The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-04
Membership of New Board Announced. OUTLINING THE PLANS Correspondence Between Taft and Roosevelt. The Secretary of War Announces that the New Board Is Expected
 to Be Up and
 Doing.
OUTLINING THE PLANS

Washington, April 3.--The Presiden, has carried out his plans for the re- organization of the Isthmian Canal Commission as to personnel and busi- ness methods. generally on the lines of the legislation he suggested to Con- gress at the last session, which failed In the crush of business at the closing hours. Today within half an hour after the Presidents departure from Washington. Secretary Taft. directly In charge of canal matters, made public the personnel of the new Commission and the division of duties among them.
 only one member of the old Com mission was re-appointed, MT. Benja- min M. Harrod. Otherwise, the Com mission is new from top to bottom, for there is top and bottom and consid- erable difference between the functions and pay of the Commissioners. Find ing he was obliged to appoint seven Commissioners, the President did so, but he carried out his plan by making three of them practically the Commis sion. The other four. though bearing the title of Commissioners. not only receive a much lower compensation, but are assigned much smaller fields of activity.
 The President also has carried out his scheme of dividing up the work of canal building among the Commission CTS, so that, nominally acting as a body on stated occasions. each indi- vidual member would operate in a spe- Cfal field.
 The head of the Commission is a trained railroad man. chosen for his administrative abilities in the financial and purchasing field: the new Governor of the zone Is a lawyer who also ihas had to do with State affairs; tthe en- gineer commissioner already is known for his abilities in the execution of practical work canal cutting.
 The other members of the Commis- sion are placed to comply with the law as to the number of the Commission. but are men of high ability as hydrau- lie engineers Secretary Taft told them today that they were expected to show results and that Is 'said to be the key mute for the Presidents action today.
 The Personnel.
 The personnel of the new isthmian Canal Commission Is as follows:
 Theodore P. Shonts, chairman.
 Charles E. Magoon, Governor of Canal Zone.
 John F. Wallace. Chief Engineer.
 Rear Admiral M. T. Endicott, U. Navy
 Brigadier-General Peter c. Hains, U. s. A, retired.
 Col. Oswald M. Ernst. corps en- Eineers, U. s. A.
 Benjamin M. Harrod.
 These names were announced at the War Department today, and in connec- tion with the announcements Secretary Taft gave out for publication a state ment showing the alotments of sala- ries to the new Commissioners and his own letter to the President and one from the latter explaining the plan of reorganization for the Commission; the reasons therefor and the particular duties to be assigned to each commits sioner.
 The first reads as follows:
 The President has made an order allowing a salary of $7,500 with travel ing expenses to each member of the Commission and to the chairman of the Commission the additional compensa- tion of $22.500; to the chief engineer, the additional compensation of $17,600, and to the Governor of the zone the additional compensation of $10,000. The head of each department Is allowed the use of q furnished house upon the Isthmus, and his travelling expenses on business of the Commission.
 "The total is $102,000 The salaries and allowances under the former com mission amounted to $120,0O0. The total compensation of the Governor of the zone and the chief engineer are in effect unchanged.
 Letter from Taft.
 Secretary Taft's letter to the Presi- dent is as follows.
 "War Department, Washington, D. C.,
 March 10, 1905.
 Mir Presidential 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 a definite plan with respect to which you may feel reasonable.
 First. that it can be practically exc cuted and will result in a navigable canal, and, second that the navigable demands which may be made upon 1t by the commerce of the world.
 The act of Congress evidently con- templates a canal with locks, the cost of which shall be in the neighborhood of $200, 000, ,000 including the money al ready expended. It is quite within the bounds of possibility that the best form of canal be a sea level canal with a tidal lock only at one endt and that the cost of 1t may exceed the $2OO,00O,- 900 in the mind of Congress by at least $10O.0O0,o00 more.
 The work of the Engineering De- partment of the present Commission has been largely devoted to obtaining 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 rivers-all stated with sufficient exactness to secure the closest calculations by experienced en- gineers, although not on the ground.
 Tt is probable that within the next few months these data will have been so fully ascertained by the Chief En- gineer, Mir. Wallace. and his assist ants that they may be submitted to A board of engineers of the highest stand ing for recommendation as to the best plan upon which to proceed with the work. Tt also has been made apparent by the reports of MT. Wallace and the commission that whatever plan Is like ly to be adopted work of excavation and construction which would have to be done under any plan may proceed without waste of energy for a period quite long enough to enable you to decide which Is the best plan.
 Advisory Engineers.
 T suggest. therefore. that the first rFr t1 A. g-k kn. a