan route. Before final action authorizing its construction, however, the French Canal Company offered to sell its rights and properties at Panama

for $40,000,000 and the tide of opinion

swung in favor of a Panama Canal. Authorization for its construction was

provided in the Spooner Act which was

signed into law in June 1902. Following

this the Hay-Herran Convention, written by two able diplomats of the United

States and Colombia, was signed in Washington January 22, 1903. The

treaty was ratified by the United States Senate two months later. Opposition

arose in the Colombian Senate and when

it adjourned on October 31 of that year, without ratifying the treaty, hopes for a Panama Canal faded. A Nation Is Born

Events moved swiftly during the next

three days and despite misgivings of many, Panama's patriotic leaders sparked

the successful revolt which resulted in the

birth of the Republic of Panama on November 3, 1903. The new Republic was formally recognized by the United

States three days later and a new treaty

providing for the construction of the Canal was signed November 18. It was

ratified by Panama on December 2 and

by the United States Senate on February

29, 1904. Thus a new nation was born. Thus

began a long period of international relaAN AERIAL VIEW of Panama City as it looks today. At the time Panama became a nation on November 3, 1903, the popu'ation

of the city was only about 18,000 and only the small peninsula was occupied.
October 2, 1953 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

THE HOTEL EL PANAMA is one of the finest in the western hemisphere. The new and modern buildings

of Panama University can be seen at the right in this aerial view of Panama's new hotel.

tionship, singular in all history, in which

one of the world's larger nations and one

of its smallest conducted their mutual

affairs on a plane of equality and amity. Panama's declaration of independence came at a time in its history when the economy of the Isthmus was at an all- time low and long neglect of its public

welfare had brought impoverishment and

despair to its people.

Few prophets would have been so bold then as to have forecast the rapid development which has been made by the nation

during the first half century of existence and the phenomenal growth of its two

major cities, Panama and Colon.

In 1903 the city of Panama had an

estimated population of 18,000 and Colon was a straggling coast town of 6,000

inhabitants. Today the population of the

nation's capital is nearing the 200,000

mark and nearly equals that of the entire country 50 years ago. Both Panama and

Colon today are modern and flourishing

cities with municipal facilities and improvements expected in any metropolis

of the twentieth century.

Highway Construction

The progressive spirit which has marked the advancement of Panama City

and Colon is indicative of a general

growth and development of the nation as a whole. The development of the interior provinces has been less spectacular, being

hampered principally by a lack of roads

to the rich farming areas. This deficiency

is now recognized; the Ministry of Public

Works is aggressively pushing highway

construction in various parts of the Republic. Today there are more than

1,000 miles of public roads in the Republic. As this network spreads it will pro- vide transportation facilities to hitherto

isolated areas in potentially rich agri- cultural lands. Largely by reason of its geographic

location, the Isthmus of Panama, since

its settlement, has been characteristically a trading area. While favorable in many

aspects, this factor has undoubtedly

detracted attention from the development

of the nation's agriculture and manufacturing possibilities. Today Panama produces all the rice, corn, coffee, and sugar required for its

own population. In addition, the past

fiscal year saw, for the first time, substantially all of the sugar and beef require- ments of the Canal Zone Commissaries

bought from the farms and cattle-raising areas of the Republic.

Point Four Program

Added impetus has been given to the

agricultural program in the past few years by the Point Four program. The pro- gram is jointly administered by the Government of Panama and the Institute

of Inter-American Affairs, official Point Four agency for Latin America. It covers

four major fields— education, agriculture,

public health, and civil aviation. The Republic's manufacturing industries have heretofore been slow in develop- ment. Hampering factors have been the

lack of certain raw materials, a population

too small for volume production without

export, and a scarcity of locally invested

capital. Nevertheless, this phase of the

nation's economic life is now developing more rapidly and manufacturing units are now producing a variety of products. An

outstanding development of industry is the manufacture of cement which is now

available in sufficient quantity to meet

not only all demands in Panama and the Canal Zone, but also a sizable volume

for export.

Another source of great economic

wealth in Panama, which is still to be

developed, is thousands of square miles of

virgin forests. These contain an abundance of cabinet, dye, and building woods.

The exploitation of this great natural

resource has also been hampered by a

lack of roads.

Public Schools

One of the most noteworthy features of Panama's national growth has been its public schools system. The provision for compulsory primary education at the

nation's expense was provided in the Constitution written at the birth of the Republic. The following year the National

Assembly passed a law organizing public

instruction and since that time each

succeeding administration has effectively

advanced its development.

One of the crowning achievements of

its public education system was the estab- lishment in 1935 of the National University. Its modern buildings and class- rooms provide educational facilities for several thousand students and enhance

the beauty of Panama City's fast-growing

suburban area along the Boyd-Roosevelt

Highway.

Greatest Factor The greatest single factor in Panama's

economic life during the first half century

of its history has been the Panama Canal.

Its operation has provided employment

for many thousands. The income from

the thousands of tourists and visitors has meant prosperity for its merchants. And

the hundreds of millions of dollars which

have been spent on the construction,

operation, and defense of the waterway

have been a bulwark in the economic life of the Isthmus. However great the effect of the Canal

has been in the past 50 years, there is evidence of its diminishing influence in Panama's national economy. With the continued growth of the Republic and the development of its agriculture, natural

resources, and industries, independent of the Canal, there will be less and less dis- ruptions to the nation's economic life, clearly observable in the past by the rise or decline in the amount of money spent

by the United States Government in the Canal Zone. Panama's political and economic leaders have clearly foreseen this condition; their present program, when fully developed,

will bring to the Republic a sound econ- omy based on its own resources. »

MODERN AND OLD SPANISH architectural features are embodied in many of the lovely homes in Panama's suburban areas. This is a typical home on

52d Street. The entire area where this house is located has been developed since the Republic of Panama

was founded in 1903.

