The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-04-04
CANAL COMMISSION IS
ANNOUNCED AND DUTIES
ARE FULLY OUTLINED
President Roosevelt and Secretary War aft Place New Men
At Head of Canal Work and Give Them Strict Orders
About Conducting IT. and the Reports TO Make

suggested for the solution of the problem
which the canal commissioners deem rea-
sonable, possible or practicable, that the
advisory board be invited to Washington
for the purpose of agreeing upon its
recommendation in the premises. and that
If possible such recommendations be made
before the regular meeting of Congress
in December; that the recommendations
be submitted to the canal commission as
then constituted, for its approval or modi-
fication and with the recommendations OF
the canal commission be submitted to the
President for his action and transmission
to Congress. AS already suggested TINS
work of securing the best plan and its ap-
proval by Congress need not delay In any
way the preliminary work of sanitation
the extreme Importance of which has al
ready been emphasized in your previous
instructions to the canal commission
Lacked Ability.
ut is conceded even by its own MEM
bers that the present commission has not
so developed itself into an executive body
as to give hope that 1t may be used sue
cessfully as an instrumentality for car
rying ON the imense legislative burden in
volved in the construction of the canal,
and it remains for the President, in the
failure Of the congress, to act to reor-
ganize the commission, both by change
In personnel and by certain instructions
as to its internal procedure and distribu-
tion of powers and authority to secure
greater rapidity and efficiency in the do
ing of the work.
1t Is not to be supposed that congress
intends that the commission was person
ally to do with the work or come nearer
to the direct agencies in doing the work
than the directory of a railroad COM
pany to the construction of railroad work
and may assume, therefore. that it was
within the congressional intention that
the commission might for convenience
and fapidity of action after formulating
the general plan of work delegate to a
committee or committees the doing Of ths
work In detail, the res lit to be reported
subsequently, of course. to the full com
lllsslon The commission should. there-
Iore' appoint an executive committee to
De extended power as hereafter stated
Plan In Detail.
Ihe secretary then states in detail bic
pian FOR the division of the work In the
departments and the reasons therefore
az OF which details are accepted and set
iorth IN the Presidents order. The let
Ter concludes as follows:
Inc ehange of headquarters and power
'NoAthbLoh 10 the ISthmOS will
uouotiess require radical change in the
ooHlce OF the commission In Washington.
am quite sure that greater economy
ana more satisfactory methods of ac-
counting can be secur ID than now exist.
machinery for purchase of supplies and
force sufficient to maintain a duplicate
sft OF acts and the necessary correspon-
dents must of course be maintained In
washington but very little else is need
ed. But these changes may be safely left
10 the commission and. executive commit
tee as newly constituted.
i beg to submit herewith the resie-
hatons OF all the present canal COM
missioners to take etect at your pleas
ure.
respectfully recommend the appoint-
ihent or new commission and a desig-
nation of the chairman of the commission
the governor of the zone, and the chief
engineer and the issuing of an extensive
order embodying the recommendations
herein. 0'''
Respectfully yours,
WILLIAM II. TAFT
Secretary of War"