New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-14
TO CUT CANAL SALARIES.
Senate Committee for Economy
Progress of York in Panama.
rrrom rhn rrthnns nureeu. ]

rFrom Tho Tribune BureeuI
Washington, Dec. 1S.-Members Of the Senate
Committee Appropriations, which gave hear
ing yesterday Secretary Taft. Chairman Shonts.
and Secretary Bishop, of the Isthmian Canal Com
mission, OF the opinion that some OF the
salaries paid to officials of the commission viii
be materially reduced in the near future. 1t Us
declared to be without the province of the Appro-
priations Committee provide for such reductions.
but members Of the committee say that intimations
of the advisability of such a course have been
made 10 Secretary Taft and that the Secretary
will doubtless follow these suggestions. It is
marked. however, that unless such reductions
forthcoming the COMMITTEES on Interoceanic
Canals will deem 1t necessary to provide an entire
civil list with stipulated salaries to be paid by
the commission and it is not impossible that this.
in any event, will be deemed the wiser course.
Criticism is especially directed to the three $4,000
salaries now paid to the general auditor, the pur-
chasing officer and the secretary of the commits
sion. It is remarked that the former secretary,
Dominic l. Murphy, performed satisfactorily all
the duties assigned to the present secretary,
Joseph B. Bishop, for salary of 5000 year.
sought transfer to the consular service only
when he supposed that the secretary of the COM
mission would be required to live on the isthmus.
Emphasis is also laid the fact that more inn
portant duties than those of the present secretary
devolve the chief of the office. Leon ". Pepper
man. who receives only 5000 year and would act
In place Of Mr.. Shonts were the chairman COM
PEELED to be absent.
mission to audit accounts which must afterward
be passed on by the auditor for the War Depart
n7ent who receives only $1,000 a year, is also re
garded as anomalous, and the payment OF $lOWO
to the general purchasing agent. while the chlet
of the Bureau of Supplies of the Navy Depart
ment, who spends annually far greater sum- re-
ceives $1,000 year, is criticised
There is, it should be said, no disposition on the
part of the Senate indulge in captious criticism
of the methods pursued by the Canal Commission,
hut bera iS to he a
to salaries there has been displayed generosity.
not to say an extravaganza. which is not in keeping
with the methods of the government
In making public all the testimony taken yester-
day by the Committee on Appropriations, the Sen
ate has disclosed in greater detail the work on
the isthnus than has been given by all the reports
of the lsthman Commission officials or others au-
thorized to discuss canal affairs The testimony
taken during the meeting covers eighty-elght
printed pages, devoted almost wholly to examina-
lions of Secretary Taft, Mr.. Shonts. Mr.. Bishop
and D w Ross the general purchasing oIncer-
1t was shown by the testimony OF secretary ia1t
and Mr.. Ross that SO per cent OF the materials pu
chased by the commission were shipped from the
United States and of the per cent of foreign ma
terials nearly the entire amount was see"reu Oh
# was Stated that there are about seventeen thou
sand men employed on the isthIIus IN c IN caVaf
ing The work of digging the canal was stopped
ThsP M c5 Stevens NV eP Ta {f s sad that 1000 Of m
men were employed in the sanitation depaTTd5Hdent
and Il 600 in track work, construction OF buildings
in machine works and putting together the eqnIp
ment in getting ready for the work or e&caV&Iihs-
Continuing. Mr. Taft said:
Mr. Stevens states-and think MI Shonts agrees gree
with hinl-that former Engineer Wallace made q
On Work in tie Cuebra cut it not
done for the purpose Of excavation although II oLa
Sa6n M5r to that e which may not have to
again But it was done for the purpose OF ha hIug
that the material which was removed was deposit
ed at places from which it will have to be again
removed and that estimates based upon those ex-
periments, therefore, are estimates baseo upon wat
does not assimilate to the actual WORK 10 De oofe
so that it really was not good sample work.
asked Senator Hale
NO sir" replied Mr.. Taft. "Of course, the
great problem there is not excavation The great
problem is transportation and the disposition OF
the waste Dirt taken from Culebra Cut has to
be hauled by rail from four to fifteen miles"
Mr. shonts then said of the work being done By
Mr. Wallace:
He selected the easy work at the top of the cut,
where he had sTaTty 9ag g NE se5 bmsef r and
other people by taking the cost per cubic yard
s sgS as being the unit cost at which could
do the entire work. For that reason his work
was practically wasted.
Interesting testimony as to the type of canal to
be built and the embarrassment that may be felt
by members of the committee in discussing the
bill or the floor. taken Senator Hale put the
situation il this manner:
One Of the first qq les NJ Morgan vii ask
tain bases and you ask for certain money to carry
YOU until April or June Now, suppose the gem
tlemen say to the Appropriations Committee:
What kind of canal are you going to have
there?" What could we say, gentlemen?
81 think that you will say that you do not know
replied Secretary Taft
Then the question will be- When will you
know? " said Senator Hale.
well. 1 think this. gentlemen: That under the
Spooner act. if it is a lock canal the President
has the right to go ahead and build the canal as
lock canal the Secretary answered.
And determine the size and everything" asked
Senator Teller.
Il think the circumstances are such and the Ian
guage of the act is such as to indicate that that
was the intention of Congress- replied Secretary
ITO To the limit of the appropriations" inquired
Yes to the limit of the appropriation" said
Secretary Taft. But if the President is going
build sea level canal he will certainly have to
consult Congress. think he will consult Con-
in any event, though the itself evidently
100000. It assumed the estimate of the Canal Com
mission to be correct and the type there fixed of
a lock canal to be the one which work was to
proceed.
A bill aboshing the Isthmian Canal Commission
was introduced to-day by Representative Mann. of
put the work of building the canal under any
one of the executive departments and also TO
operate the Panama Railroad through the same
means. 1t requires an itemiZed all
penditures to be laid annually before Congress,
and that future expenditures may be made only
detailed estimates submitted in the same man
neT from other departments OF he government