PANAMA'S SUBURBAN a-ea is studded with

beautiful homes and apartment buildings. Typical

of these is a home on Via Espana near the Hotel

El Panama. Visitors to Panama City are impressed by

the many signs of prosperity and progress.
10 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 2, 1953

Margarita Cat Fancier Prefers

Her Felines In Glass Or China

i

It,

BUTTONS, who lives with the Roger Orvises at Margarita, is just barely tolerant of his mistress's

collection of cats. The real cat in the background, borrowed from a neighbor "for photographic purposes,

is even more disdainful. What's the use of a cat that doesn't smell like a cat, much less act like one? When Frances Orvis was a little girl she was crazy about cats. Cats were crazy about her, too. The only drawback was that Fran's

father didn't share her enthusiasm and

objected to her keeping the cats which all too frequently "just happened" to follow her home.

Fran— now Mrs. Roger A. Orvis of Margarita, works in the main office of the

Printing Plant at Mt Hope. She was in her senior year of high school when she came to the Canal Zone with her father, Maj. James E. Smith of the Army

Quartermaster Corps.

Isthmian cats had the same attraction

for her, and she for them, but it wasn't

until some years later-that she found a way to satisfy her yearning for feline companionship.

Collectors and Collectors

In 1939 she went to San Antonio, Tex.,

to visit her father, who at this time was

enjoying retired life in the "Lone Star"

State. She found that everyone she met

was collecting something. She was

exposed to collections which ranged from

matchbook covers, playing cards, and

restaurant menus to after-dinner coffee cups and fine milk glass. She had never been a hobbyist herself but the collections she saw gave her an

idea: Now was the time she could

collect cats. Her first acquisition was a tiny, blue, purse-size cat. Now, 14 years later, her

collection numbers well over 200. Cats

of all sizes, colors, postures, expression,

and origin fill the shelf—called by her

friends a catwalk—which runs across one wall of the living room of the Orvis

home.

Some of them have been sent to her by

her sons, James E. and Robert G., when

their travels took them to distant places.

Jimmy found one in Australia with the same whimsical expression of Alice's Cheshire cat. When Bobby was only seven years old he returned by plane, alone, from the

States. The plane landed in Costa Rica

for an overnight stop. Its crew took

Bobby to the movies in San Jose. On

the way back to their hotel Bobby saw some porcelain cats in a shop window and

bought a pair for his mother. From All Over

Friends who know of her hobby have

added to her collection from time to time and now Mrs. Orvis has ceramic,

glass, or porcelain cats from many parts

of the United States, Canada, and

Europe.

Jimmy Orvis is now a jet pilot and the younger son has enlisted in the Navy;

Mrs. Orvis expects that presently more

cats will begin arriving from the places

they visit. The biggest cat in the collection is a ceramic calico cat—a pitcher. Several years ago Mrs. Orvis had two "floor model" cats but their mortality rate was

high and they were not replaced after they were broken. Mrs. Orvis' smallest item is the little one-inch tall blue glass cat with which

she started her collection. Sometimes, Mrs. Orvis recalls, col- lecting leads to amusing incidents. Not a "Pesufia"

In 1947 the Orvises were in Boston.

In the window of a florist shop they saw a fine ceramic cat. They stopped

to ask if it were for sale. "It was," Mrs. Orvis says, "and we

bought it and seven others, too. The

florist, who apparently hadn't expected

us to make such a wholesale purchase, went to the refrigerator and brought me

out a small corsage. "Without thinking, and remembering

that in Panama appreciative shopkeepers

often give their customers a small extra

gift, I said, 'Oh, a pesufia!'

"The New Englander tried to hide a

smile as he corrected me. 'No madam,'

he said, 'it's a gardenia.'

"

Formation Of Local-Rate Civic Councils,

Hospital Insurance Group Progressing

Committee Coordinating Insurance Group Formation

Organization Of Councils Will Be Completed Soon

Organization of civic councils in local-rate communities in the Canal

Zone, similar to the groups in the U. S.- rate towns, is progressing enthusiastically by the local-rate groups, Norman

Johnson, Employee and Labor Relations

Officer told The Panama Canal Review.

A committee of five persons has been

coordinating information on the efforts of groups in each community who are organizing the local councils. This

committee is made up of the following: A. W. Crooks of La Boca; Harold

W. Williams of Rainbow City; Mrs.

Hilda Butcher of Santa Cruz; Ernest Williams of Paraiso-Red Tank; and

Z. S. Williams of Gatun.

On September 21, 50 residents of the Paraiso-Red Tank area held an organizing meeting in the Paraiso Playshed.

Ellis Fawcett, principal of the Paraiso

school, is chairman of this group. Another meeting, also open to the

public, will be held the evening of October 5 at the Paraiso Playshed.

Plans are also being made in Rainbow

City for a civic council and a pre- liminary meeting has also been held

in La Boca.

Considerable progress is being made

toward a hospitalization insurance plan

for local-rate employees, according to A. E. Osborne, chairman of an 11 -man

steering committee which is working

out the plan.

The committee was formed following

a meeting held late in August between

civic leaders from local-rate communities and Norman Johnson, Employee

and Labor Relations Officer from the Personnel Bureau.

Mr. Osborne said the group is tentatively selecting an insurance company

to deal with the local-rate group. The

next task to be considered by the committee is the formal organization of an

association which would act as inter- mediary between the Company-Government and the insurance company.

It would receive payroll deductions for the insurance and turn them over to the insuring company.

The committee has chosen the name,

Non-U. S. -Citizen Employees Hospital Insurance Association.

William Arthur is chairman of a committee which is charged with drawing

up a constitution for this^association.
October 2, 1953 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 11

OUR OUT-OF-DOORS

Orchids belong to the family Orchi- daceae. Some are gorgeously colored, some dull, some curiously speckled and striped.

