The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1906-12-18


selves contradicted n another. Ia
all cases where the complaint vas as
to their treatment by n individual
it proved on examination that this
Individual was himself a West India
man of color, either a policeman, a
storekeeper or an assistant storekeep-
err. Doubtless there must be many
complaints against Americans; but
those to wnom 1 spoke did moi happen
to make any such complaint to me-.
There was no complaint of the aous-
ing; | saw but n set of quarters for
colored laborers wh4Eh thought poor.
and this was an old French house.
The barracks for unmarried men are
roOmy, well ventilated, and clean,
with canvas hunks for eacn man, n
a kind of false attic at the top where
the trunks and other belongings of the
different men are kept. The clothes
are hung on clotheslines, nothing be-
ing allowed to be kept on the floor.
In each of these big rooms there were
tables and lamps, and usually a few
books or papers, and in almost every
room there was a Bible; the books
being the property of the laborers
themselves . The cleanliness of the
quarters is secured by daily inSpec-
ton The quarters for the married
negro laborers were good. They were
neatly kept, and in almost every case
the men living in them, whose wives
or daughters did the cooking for them
were far better satisfied and of higher
grade than the ordinary bachelor ne
groes. Not only were the quarters in
which these negro laborers were liv-
ing mucn superior to those in which
l am informed they live at home, but
they were much superior to the nuts
to be seen in the jungles of Panama
itself, beside the railroad tracks, in
which the lower class of native Pa1a-
mans live as well as the negro work
men when they leave b employ of
the canal and go into the jungles.
Negroes do their own Cooking.
The negroes generally do their own
Cooking, the bachelors cooking in
sheds provided by the Government
and using their own pots. In the diff
ferent camps there was a wide varia-
ton in the character of these cooking
sheds. In some, where the camps
were completed, the kitchen or cook
ing sheds, as well as the bathrooms
and water-closets, were all in excel
lent trim, while there were board side
walks leading from building to build
ing. In other camps the kitchens or
cook sheds had not been f1oored, and
the sidewalks had not been put down
while in one camp the bath houses
we're not yet up. In each case, how
ever, every effort was being made to
hurry on the construction, and L do
not believe hat the delays a been
greater than were inevitable in such
work. The laborers are accustomed
to do their w cooking; but there
was much complaint, especially
among the bachelors, as to the guam
tity, n some as to the quality, of the
food they got from the commissary
department, especially as regards the
yams. On the other hand, h mar
ried men and their wives, and the
more advanced among the bachelors,
almost Invariably exprest themselves
as entirely satisfied with their treat
ment at the commissary stores; ex-
cept that they stated hat they gener-
ally could not get yamS there, and
had to purchase them outside. The
chief complaint was that the prices
were too high. 1t is unavoidable that
the prices should be higher than in
their own homes; n after careful
investigation l came to the conclusion
that the chief trouble lay in the fact
that the yams, plantains, and the like
are rather p~erisnab1e food, and are
very bulky compared to the amount
of nourishment they contain, so that
it is costly to import them in large
quantities and difficult to keep them.
Nevertheless, 1 felt that ar effort
should be made to secure them a
more ample supply OF their ~favorite
food, and SO directed; and I believe
that ultimately the Government must
itself feed them. l am having this
matter lookt into.
The superintendent having immed-
late charge of one gang of men at the
Colon reservoir stated that he endeav-
ored to get them to substitute beans
and other nourishing food for the
stri1gy, watery vans, because the
men kept their health and strength
better on the more n~ourishing food.
InaSmucI, however, as they are accuS
toned to yams it is difficult to get
them to eat the more Strengthening
food and some time elapses before
they grow accustomed to it. At this
reservoir there has been a curious
experience. 1t is off in the jungle by
itself at the end of a couple of miles
of a little toy railroad. In order to
get the laborers there, they were Civ
en- free food (and of course free lodg-
ings); and yet it proved difficult to
keep them, because they wisnt to be
where they could reach the dramshop
and places of amusement.
Recreation and Amusement
One Of the greatest needs at pres
ent is to provide amusements both
for the white men and the black.
The Young Meas Christian Associa-
ton is trying to do good work and
should be in every way encouraged.
But the Government should do the
main work. l have specifically called
the attention of the Commission to