New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-12
TO GOVERN CANAL ZONE.
admiral Walker Suggests Measures
to House Committee.

Washington. March 1.-THE House Con,ri.4..
Interstate and Foreign COrlmerce to-day beua, I.
series of hearings 70 deJermine the necesSitv 40
character OF legislation Tor the government o. M.
canal the Isthmus Of Panama Rsar a.
uliral Walker. president OF the Canal Commiss,,
discussed the canal situation from many ln,.-...
ing standpoints. The COMMITTEES will hear ,ss..
members Of the commission Tuesday next "A
rniraI Walker stated that he believed work IN ~.
canal could be begun within two or three month,
BY this time he said the question Of title would \.
cleared Up and transfer made to the United
States. The French company row has about eight
hundred Iaborers at work on the Cusbrs ous a,f
this work would BE- continued immediatelv Al
miraI Walker remarked incidentally that h ~
pected no trouble whatever with Colombia Ths
liquor question was injected into the discussion ~
a remark OF the admiral that the PRINCIPAL rsv.
enues would come from licenses from eating houses
and saloons. Re was asked az once IL II was
necessary 70 grant liquor privileges He replied
very positively that il was: that the Iaborers o.
the tropics all used alcoholic beverages and that n
would be impossible 70 obtain or retain laborers for
this class OF work II the sale OF LIQUOR was pro-
hibiIed. He said however. that they were not hard
drinkers. consuming only beer and light wines
Speaking Of the class % labor that it would BE-
necessary 70 employ in the construction OF canal
Admiral Walker said that the blacks from Jamaica
undoubtedly were the best fitted class that could
were not enough OF these Iaborers including the
blacks. which could - taken from the Southern
States 20 prosecute the work after il once had %,
under way. CooIle labor from China and japan
would have to be brought over for this work He
estimated that the maximum number Of lsborsrs
needed would be between thirty thousand and forty
thousand. Other persons who would come with
these labOrers would increase the population Of thu
zone to between sixty thousand and seventy thou
sand.
The police force necessary 70 keep order on the
gained similar 20 that OF American civ. OHo
hundred men at first WOULD be sufficient. but this
number would have % be increased 70 perhaps i've
hundred. court ~ three judges. each 70 sit sep
Hrately. with the right Of appeal 20 the fun BENCH
was advocated
Sanitary arrangements which Included the san-
tatior OF the cities OF Panama and Colon. ne said
would Be placed undoubtedly IN the hands Or a spe-
c!al COMMITTEES OF members OF the commission. ne
regulations to D. enforced BY a separate force or
Officers No trouble between the local governments
OF these two cities and the sanitary officers Is anu
cipated by the admiral In case OF riots or unusla
Z disturbances he believed the Panama governlnel
could be dsuended 70 aid the police force OF NJ
STRIP and ne also deemed it advisable 70 nave a.
least three hundred American troops or mdrh@
rernaner-iy stationed on the zone These sollieIS
however he said. were not good policemen.
The possibility Of smuggling was discussed ar
some length By the committee. but no CONCLUSION
was reached. Admiral Walker did not anucpate
any trouble in this connection. stating tnat tners
were no wagon roads even across the lstnInuS am
that Il would be impossible 70 import goods II2li
foreign countries into the strip for later resnip-
ment into the United States free OF duty 20 an "a
tent 20 De commercially profitable.