Some look like groups of gay butterflies as the clusters flutter in the breeze and some resemble curious moths.

One species, Peristina elata, was likened by its early Spanish discoverers to the Holy Dove which descended at Christ's Baptism. It is the national flower of Panama and blossoms each year in August and September.

Out of over 30,000 different species of orchids scattered throughout temperate

and tropical regions of the world about

300 species are found growing wild in Panama. Many others have been intro- duced into this region and are now grown

by many orchid lovers.

A DOVE, with outspread wings, bows his head in the cup of the waxy-white Holy Ghost orchid. The

blossom measures about 1^4 inches in diameter.

The most common of these are the two "baby" orchids, Vanda Miss Joaquin

(Vanda hybrid) and Bamboo (Arundina

bambusifolia). These are both terrestrial (growing in the ground) orchids and unlike many orchid species may be expected to flower throughout the year with a minimum of care. The Vanda Miss Joaquin is a hybrid or

cross developed in the Malay region

almost 100 years ago by crossing Vanda

teres and Vanda Hookeriana. The first parent came from Burma and had a

flowering period from May through September while the other parent was found

in Borneo and flowered only in Sep- tember. The resulting hybrid produces

many purple or rose-colored flowers on

long racemes throughout the year. The

first cuttings of Vanda Miss Joaquin were brought to the Isthmus from Hawaii

between 1930 and 1934. The Bamboo orchids are native to Java and Sumatra and were first brought to the Canal Zone in 1936 from Hawaii. They

derived their name from the superficial

resemblance of the plants to those of the young bamboo.

The attractive pale purple flowers with a yellow lip are borne in terminal racemes,

the flowers opening succesively as the racemes elongate. The individual blooms

remain fresh for about five days. Both

the Vanda and Bamboo orchid flowers

are made into corsages; Bamboo orchid

corsages are considered the more beautiful by some people but Vanda corsages

last longer.

Heigh-ho! Come to the fair! is the theme

of this month's Commissary news. What fair? Why, the toy fair, of course! Santa Claus is presenting a preview of his Christmas specialties next Friday October 9, 3 to 5:30 p. m., and 7 to 9 p. m., at the Atlantic side toy center in the building just beyond

Cristobal Clubhouse shoe repair shop, on Tobago Street and behind the Camp Bierd Clubhouse; and at the Pacific side toy center which is in the old Mechanical Division cafeteria building opposite the Roosevelt Avenue stone quarry.

Santa Claus and his deputies will be at the advance toy displays in the afternoon

only, to listen to the wishes of the youngsters.

For the local-rate trade, the toy preview

will be held at Camp Bierd and Rainbow

City Commissaries on the Atlantic side, 3 to 5:30 p. m., with Santa's deputies at both

stores,- on the Pacific side the preview will be at the Tivoli and La Boca Commissaries,

3 to 5:30 p. m. Some of the toys calculated to keep very young children amused are "voice" tele- phones which ring when the dial is revolved and from which a voice is heard when the re- ceiver is inverted. Other musical playthings are a Noah's

ark which tunefully rides up and down

on the waves when pulled by a string, a gay

circus clown turning cartwheels, a chiming

stroller which holds a doll or teddy bear,

the perennially popular rocking-horse and

bronco rider. Mother's little helper will be delighted

with the musical carpet sweeper which

works as she plays—actually sweeping as

it sounds musical notes. "Timmie Turtle" makes friends fast with

toddlers as he pokes along, with legs swinging back and forth and tail wagging

to the tune coming from under the high- impact shell on his back. Other musical items are wagons, trains,

fire engines, space planes, helicopters, and

racing boats. A set of educational blocks will promote

coordination of mind and muscles for the pre-school child.

"Little mothers" will exclaim over the wide

assortment of dolls. They will want to cuddle and dress them, feed and scold them, take

33

ith hinged oven

nks.

them for a stroll and put them to sleep.

There are dolls that walk, dolls that talk, dolls with hair thct can be washed and waved, combed

and curled, there are baby dolls, bride dolls, characterdolls, and dolls of all nations. For the do 1 1 - house there are cradles, bassinets, play

pens, double-deck

beds, tea tables, stoves doors, refrigeratois that open; kitchen

dishes—with food cut-outs, cooking utensils, washing machines, irons, ironing boards,

clothespins, clotheslines, and sewing machines. To strengthen growing bodies there are

velocipedes, bicycles, and many kinds of sports equipment as well as archery sets and dart games

which have not only the conventional

bulls eye as target, but big game such as bearsand lions, with special scores for

hitting the vital

spots. To keep the mind

alert there are all sorts of games of skill and

puzzles which stimulate concentration and

develop patience. Among these is Parcheesi, which has been a favorite for 85 years, and

such new ones as Huggin' the Rail —an auto

race game; Boondoggle—the game of comic

elections; Straight Arrow—a cowboy and

Indian game, MacDonald's Farm; Cargoes

a travel game,- and Mr. Ree—the game of mystery which answers the question: 'Who

killed Aunt Cora?"

For rainy days there are the ever-popula- anagrams, backgammon, chess, checkers, dom

inoes, card games,

and jigsaw puzzles. Among the educational and artistic items are painting

sets, crayons, modeling clay, printing and

rubber stamp outfits, make-your-own

jewelry, embroidery

kits, bead stringing, and even seeds for a garden.

Mechanically-minded youngsters will en-

|oy tool chests, electric trains, miniature

trucks, vans, grain haulers, steel carriers, wrecker trucks, steam shovels, tractors, and

cranes. Cowboys can be outfitted with many vari- eties of pistols and holsters. No boy will be

able to resist the sensational gun that fires six streams of water simultaneously! Newest and most spectacular toy is the

flying saucer which, when ejected from a

gun-like instrument,

sails silently through

the air to a mysteri- ous landing. These are just a few of the innumer- able varieties of exciting toys to add to the delight of the Canal Zone's thou- sands of children.

