The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-04-08
CANAL COMMISSION
RE0RGANIzED With SHONTS As
CHAIRMAN.
With the Exception of:Beniamin n.
Harr0d None OF the Old rlem.
berszHave plaCes-r1ejor Portion
OF Powers and Duties Conferred
on Three r1en.

ing on his vacation trip President
Roosevelt completed the reorganization
OF the isthmian canal commission.
Theodore F. Shonts, president of the
Toledo, st. Louis & Western railroad,
Is to head the commission. He Satur-
day notified the president that he would
accept the offer made him.
Mr.. Shonts came to Washington Fri.
day night and conferred with William
Nelson Cromwell, Secretary Morton
and Col. Edwards, the head Of the in
sular affairs bureau of the war depart
ment. He went to the White House
Saturday with Col. Edwards and had
a conference with the president, who
told him some of the difficulties under
which the old commission had worked.
Only one member Of the old commits
sion was reappointed, Benjamin NJ.
Harrod. Otherwise the commission
is new from top to bottom, for there is
a top and bottom, and considerable
difference between the functions and
pay of the commissioners.
Finding he was obliged legally to
appoint seven commissioners, the pres.
ident did 80, but he carried out his own
plan by making three of them practi-
cally the full commission. The other
four, though bearing title Of commits
sioners, not only receive a much lower
compensation, but are assigned much
smaller fields Of activity. The presi-
dent has also carried out his scheme Of
dividing up the work of the canal
building among the commissioners, 80
that, though nominally acting as q
body on stated occasions, each individ-
ual member would operate in special
field.
ShontS at Head.
The head of the commission is q
trained railway man, chosen for his
administrative ability in the financial
and purchasing field; the new COVER
nor Of the zone is a lawyer, who has
also had to do with state affairs; the
engineer commissioner already is known
for his ability in the execution of the
practical work Of canal cutting. The
other membe of the commission are
placed to comply with the law as to
the number Of the commission, but are
men of high ability as hydraulic en-
gineers.
Under the presidents order the
actual headquarters Of the commission
will be in Panama and there probably
will be considerable transfer Of en-
ployes from Washington to that place,
leaving here only q sufficient force to
carry on the work of the administra-
tive branch and to keep the duplicate
accounts. Chairman Shonts, with Gov.
Magoon and Engineer Wallace, will
spend most of their time in the zone,
but as the administrative officers are
directly in Mr.. Shonte' charge, he will
be in Washington more or less. The
purchasing agent will probably be e.
tablished in New York.
Personnel Of Commission.
The personnel of the new canal COM
mission is as follows:
Theodore p. Shonts, chairman.
Charles E. Magoon, governor of the
canal zone.
John F. Wallace, chief engineer.
Rear Admiral M. T. Endicott, u.
s. N.
Brig. Gen. Peter G. Hams, U. s. A.,
retired.
Col. Oswald M. Ernst, corps engi-
neer, U. 8. A.
Benjamin NJ. Harrod.
The allotments of salaries are as fol-
lows: A salary of 81, 500, with travel
ling expenses, to each member Of the
commission. and to the chairman OF
the commission the additional compen-
sation Of $40, 500; to the chief engineer
the additional compensation Of $17, 500,
and to the governor Of the zone the ad-
ditional compensation Of $40, 600. The
"a o.nh dov,oxty,out ia allowed the