Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-20

that the silver wages must be multiplied by
two to equal the gold wages. The silver
pay now ranges from Is cents an hour up
ward. A native workman gets $50 silver
for ten hours work or 10 cents gold a day.
The American gold man often receives as
much as As or 80 cents an hour, or $3.50 or
IS gold a day. He is often paid by the
month, his salary ranging from $75 upward.
Native Labor.
At present there are in the neighborhood
of 1900 silver men on the canal in addition
to the police and sanitary laborers. There
were only $50 when the chief engineer took
charge, and they worked spasmodically, re-
ceiving low wages and laborng only enough
to support life. Now they are on hand about
tWO-thrds of the time. Their wages are
high for this part of the world, and the
natives will probably grow more reliable as
they acquire the habit of steady work. So
far about one-third of the native force has
been off all the time. If 100 men en-
ployed the American foreman can be sure
that a little less than seventy will turn up.
and fully 80 per cent in excess of the actual
needs must be carried on the pay rolls.
These silver men are Jamaicans, native
Panamans and Colombans and stray
Spanish, French and West Indians who
have drifted to the isthmus. Some of them
are skilled workmen and not a few are
excellent mechanics. Such men are paid in
silver but | shall reduce their wages to
gold. Native carpenters, painters, masons,
plumbers, tinSmiths and pipe filters are now
getting from 10 to 30 cents per hour the
foreman receiving 30 cents and expert help
ers 10 cents. Engine drivers are paid from
l. cents to 40 cents per hour, according to
their grade, and firemen from ~ to 12k
cents per hour, While Watchmen get from
10 to 20 cents.
These natives work better under Ameri-
can foremen. The supervising architect
tells me that his product has increased ~
Ter cent since the native carpenters were
bossed by American foremen. He says the
natives learn quickly and that by making
a Jamaican a helper to a good car
penter, tinsmith or plumber the raw man
soon becomes n mechanic. He must, how
ever, be bossed by American foreman,
for as a rule he does not think for himself
and cannot understand anything outside the
regular lines. He says the natives will
never displace our high-priced American
mechanics.
How Jamaicans Work.
The Jamaicans, for instance have no such
word as hustle. They don't understand the
sentences do it quick and do 1t now"
They are proud, polite and need careful
handling They are quick to resent insult
and one cannot drive them. They are
British subjects and must be treated as
such. 1t is interesting to watch the ia
maicans work; they make four motions to
the Americans one, and every act in
common with. another man is one of
ceremony. In making a request they
will bow and scrape like French dancing
masters Suppose that Jamaica John
Smith a carpenter, wants Jamaica James
Jones, his fellow, to hand him a board. He
does not yell out, as the American would
Jim give me that board" but says. quiet
ly: "Mistah Jones' would you be so kind
as to trouble yourself to hand me that
board lying beside you" Mr.. Jones .ooks
UP and replies: Il will be delighted 10
oblfge you, Mistah Smith,"
tIa,al
lust as soon as you can conveniently hand
II to me / should like to have it..
"AlI right, Mistah Smith, 1 am delighted
to help you Here is the board" And with
that he hands 1t up
Il thank you, Mistah Jones"
Don't mention 1t, Mistah Smith, By
this time five or ten minutes have gone by
in getting that board from one place to the
other. If it had been In America the two
negroes would have been hit over the head
with the board by the white foreman. But
| here the foreman has to speak carefully,
| although he does prevent this kind of work
| as far as possible.
The same conditions largely obtain as to
| Colombian labor. and there is no doubt
but that it will be to the advantage of the
canal work If Chinese, Japanese and East
| Indians can be employed. When Secretary
| Taft here last fall he went to Jamaica.
| intending to hire from five to ten thousand
negroes for the canal. He found the gov
ernor of the island averse to losing that
number of men. The governor said that
Jamaica was already drained of its me-