Electronics Firm To Send Consultants To Study Canal Navigation Problems

(.Continued from page 1) work constantly

maintaining the bottom of the Canal.

Plans to overcome the problem of lowvisibility navigation have been under

study here for some time. They are part

of an overall plan to speed up traffic through the Canal and thereby increase the

ship-handling capacity of the waterway.

The need for some corrective measures

for the low-visibility problem was evident

in mid-September when a heavy fog blanketed the Pacific side of the Canal

for several hours and delayed traffic. The

first north-bound ship that day did not

enter Miraflores Locks until 8:10 a. m., an hour behind schedule, and harbor

traffic was also disrupted.
12 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 2, 1953

ACTUAL WORK WILL BEGIN SOON TO INCREASE

DEPENDABLE CAPACITY OF THE PANAMA CANAL

agel) to be repaired

or overhauled;

.'. Modification of the sidewalls to per- mit the main sidewaU culverts and valves

to be overhauled without emptying the

locks;

3. Provision of passing stations in Gaillard Cut at which ships of all categories could meet or pass other vessels; and

4. Installation of all-weather navigation equipment which would permit unin- terrupted operations during periods of low visibility in Gaillard Cut. When Phase II of the plan is completed, it is estimated that the dependable

capacity of the Canal will be substantially

increased from the 29 lockages achieved

under overhaul conditions by the completion of Phase I. The proposed improvements will not, however, increase the limiting factor of the locks on the

size of ships which can transit.

Time Schedules

Traffic through the Panama Canal for the past year has been at a level almost

equal to the dependable capacity during overhaul periods under the present operating and overhaul conditions. For this reason the completion of the modification

of Gatun Locks under Phase I is scheduled

to be completed before the next overhaul

there in 1956. The time schedule calls for the completion of the work under Phase I at Gatun by 1956, and that at Pedro Miguel

and Miraflores Locks by 1958 when the next overhaul of the Pacific Locks is scheduled. Double Culvert Operation

To understand what is to be done

under Phase I, it is necessary to know

how the locks are filled and emptied.

Water is fed into or emptied from the

lock chambers by three 18-foot tunnels'

or main culverts, under the center and

two side walls. The flow of water into or out of the center wall culvert through

smaller culverts running laterally under

the floor of the lock chambers is controlled by huge cylindrical valves. Lateral

culverts from both the center wall and

side wall connect with each lock chamber

and each has five openings, five feet in diameter, in the lock floors. Under normal operations the locks are

filled or emptied by opening the valves in both the center and side walls. This is called double-culvert operation. With

double-culvert operation the locks can be

filled or emptied almost twice as fast as by

single-culvert operation and represents a

difference of about six ship transits a day.

Under present overhaul procedures, it

is necessary to have the center wall culvert empty when it or either side of the locks is under overhaul. In addition, the parts of the cylindrical valves which

are removed for repair must be taken out

of side openings between the main culvert and adjoining chamber. At present these openings are sealed off by bulkheads on

the side of the watered chambers during

overhaul operations. There are small

CENTER WALL CULVERT OUT OF SERVICE FOR OVERHAUL

' GIGANTIC TUNNELS, 18 feet in diameter, from the center and side walls

of the Canal locks feed or empty the lock chambers. This drawing shows how

the tunnel and cylindrical vaives of the center wall may be overhauled with

both chambers in service by plugging the openings from the center wall culvert

in the floor of the lock chambers. The shaded portions indicate the flow of water from the big sidewall culverts into the lock chambers.

ONE CHAMBER OUT OF SERVICE FOR OVERHAUL

SIX MINUTES IS SAVED by filling or emptying a lock chamber if both main culverts can be used. This sketch shows how this can be done with one

lock chamber empty. Under the proposed plan the cylindrical valves can be removed for overhaul or repair without emptying either chamber. This will

permit the valves to be used to close off the flow of water into or out of the

lock chamber under overhaul. Under existing overhaul conditions it is neces- sary to empty the center wall culvert while either of the lock chambers is under

overhaul.
October 2, 1953 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 13

access shafts from the top of the walls to the center wall culvert, but they are not

large enough to lift out some of the valve

parts, one of which is about three and a

half by eight feet in size. Metal Plugs

It is planned to correct these operational procedures during overhaul by

temporarily plugging the holes in the lock

floors fed by the lateral culverts from the csnter wall, and by enlarging the access

shafts to the cylindrical valves to permit

all parts to be removed.

The holes on the lateral culverts from

the center wall will be plugged by cast metal plugs five and a half feet in diam-

/T^

THIS CROSS SECTION of the center wall of the

locks shows how the present narrow opening to the

cylindrical valve3 will be enlarged so that all parts of the valve can be removed for overhaul. At present

the parts are removed from the side openings shown

in the above sketch.

eter. A total of 300 will be needed at Gatun. With these in place, the inflow of water back into the main culvert will be blocked. This will permit the culvert to be emptied

for overhaul and the cylindrical valve

parts to be removed for repair. The

accompanying charts show in detail how

this arrangement will be achieved. This plan will not require the emptying

of the water from either of the adjacent

lock chambers although both sides of the

locks will have single-culvert operation

while the center wall culvert is empty.

