The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1905-09-08
MAGOON SAYS
CRISIS EXISTS
GOVERNOR OF PANAMA CANAL
ZONE WRITES REMARKABLE
LETTER.
SHORTAGE OF FOOD SUPPLY
GOVERNMENT OPENS STORE TO
SUPPLY ITS EMPLOYEES
WITH FOOD.
TO MAKE PLANS FOR CANAL
EMINENT ENGINEERS OF EUROPE
AND AMERICA MEET IN
WASHINGTON.

Washington. Sept. Gov. Magoon
of the Panama canal zone has written
a remarkable letter in which he de
ella! : tlai a crisis has been reached
aong the canal strip so far as the feed
ing OF the employees is concerned. The
communication is addressed to Don
Arias and is in response to letter
from the latter, citizen of Panama
who protested against the United
States government establishing com
missariat so that the canal employees
could be fed properly.
Gov. Magoon, in his letter. states
that there has been a crop shortage OF
the zone, provisions could not le
brought from South American ports
because a quarantine is in force, and
the business men of the region were
utterly unable to cope with the situa-
ton. There is not enough food for the
zone population and such food as is
supplied is sold at excessive prices. Ia
make matters worse, the private bust
ness interests are unable TO extend The
necessary credit to employees.
Natives Can't Help.
Gov. Maeoon also calls attention tc
the fact that before it was decided Il
conduct the commissariat under direc-
ton of the commission and to sell sup
plies direct to the employees, every ef
fort was made to secure an adequate
amount of provisions at fair prices.
The Panama government reduced its
import duties; the railroad and steam
ship lines reduced freights so per cent,
by agreement of the government, the
commission, banks and other interests
the rate of exchange was reduced tc z
per cent, having before been as high
as so per cent. and stable currency
had been secured. Yet all these utter
ly failed to secure enough provisions
to feed the workers or to reduce them
to such basis of price that the men
could afford to buy them.
There was nothing left for it but for
the government to go into the store
keeping business on it's own account.
Engineers in Session.
There was meeting yesterday CT
the consulting engineers of the Pana-
ma canal who will decide whether the
waterway will be sea level or lock
canal. The meeting was devoted to
the question of organization and il
Will be two or three months before t'e
engineers reach conclusion as to
character of the canal
All the data which has been gath
cred by the various engineering survey
parties on the isthmus has been sub
mitted to the engineers, who will use
1t in deciding the question before them
They will also visit Panama. A sea
level canal will cost great deal more
than lock canal and it will REQUIRE p
much longer time to construct it,
While the engineers will not commit
themselves on the subject, most Of
them have informally declared
In Favor Of Lock Canal,
which can be changed to a sea-levey
canal in the future. When the enei-
neers have reached a conclusion thew
will make recommendations to the
1sthmian canal commission, which will
IN turn make its recommendations IN
the president, who will submit the
matter to congress and will decide the
kind of canal to be constructed.
The proceedings were opened bv the
reading of the letter of the president
calling them together and letter from
Chairman Shonts of the commission
which gives in detail the purposes for
which the engineers are convened In
the presidents order it is called the.
consulting board of engineers" bu,
the letter of Chairman Shonts is aa
dressed to the advisory board of en-.
gineers upon plans for the Panama
canal"