New-York tribune., 1905-08-18
TO PROTECT CANAL LABOR.
NJ W0rkmen Must Haze COmmissarlats,
Soys ShOnts.

Theodore p. Shonts chairman OF the Panama
Canal Commission. said yesterday I'm this city
that he was not surprised at the report from
Panama to the effect that the merchants there
were protesting against the recently established
commissariats In the canal zone. He also sail
that all the protests would be of no avail as
the establishment of commssariats was the
most important and necessary preliminary step
toward the completion Of the Panama Canal
Continuing. he said:
If the merchants are protesting. all | can
say is Let them protest" The commission
has treaty with the government Oh I ne,
for the establishment OF these stores along ths
canal route: and they must exist or the canai
work will stop. We must feed and care for the
workfngrnen before we can expect labor from
them. There ia no surplus produced In PANAMA
The sudden influx of ten thousand persons hstS
caused a greater consumption IN the repuDiiI ,,
and prices have gone up. The merchants VIII
not give credit TO the laborers for more imam Il
week at time. and as the silver men ~ ~
laborers were paid irregularly they were oIteh
actually in need of food. ,
The Iaborers cannot pay the high prices asked
by the merchants, and they cannot get th7
necessar res of life without paying in caSh
In our commisSariats the men can get credlt
and also purchase food for cost. plus sllsht
advance for freight handling. One OF the nrst
things / Strengthened out on my recent VlslC 10
Panama the provision for semi-weekiy pay
ments of salary and the establishment of COM
missariats along the canal route from Panama
to Colon.
Replying to the report that the suspension or
digging operations on the Panama Canal mas
been caused by the exhaustion Of the Congress
appropriation for constructing the isthmian
waterway. NJ. Shonts said;
II is not true that there has been any short
age or that our plans for forwarding the Work
on the canal were curtailed for lack OF money
recently when order was issued that the
building OF terminals, of houses for the EN-
ployes and of a better coumissary should pre-
cede any further work in the actual excavattns
of the canal. The question of funds has not IN
terfered with our plans at Panama in any way
No financial difficulties that l know or nave
since arisen. There is, moreover, scarcely a
possibility that the work could be impeded fof
lack OF funds because the commission has the
right at all times to contract against the ap-
preparation of Congress.
The order issued by the commission on its re-
cent visit to Panama to cease excavation on lil0
canal due TO the fact that before the men
could dig with steam shovels they must nave
railroads laid to carry away the dirt IL was
further issued because the employees had 10 nave
a place to live in before they could be ex-
pected to work, and because a good cornIniSsary
was imperative. Finally, there was a lack OF
sufficient terminals. both for the railroads. ana
for the ocean shipping, five thousand TONS OF
" hich lay piled UP with no means or hanclllB IT.
This is all preliminary work wnich ought to
have been done at the outset or operations on
the Panama Canal, but which was not done
then 1t is not a fact as has been stated, that
this preparatory work will occupy an entire
year before the actual construction or the canal
can be resumed. I cannot predict the exact
length of time in which the preliminar1es Will
be finished. but It will probably be in the neigh
borhood of three to four months
All these different lines of preliminary work
are being carried on simultaneously and not one
at time.