Will Speed Handling

The ability to remove the cylindrical valves when both chambers are in use

will have the additional effect of per- mitting double-culvert operation on a lock

in use while the opposite chamber is empty for overhaul. This will greatly

speed up the handling of ships in the locks

since a chamber can be filled about six minutes faster with double culvert operation, a savings of 18 minutes on each

transit through the three locks at Gatun. The accompanying chart shows how

double-culvert operation will be possible

under the new plan. It shows a cylindrical valve in a closed position on the side

of the locks which is empty and in the open position on the opposite side. It is planned to have the cast plugs

manufactured in the Company's Industrial Division shops. A total of 310 plugs

are to be manufactured of which 10 will be available as spares. Refitted Barge

In addition to the manufacture of the

plugs, a special barge will be required for placing and removing the plugs. One of the Canal barges now in use will be

refitted for this purpose with a mounted

crane. Also, additional pumping equipment will be required for unwatering the

center wall main culvert. A sump is provided at the lower end of each center wall main culvert and a deepwell turbine pump is available for emptying the culvert. However, an additional pump will be installed to provide for faster unwatering of the culvert and a greater degree of dependability in operations. Some modifications will be required

in the sumps to accomodate the additional pumping capacity.

An improved system of ventilation will be required in the main culvert since the

side openings to the cylindrical valves will be closed with both chambers in operation. The new ventilation system will consist of large blowers to force fresh air into the culvert through the inspection

shaft at one end and letting it escape through the access shaft at the other end.

Bids Are Advertised

For Gatun, Diablo Houses

This year's quarters construction

program has been inaugurated by the advertisement of bids for 42 houses in Diablo Heights and Gatun, all but three

of which will be Type 336 buildings.

Two separate contracts are being

offered but bids for both will be opened

October 27th. Nine new houses, to be offered in one

contract, will be built this year at Gatun on the east side of Laurel Street and Halcon Place opposite those built

in the 1952 fiscal year program. Six of these will be Type 336 and three will be

single-family houses, Type 333. Type 336 is a two-story masonry

building with two apartments each. The apartments have three bedrooms

located on the second floor while the

ground floor is devoted to living space. This is a new type of quarters developed

in the 1953 fiscal year program. Nineteen of the new houses are being built

at Corozal this year. The Type 333 houses are three-bed- room masonry buildings with a folding

partition dividing a large bedroom and

making it adaptable for a two-bedroom

or three-bedroom house. Several houses

of this type were included in last year's

building program.

The AS Diablo Heights houses are to be located on sites made available by

the demolition of the 12-family apartment buildings there. The construction

program there involves a considerable

realignment of streets, including the

building of a long extension of Sibert

Street.

Cunas Visit Zonians; Zonians Visit Cunas

As Isthmian Good Neighbors Swap Calls

(Continved from page S) was for a long

time synonymous with "father-in-law." Boundaries Marked

The boundaries of the Indian territory are marked by concrete posts on either bank of the Bayano River. Originally erected during the 1920's, the markers

were replaced about three years ago. On

all trips into this territory, the two men

are accompanied by a Cuna, who acts as

their guide and sponsor. The two Zonians travel by dugout

canoe, powered by outboard motor, and

carry their own food. Rice, pancake

flour, canned beef for stews, potatoes,

onions, and carrots are their staples.

Their Indian hosts eat their concoctions with appreciation and provide eggs, plantains, and fruit in return. They sleep in the Cuna cane-sided,

one-story communal houses, where they

hang their jungle hammocks alongside the simple handwoven hammocks of their

hosts. Unlike the Cuna Indians of the San

Bias, the Bayano people are camera-shy.

Their women cannot be bribed by gifts or money into posing for pictures. Their

antipathy to cameras seems less due to

superstition than to a highly developed

feeling for personal privacy.

No Difficulties Since they are careful to observe all Cuna proprieties, the two Zonians have

encountered no difficulty on their trips

with the exception of some encounters

with the aging chief at Iconti whose

attitude is often not cooperative. Mr. Stevens and Mr. Doyle have now

been accepted by the Indians; proof of

this is the fact that they recently were

given Cuna permission to make a trip

which, as far as they know, has not often been done by Americans. This will be a

300- to 350-mile jaunt up the Bayano

and across to the Cuna country on the Chucunaque River, returning to the

Pacific coast at El Real.

In the meantime a handful of Cuna

Indians are learning how their Canal Zone neighbors live. And two Canal Zone men are finding out as much as they can about the day-by-day life of the sturdy little men and women of the Bayano River country.

New Housing Assignment Policy Outlined

Highlights of the new housing assignment policy, which goes into

effect October 15, are outlined briefly below:

Housing vacancies will be publicized each week on prominently

located bulletin boards. Quarters remaining unassigned after three

successive weeks will not be advertised further. Employees interested in any of the listed vacancies in their work districts will file applications with the Housing Manager of that district, listing apartments in order of preference.

Assignments will be made weekly, for quarters advertised during

the week just closed, on the basis of service seniority and family size, when applicable. Employees have two full working days to accept an

assignment. Quarters not accepted within the prescribed time will be

assigned to the next senior eligible employee, who has applied for the

specific quarters.

An employee who receives an assignment to a vacancy in the current

bulletin will be ineligible for further assignment to quarters listed on

that bulletin. An employee who accepts an assignment may not file an

application for other vacancies until after he has occupied the quarters

assigned. An employee who accepts and then subsequently cancels his assignment, may not file a new application for two weeks from date

of cancellation. An employee who does not accept an assignment may file an application for quarters listed in subsequent bulletins without time penalty.

Applications for vacancies on previous bulletins will "be considered canceled on acceptance of any assignment.
14 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW October 2, 1953

ANNIVERSARIES PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS

Employees who observed important anni-

\ LTs.iries during the month of September are

listed alpli.iliriir.ill> below. The number of years includes all Government service, with

Hi.il or other agencies. Those with continuous service with the Canal are

indicated with (*).

4J YEARS

*George N. Engelke, Assistant General

: lommissary Division.

