Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1906-01-05
REPORT ON CANAL
WORK OF DIRECTION OF PREpAR.
ALTON AND SANITATION.
ALIEN LABOR IS EMPLOYED
Yellow Fever Extirpsted-ssventeen
Thousand Persons On the Pay Roll.
Expenses $500, 900 a Month.


washIng;on.-The report OF the 18th.
milan Canal Commission for the year
ending December ]. 1905. says:
THE members OF this commission
decided. during their first trip TO the
isthmus. that It would be useless TO
hope for large and satisfactory results
In canal work, either In quantity OF e1-
cayation or in cost. until thorough
preparation had been accomplished in
several directions. The isthmus must
be made healthy by thorough sanitation.
proper quarters and food must be pro
vided for employees and adequate ter
minal facilities must be constructed
for the prompt and economic handling
of supplies and materials. II was de-
cided. therefore. to stop at once eSca-
walton on 4 large scale until the pre-
paratory work was done. The commits
sion realized that this was = radical
change of policy. but believed that IL
would be approved when full state
mcnt should be made Of existing con.
ditions and of the difficulties TO be
overcome before canal construction
could be undertaken In accordance
with comprehensive and systematic
plan.
in order TO make tho isthmus n
the first essential was thorough san
i,ation.
-Four thousand one hundred men
are now employed In the sanitary I'M
dertakinr. and so effective has been
this work that yellow fever has been
virtually cxtirpa,cd from the isthmuE.
"Thc force employed on the is;hmuA
on November 10. 1905. was M follows:
In November. isot. tho commits.
sion's employees on the isthmus mum.
bcred 1890. In November. 1905. they
numbered. approximately. 1900. OF
these 1880 were under the depart
mcnt OF construction and engineering.
1900 under tho bureau OF material and
supplies. and 5000 under the depart
ment Of government and sanitation.
There were In the local auditors one.
'or,y-siS men and In III. ONCE OF the
disburSinr Officer twcn'y.one.
THE question of labor IN grave and
pcrpicSing one. A sufficient supply OF
labor can be secured from nearby 'rop'
Teal islands and countries. so far as
numbers ar. concerned. The question
of quality IL very different matter.
Unless much greater efficiency can
b. developed than Ii secured ut pres
On; IL will be necessary TO look else
where for better claNz-
The present wage VARIES from SO
cents to si.0t per day In gold. ~
compared with the best common labor
In the United States It's efficiency Is
rated at from twenty-five to thirty
three per cent. over eighty per cent.
Of the employees of the canal arc nov
and will continue TO be alien laborcrH.
~ majority Of the other twenty per
cent. employed will be In clerical. n
supervisory. or In some other capacity
to which the various labor laws OF tn"
United States aru not applicable. u Is
to this kind al labor We are compelled
To apply the ciEht.hour law-,hnt Is. tn
aliens who know nothing of the laws
oNistonc. until they arrive on the 18th
mus Such application will increase
the labor cost of canal construction ai
least twenty-five per cent. and viii add
many millions unnecessarily TO tho
total expenditure.
while this preparatory work has
been In progress very little has been
done in tho way of actual excavation.
Eleven steam Hhovcls have been Mt diff
fcrcnt times In operation. however. In
tho Cul.bra cut. which IL the largest
single factor In the construction Of the
canal. and approximately i.0O0.0oo GU.
bic yards of material have been re-.
moved. By this work two things arc
being accomplished. First. the levels
of the cut are being put In proper CON
dition for the installation Of the largest
number OF machines which can be Of.
fcctiycly operated. and, second. data
liz being gathered which will he useful
in futur. estimates OF the cost of canal
construction.
THE pay roll on the isihmus Mt pres
ont amounts tn apnrDNtmHtgly $500 GOO