Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-04-03

Theodore P. Shonts, chairman.
 Charles E. Magoon, governor of canal zone. i.
 John F. Wallace, chief engineer.
 Rear Admiral NJ. T. Endicott, U. s. N.
 Brigadier General Peter c. Hains, U. s. A., retired.
 Colonel Oswald NJ. Ernst, corps engineers, U. S. A.
 Benjamin NJ. Harrod.
 These names were announced at the war department to-day, and in con- nection with the announcement Secre- tary Taft gave out for publication a statement showing the allotments of salaries to the new commissioners and his own letter to the president and one from the latter explaining the plan of reorganization of the commissions; the reasons therefor and the particular du- ties to be assigned to each commission CT. The first reads as follows:
 ''The president has made an order all lowing a salary of $500, with travel ing expenses, to each member of the commission and to the chairman of the commission the additional compensation of $22,5 300; to the chief engineer the additional compensation of $l7,oOO, and to the governor of the zone the additional compensation of $1O,ON. The head of each department is al- lowed the use of furnished house up- on the isthmlls and his travelling ex- penses when travelling on the business of the commission"
 The total is $1O2,5OO. The salaries and allowances under the former com mission amounted to $120,O0O. The total compensation of the governor of the zone and the chief engineer are in effect unchanged.
 Prof William H. Burr and Mir Will liam Barclay Barons civil engineers, will be appointed as members of the consulting board of engineers"
 Secretary Taft's letter to the presl- dent is as follows:
 "War department, Washington, D. C.. March 30, 1905.
 MT President: In the matter Of the reorganization of the machine by which the Panama canal is to be built, I beg first to call your attention to the extreme importance of fixing definite plan with respect to which you may feel reasonable certainty, first, that it can be practically executed and Will result in navigable canal, and sec ond, that the navigable canal will be the enc best adapted to the demands which may be made upon 1t by the commerce of the world.
 1.-The act of congress evidently con templates a canal with locks, the cost of which shall be in the neighborhood of $2OOOOO,OOO, including the money already expended. It is quite within the bounds of possibility that the best form of canal will be Il sea level canal with n tidal lock only, at one end. and that the cost of it may exceed the S2OO, 900 in the mind of congress by at least S1OO,OOOOOO more.
 .'The work of the engineering de- partment of the present commission has been largely given to developing the data upon which the plan of the canal must be determined. These data include typographical measurements, bOrings, the character of the soil. the flow of water in the riyers-all stated with sufficient exactness to secure the closest calculations by experienced ell gineers though not on the ground. IL is probable that within the next few months these data will have sO fully ascertaned by the chief engineer. M: Wallace, and his assistants. that they may be submitted to q board Of en- gineers of the highest standing for recommendation as to the best plan up- on which to proceed with the work.
 Tt also has been made apparent. by the reports or Mir Wallace and the commission that whatever plan is like ly to be adopted, work of excavation and construction which would have 10 be done under any plan may proceed without waste of energy for period quite long enough to enable you to de- eide which is the best plan.
 "I suggest. therefore. that the first work to he done is the appointments of an advisory board of engineers. say seven or. nine in number. to be se- lccte,l from the engineers having es- pecial knowledge of hydraulic engi- neering and canal construction. to whom shall he submitted all possible information with respect to the pro- iected Panama canal. both that Ob- tained by the French engineers be- fore our purchase of the plant. and the data obtained by the chief engi- neer of the present canal commission. together with all projects suggested for the solution of the problem which the canal commission deem reason ably possible or practicable: that this advisory board le invitel to Washing ton for the purpose of agreeing upon lis recommendations in the premises and that if possible such recommen- dations be made before the regular meeting of congress fin December: fbat the recommendations he submit tesl to the canal commission as then constituted. for its approval or modi- fication. ard with the resommenla- tions of the canal commission be Sul,- mittel to the president for his action ani transmission to congress. As all ready suggested. this work of secur- ing the best plan and it's approval by congress need not delay in any way the preliminary work adapted to any possible plan. or the highly critical work of sanitation. the extreme i'm portance of which you have already emphasize,l in your preyiols instrur- tionS to the canal commission
 Tt is conceded even by its own members. that the present commis- sion has not 90 developed itself into an executive body as to give hoir, that it may be used successfully as an iuStrrrrnenfaIity for carrying on the immense execufive burden involved fin the constipation of the canal. and if remains for the president in the failure of congress to act to reOrgan- ize the commission both by change in pcrsouneI and by certain instructions sS to it's internal proreiure seld dis