35 YEARS

Frank L. Cunningham, General Fore- man, Electrical I >ivision. Charles H. Fairbrother, Layerout Machinist, Industrial Bureau. Thomas H. Kelley, Chief, Administrative Section, Industrial Bureau. John G. McCoy, Salary and Wage

Analyst, Personnel Bureau. Kenneth F. Zipperer, Principal Review

Clerk. Posts.

30 YEARS

James D. Dunaway, Postal Clerk,

Posts. Andrew A. Whitlock, Plant Engineer,

Industrial Bureau.

25 YEARS

William B. Allen, Supply Requirements

Assistant, Storehouses. *Owen J. Corrigan, Anglesmith, Heavy

Fire, Industrial Bureau. Herbert O. Engelke, Painter Leading- man, Special, Industrial Bureau. Ruth U. Rickarby, Clerk, Balboa

Customs. Katherine M. Swain, District Nurse,

I lealth Bureau.

20 YEARS

Earl F. Bienz, Lock Operator (Machinist), Locks Division. Robert C. Carter, Lock Operator

(Steam Engineer), Locks Division. Leslie B. Clark, Dockmaster, Industrial Bureau. Ernest L. Cotton, Lieutenant, Fire

I )iv ision. Harry C. Egolf, Assistant Housing

Manager, Cristobal. *Sigurd E. Esser, Superintendent,

Schools Division. Edward B. Frampton, Rigger, Industrial Bureau. Vendrize E. Foster, Ferry Ramp Operator, Dredging Division. Dorothy M. Hall, Clerk-Stenographer,

Dredging Division. *Bess M. Liter, High School Teacher,

Cristobal High School. Russell C. Meissner, Control House

Operator, Locks Division. Henri E. Moehrke, Engineer, Steam,

Floating Crane, Dredging Division. *Dorothy B. Moody, Junior College

Instructor, Canal Zone Junior College. Carl H. Starke, Boilermaker, Heavy

Anglesmith and Diver, Industrial Bureau.

15 YEARS

Carl J. Browne, Chief, Southern I >istrict, Maintenance Division. *Harry A. Dockery, Storekeeper, (Shipping), Commissary Division. Marguerite Flynn, Time, Leave, and

Payroll Clerk, Payroll Branch. Bruce W. Glaze, Investigator, Comptroller's Office. Laurel L. Highley, Pipefitter, Industrial Bureau. Volkert F. Jacobs, Pilot, Navigation

I >iv ision. Oswald E. Jorstad, High School Teacher, Cristobal High School. Norman McLaren, Lock Operator (Machinist), Locks Division. Lindsley H. Noble, Comptroller, Panama Canal Company.

Theodore W. Schmidt, Operator-Fore- man Electrician, Electrical Division. Douglas Shelton, Car Inspector, Rail- road I division. James A. Yates, Chief, 1 . S. -Rate Employment Branch, Personnel Bureau.

August 15 through September 15

Employees who were promoted or trans- ferred between August 15 and September 15 are listed below. Regradings and within- grade promotions are not listed. ADMINISTRATIVE BRANCH

Glenn R. McNall, from Ferry Ramp

Operator, Dredging Division, to File Clerk, Record Section. Mrs. Mildred L. Abreau, from Library

Assistant, Library Section, to File Clerk, Record Branch. CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU

Nolan H. Spencer, Max J. Karton,

from Guard, Pacific Locks, to Postal Clerk. John F. Martin, from Clerk Typist,

Pacific Locks, to Postal Clerk. Mrs. Ethel L. Garfield, Mrs. Martha

B. White, Mrs. Mary Conklin, Mrs.

Evelyn H. Taylor, from Substitute Teacher

to Kindergarten Assistant, Schools Division. Mary A. Siegel, Student Assistant, from Gorgas Hospital to Library Section. William G. Hoelzle, from Policeman to Motorcycle Officer. Mrs. Henrietta C. Cheek, Mrs. Geneva

Stockham, Mrs. Harriet K. Serger, Mrs. Vera G. Irving, Mrs. Sarah E. Flowers, Mrs. Vera C. Phillips, from Substitute Teacher to Elementary School Teacher,

Schools Division. Mrs. Gladys S. Lee, Mrs. Alfhild Maedl, from Substitute Teacher to High

School Teacher, Schools Division. Ethel V. Ferguson, from Elementary

OCTOBER SAILINGS

From Cristobal Ancon October 2 Panama October 9

Cristobal October 16 Ancon] October 24 Panama October 30 From New York

Cristobal October 6 A neon* October 1

5

Panama October 20

Cristobal October 27

tLeaves Cristobal Saturday. Arrives New York

Friday. *Leaves New York Thursday because of holiday. (Northbound the ships are in Haiti from 7 a. m. to noon Sunday; southbound the Haiti stop is Saturday from 7 a. m. to 4 p. m.)

RETIREMENTS IN

SEPTEMBER

Retirement certificates were presented

the end of September to the following

employees who are listed alphabetically,

together with their birthplaces, titles, length

of service, and future addresses: Harry E. Bissell, New York; Construction Engineer, Maintenance Division; 25

years, 9 months, 10 days; Hollywood, Calif. William Diez, New York; Lockmaster,

Pacific Locks; 30 years, 6 months, 5 days;

Fallbrook, Calif. Charles F. Fromal, Virginia; Lock

Operator Machinist Leader, Pacific Locks;

16 years, 10 months, 11 days; Newport

News, \"a. James McKeown, Panama; Assistant Foreman, Public Works, Maintenance Division; 35 years, 2 months, 24 days; Panama. Mrs. Jessie K. Maurer, Michigan;

Director of Nurses, Colon Hospital; 29

years, 4 months, 1 day; Canal Zone. Roger B. Morrow, Ohio; Architect,

Engineering Division; 17 years, 5 months,

23 days; Columbus, Ohio. Lewis Ryan, Rhode Island; Chief, Madden Hydro-Generating Station; 34

years, 10 months, 17 days; San Bernardino,

Calif. Merrill A. Stutzman, Pennsylvania;

Land Inspector, Community Services Bureau; 31 years, 3 months, 2 days; St. Petersburg, Fla.

