Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-09-03
KEEP AWAY FROM PANAMA
 SAYS MINISTER BARRETT
More Men Heading That Way Than There Are Posi- tions for-Those Who Go Are Warned That They Take Chances-They Should Have Enough Money On Hand to Pay Their Way Back.

the American minister to Panama, has made a special report to the state de- partment relative to the present and future conditions on the Isthmus as affected by the building of the Panama canal, which is intended to prevent sore disappointment on the part of ad- yenturous Americans attracted toward Panama by resumption of the vast cn- terprise. It is understood that the Panama commission is especially de sirous to secure the widest publicity for the warming sent out by MT Bar rett. The report in substance is as follows:
 First. No man seeking position as clerk, stenographer, typewriter, en- g1neer, foreman or any similar class of labor which the average American is willing St0 ~perform should come to the Isthnus in expectation of secur- Ing a position, unless he has made some previous arrangement for em- ployment, or has sufficient funds to pay his expenses in Panama and of return to the United States if he finds no opening. More men of this kind are now coming to Panama and Colon than there are positions to be filed. The cost of living is very high, prices having increased nearly 300 per cent in the last six months, and there is ] great shortage of cheap and wholesome lodging and board accommodations
 Second. While Panama and Colon, as well as towns in the zone and in the interior of Panama are sure to ex- peTdence a considerable measure of mt terial and industrial progress through the excavation of the canal, there are ont at present many opportunities for the establishment of new mercantile, business and professional firms. and there should not be an thrush of mer-, chants, business and professional men in the expectation of finding consid- era'ble and ready openings for estab- fishing themselves.
 Third. It is the consensus of opin- ion among members of the commission and others who have studded the situ- ation that both Americans in the United States and Panamans here have greatly exaggerated the increase of population which will result from the construction of the canal and of the number. of men who will be ern- ployed by the commission for the car rying on of the undertaking. Tnclud- ing those who wil be employed on the canal and others who will come the increase will be only about 9, ,000 peo- pie. This number, moreover, will not be coming here all at once, but grad- ually through period of years and as they may be required
 Fourth. There is not yet any real boom in Panama, in Colon or in the zone, but rents for houses, stores and offices have doubled and tripled dur ing the last few months and are now almost exorbitantly high. In fact, the Panama landlords are. some of them. so unreasonable in their charges that there is danger of their driving busi- ness fa'om Panama proper into a neigh boring zone.
 Fifth The disagreable and un- healthy features of the Panama cli- mate have been ridiculously over stated by those who have studied the situation sllpericially while passing across the Isthmus in transit, or who desire to create sensation. As mat ter of fact, there has not been during the months of July and August sln- gle uncomfortable night for sleeping, while the average days have not been hotter than those of New York and Washington. There has been hardly a single instance of serious illness among the cOnSluRruDle ullHNbSI uL young men who are here in the em- ployment of the canal while the per- centage of sickness among the larger grolrp of la'borers employed at Ctile- bra is not greater than that upon sim ilaa- excavation work in the United States. There has not been single. case of yellow fever for over month and there is less malaria than Is often found in sections of the United States where there is considerable turning of the soil. My corrections of overdrawn criticisms of the. Panama climate must not. however, be Interpreted as mean ing that there are not unfavorabae fea- tl1res here. They exist as they do in all tropical lands, and, of course, the of maintaining health and enioying life are not, by any means, as favorable as those i'll the average temperate chimes. When the present able sanitary comps who have charge of improving health conditions in the Isthmus have carried out their plans for the improvement of the canal strip and of the cities of Panama and Colon there is no reason why this Isthmus should not be one of the healthiest places in the world.