The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-02-19

OFT. third isolated hospital is also be-
ing prepared against the possibility OF
an outbreak of any infectious disease.
| On the second day we inspected the
huts inhabited by the coolies who We're
working on the canal. These are
ranged along the sand-covered road
way, which is now over half mile in
length. They are capable of indefinite
extension as additional accommodation
becomes necessary. The street is sixty
feet broad, and is kept scrupulously
clean. The atmosphere is untainted by
even the suspicion of bad smell; the
nuts on each side are strongly built of
mats or matched grass. They are thir~
ty clear feet apart. and are perfectly
dry, clean and weather-proof. Each
provides accommodation for about fifty
coolies, who are distributed by families.
Some few have brought with them a
COW, a goat, or other small belongings,
which are left in charge of the children
while the peasants are at work, but the
great majority are quite destitute. The
| arrangements generally resemble those
of a gypsy encampment, but they are
| far cleaner, and on a more gigantic
loSssAS' opiiiS LII &C ACSt away
from the nearest hut are series of
latrines, constructed on the dry earth
system. These-and, indeed, the entire
organization of the camp-have been
highly approved by the sanitary COM
missioner. Twenty-six attendants Of
| the Mehtar, or scavenger, class are on
constant duty.
| Leaving this section of the vast en-
campment, We next visited the canal
excavation works. These present a
most wonderful and interesting scene.
Viewing it from the top of the highest
soil heap, we saw an army of twenty
eight thousand laborers, all as busy as
ants, extending nearly mile each day.
They were divided into two hundred
and fifty gangs, in fifty of which the
workers Were told off by families. For
every man employed in digging three
other persons-generally women, young
misses and girls. or men unaccus-
toned to manual labor-were occupied
in carrying the excavated earth in fiat
baskets on their heads to the soil heaps.
Each gang was supervised by an over
| seer. Many of these, being headmen of
Ineighboring villages, act as honorary
officials, and the remainder are mostly
selected coolies.
! All the coolies receive twice a week as
a minimum wage a subsistence allow
ance in money, calculated on the cur
rent price of the cheapest sort of grain;
| the men who were unused to labor, as
we'll as the women and children, the in
| firm and aged, receive the same mini
mum allowance. The stronger and bet
ter workers, however, receive higher
rate Of pay There are in all four
classes, the lowest getting the mere
subsistence allowance, while each supe-
| rior class receives one pice per day
more than the one Immediately below.
Under that Punjaub system, test works
having been early established in all
parts of the country, the distressed
population has been Immediately provi-
ded with work, All have, therefore,
been cared for before signs Of weak
ness or cancellation set in. Those en-
ployed on the works all look healthy,
vigorous and cheerful. In some fami-
| lies l heard the younger children sing
| ing while their elders were at work,
while others We're playing at making
mud chupatties or biscuits. One child,
whom ] particularly noticed, had with
native ingenuity very cleverly modelled
three mud cows, hump, horns and all.
But for the timely establishment of the
relief works these children would prob
ably ere now have been starved and
emaciated, if not actually dying.
| Sunday here, as elsewhere, is a COM
plete holiday, but, though no work is
done, the subsistence wage is paid all
the same. On Wednesday, the mid
weekly payday, l saw many gangs re-
ceiving their wages. The mate, or
gangsman, shouted out the amount due
| to each coolie, cashiers at the same
time paying and checking the attend
ances. AT the registration quarters,
which we next visited, we found four
registrar clerks seated on two high
| bamboo platforms engaged in receiving
and enrolling newcomers, to each of
| whom they gave slip bearing his
name, caste and class, and the amount
of wages to be received. All are regis
tered in this way, whether able-bodied
| crippled, aged or infirm. and each is
also given the name of the gangsman
under whose orders he is to work.
Finally, we inspected the lines of the
helpless non-workers, to nearly six
hundred of whom gratuitous relief is
daily distributed. In the first line were
the blind men, in the second those who
are crippled or otherwise disabled, In
the third the blind and disabled women
in the fourth more of the same
class, together with the waif children
All these are specially cared for, The
men in this section are not allowed te
leave their quarters during the greater
part of the day. as they would other
wise be apt to receive a second mainte-
nance allowance by impersonating 9th.
ers on the working gangs. Lepers are
not permitted to remain in the camp
but are Immediately sent home.
minimum subsistence allowance is how
ever, sent to them every four days AL
classes here are already familiar with
the word Minimum" l heard severa
coolies use it, and they say they know
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