School Teacher to Junior High School Teacher. Mary L. Stindt, from Elementary

School Teacher to High School Teacher. COMMUNITY SERVICES BUREAU

Mrs. Elizabeth F. Walsh, from Ac- counting Clerk to Governmental Accountant, Clubhouse Division. Mrs. Elizabeth S. Coleman, from

Clerk-Stenographer to Accounting Clerk, Clubhouse Division. Richard S. Brogie, from Policeman,

Police Division, to Supply Clerk, Housing

Division.OFFICE OF COMPTROLLER

Mrs. Marion E. Troup, from Retire- ment Clerk to Time, Leave, and Payroll

Clerk, Payroll Branch. Mrs. Anita H. McKeown, from Accounting Clerk, Agents Accounts Branch, to

File Clerk, Claims Branch. Mrs. Theresa G. Wright, Clerk-Stenographer, from Correspondence Section to Management Staff. John H. Walker, Accountant, from

Internal Audit Staff to Cost Accounts

Branch. Mrs. Frances P. Walker, from Clerk- Typist to Time, Leave, and Payroll Clerk, Payroll Branch. Albert R. Minor, from Accounting

Clerk, Claims Branch, to Cash Accounting

Clerk, Treasury Branch. Nathan Fleckner, Accounting Clerk, from Maintenance Division to Plant Inventory and Appraisal Staff. Charles W. Balser, from Cash Ac- counting Clerk, Maintenance Division, to Accounting Clerk, Plant Inventory and

Appraisal Staff. Mrs. Florence K. Redmond, ClerkTypist, from Division of Schools to Payroll Branch. Adrian R. Barber, from Clerk, Division

of Storehouses, to Accounting Clerk, Plant Inventory and Appraisal Staff. Mrs. Anne W. Johnston, from Student

Assistant, Comptroller's Office, to Typist,

Cash Accounts Branch. ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

BUREAU

Felipe K. Ben, Jr., from Engineering

Draftsman to Civil Engineer, Engineering

Division. Mrs. Judith A. Krogh, from Clerk- Stenographer to Clerk (typist), Electrical Division. James J. Morris, from Storekeeper,

Pacific Locks, to Supervisor Storekeeper,

Dredging Division. Alexander M. Parker, from Powerhouse

Operator to Senior Powerhouse Operator,

Electrical Division. Slaughter H. Sharpensteen, from

Ferry Ramp Operator to Pipeline Suction Dredge Foreman, Dredging Division. Rialto M. Christensen, from Engineer

to First Assistant Engineer, Pipeline Suction Dredge, Dredging Division. Mrs. Jean P. Hummel, from Clerk- Stenographer to Secretary, Office of Director. Arley A. Hill, Ewald A. Wiberg, Jr., from Radio Mechanic to Electronics Mechanic, Electrical Division. Herbert H. Tabert, from Chief Operator

to Master, Floating Crane, Dredging

Division. Manuel A. Smith, from Surveying and

Cartographic Engineer, Engineering Division, to Engineering Aid (Hydraulic), Meteorological and Hydrographic Branch. Mrs. Dorothy H. Benny, from Clerk- Stenographer, Fiscal Division, to Clerk

(typist) Engineering Division. OFFICE OF GENERAL COUNSEL

David J. Markun, from Attorney to Assistant General Counsel. MARINE BUREAU

William H. Brown, from Railroad Wheel Machinist, Railroad Division, to Machinist, Pacific Locks. Louis L. Seldon, Electrician, from Gorgas Hospital to Aids to Navigation Section. William J. McLaughlin, from Lock

Operator Leader Wireman, to Control House Operator, Atlantic Locks. Joseph J. Riley, from Lock Operator
October 2, 1953 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 15

Congressman Attends Employee

Conference At Balboa Heights

(Continued from page?) ships, must be extended to tariff passengers if this trade

is to be retained, he said. The cocktail parties given for tourists by Panama Line captains, objected to by

employees, will be held only when the

ships are carrying primarily tourist passengers. The matter of "sscond sittings" at meals was again discussed; employee

representatives appeared to feel that the system of staggered sittings was satisfac- tory but that dining room service was not. This will be discussed further with Mr.

Pfizer of the New York office. Housing Assignments

Henry L. Donovan, Community Services Director, was called into the confer- ence to explain details of the new housing

assignment policy, which, he said, was

designed to do away with the old compliMachinist to Lock Operator Wireman

Leader, Atlantic Locks. John H. Ward, from Control House

Supervisor to Electrical Supervisor, Gatun

Locks. Gust E. Rosene, from Lock Operator

Machinist, Atlantic Locks, to Machinist,

Industrial Division. Elmer J. Moolchan, from Apprentice

Welder to Electric Welder, Industrial

Division. Earl Cassell, from Electrical Supervisor

to Assistant Superintendent, Gatun Locks. Leo F. Donohue, from Pilot-in-Training

to Probationary Pilot. Abraham Felixson, from Guard to General Storekeeper, Pacific Locks. Jay L. Pittington, Wayne H. Robinson, from Policemen, Police Division, to Guard, Pacific Locks. Edward J. Friedrich, from Machinist Leadingman to Planner and Estimator,

Industrial Division. Vincent D. Ridge, from Shipwright to Shipwright Leader, Industrial Division. George W. Mullins, Jr., from Pumping

Plant Operator, Water and Laboratories Branch, to Lock Operator, Pacific Locks. Edward H. Womble, from Shipfitter, Industrial Bureau, to Lock Operator Shipfitter, Pacific Locks. Emile R. Carufel, from Construction Equipment Maintenance Mechanic, Maintenance Division, to Lock Operator (iron- worker-welder), Atlantic Locks. James L. Collins, Jr., Bernard J. McDonnell, from Policeman to Guard,

Atlantic Locks. PERSONNEL BUREAU

Mrs. Marie M. Herblin, from Clerk

(typist) to Personnel Clerk, Employment

and Utilization Division. Heliana G. Filos, from Student Assist- ant to Clerk Typist, Wage and Classification Division. RAILROAD AND TERMINALS BUREAU

LeRoy V. Nolan, Stuart M. Fisk, from

Policeman to Gauger and Cribtender Fore- man, Terminals Division. Frederick J. Wainio, from Accounting

Clerk to Supervisory Freight Traffic Officer, Terminals Division. John H. Leach, from Traffic Clerk to Supervisory Freight Traffic Officer, Terminals Division. SUPPLY AND SERVICE BUREAU

Mrs. Elenor D. Miller, from Clerk Typist to Cash Accounting Clerk, Motor

Transportation Division. Mrs. Anna E. Calvit, from Accounting

Clerk to Supervisory Accounting Clerk, Motor Transportation Division. Reed R. Mcllvaine, from Supervisory Steward to Supervisory Clerk, Hotel Tivoli. Mrs. Marian A. Steiner, from Clerk,

Electrical Division, to Clerk Typist, Division of Storehouses. Helen E. Chisholm, from Accounting

Clerk, Maintenance Division, to Supervisory Accounting Clerk, Motor Transportation Division. Mrs. Gladys E. Samples, from Commissary Assistant to Cash Accounting Clerk, Commissary Division. Mrs. Mary H. Foster, from Property

and Supply Clerk to Cash Accounting

Clerk, Division of Storehouses.

cated system, reduce the vacancy periods

and give each employee the best possible

opportunity to obtain the house he wants, commensurate with his length of service. Penalty clauses were explained and

after some discussion the policy was

accepted by the conferees; it will go into

effect October 15. Mr. Rice asked for a breakdown on the rent formula for Canal housing; he was

interested in the amount spent on maintenance, painting, etc., for quarters. This

question opened up a round-table talk on

quarters rental. Colonel Paxson said that

the rental formula had been given full and complete publicity at the time of the

rent hearings last fall and that he did not

consider it advisable to reopen the subject. It would not be practicable, he

cautioned, to give detailed figures for each house.School Questions

In answer to a question on furniture

for the new Margarita School, Colonel Paxson said that the furniture had been

shipped from the factory and would be put in the school as soon as it arrived. Sigurd Esser, Superintendent of the Schools Division, explained that all furni- ture in use at the Fort Kobbe school is furniture bought for that school; some

older furniture is stored in excess space

in the building.

He also explained that a cut in the

schools budget had curtailed some of the

extra-curricular activities like athletics, and that all available trained teachers had to be transferred to the elementary

and secondary schools to carry the heavy

student load. They have been replaced

by part-time locally-recruited qualified

kindergarten teachers. Other school problems discussed in- cluded the overcrowded condition of some

rooms at Pedro Miguel school, reported

by Mr. Hammond; the number of tuition

pupils; congestion at the Balboa Clubhouse cafeteria at the noon meal and

prices charged for milk at the cafeteria. In connection with the school cafeteria,

Colonel Paxson told the group of plans

for a cafeteria in the Balboa school group

within the next two or three years. Other matters raised included: Lamination into plastic cases of identification- purchase cards, at the employee's request,

for the next annual issue; a request that

a marquee be built on the Cristobal commissary to protect shoppers from the rain

;

a request for a guarantee on tires sold by

the Storehouses; and a request for grills over culvert openings near the new Margarita school. Attending the conference were the Acting Governor; Representative Allen; E. A. Doolan, Personnel Director; Mr.

Donovan; Mr. Esser; Norman Johnson,

Employee and Labor Relations Officer; and for the Civic Councils: Elmer Powell

for the General Committee of Civic Councils; Marion Goodin, Gamboa; Carl

Nix, Gatun; W. H. Esslinger, Pacific (Ancon, Balboa, Diablo Heights); Mr. Hammond from Pedro Miguel; and Mr.

Rice from Cristobal-Margarita.

Fire Prevention Is Year-Round Program For Canal Zone Force

(Continued from page 2) not accompanied

on his rounds by the Superintendent but

deals with the head of each section he

visits. He is especially interested in the

elevator and machine housings, and

makes sure that no one may have dropped

an oily rag into them.

Drug storage rooms, janitors' closets, and other storage spaces are also carefully checked, with an eye out for those

things which constitute fire hazards. At the hospital, as at all other places he inspects, Mr. Olsen checks all fire extinguishers to see that they are working

properly. He does not actually turn them

on, but knows a way to determine whether

they are in operating condition. After he completes the Gorgas Hospital

inspection he has finished a day's work

and returns to the station, where he still has "paper work" to do on his reports. BALBOA

STARTS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10th CRISTOBAL

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17th H

f\ Starring

Cj TONY CURTIS

II

as the fabulous Houdini . . . u

and D

JANET LEIGH

I N

as the girl whose courage matched his!

1 ~

1

COLOR BY TECHNICOLOR

I
16 THEiPANAMA CANAL REVIEW Odober2, 1953

—^5

W^C

IVERS nil 1262

TY

OF

0854 m^^^ll

COMMUNITY CHEST funds help

these people, and many more the [ISO's

for servicemen away from home; the Summer Recreation Program and the

Scouts, for the younger people of the Canal Zone; the Salvation Army, with

its helping hand for people who need

assistance. Then there are Corozal Hospital, with

its occupational-therapy program, and

the Civic Councils—Red Feather Agencies, too. All receive money from the Community Chest.

THIS YEAR'S DRIVE: Oct. 24 - Nov. 7

TARGET: $45,000