The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-12-17

all kinds of hyglenlc LABOR. "A H''o
over a wear ago all kinds OF mos
ouitoes including the two fatal spe-
cies, were numerous about the Cule-
bra cut. In this cut during last &c
tober every room Of every house was
carefully examined, and only TWO
MOSQUITOES, neither Of them OF the
two fatal species, were found. Unral-
tering energy in inspection and in dis
injecting and in the work OF draining
and of clearing brush are responsible
for the change. I append DR.. Gorgas'
report on the health conditions; also
a letter from Surgeon General R1xey
to DR.. Gorgas. The surgeon general
reported to me that the hygienic con-
ditions on the isthmus were about as
good as, for instance, those in the
Norfolk navy yard.
Drained the Ponds.
Corozal, some four miles from La
Boca, was formerly one Of the most
unsanitary places on the 1sthmus'
probably the most unsanitary. There
was a marsh with a pond in the mid
die. DR.. Gorgas had both the marsh
and pond drained and the brush
cleared off, so that now, when 1 went
over the ground, it appeared like a
smooth meadow intersected by drain
age bitches. The breeding places and
sneltering spots of the dangerous
mosquitoes had been completely de-
stroyed. The result is that Corozas
for the last six months Oike La Boca,
which formerly also had very I'M
sanitary record). shows one of the
less than 1 per cent a week admitted
to the hospital. At Corozal there is
a big hotel filled with employees Of the
isthmian canal commission, some Of
them with their wives and families.
Yet this healthy and attractive spot
was stigmatized as a "hOg wallow"
by one Of the least scrupulous and
most foolish Of the professional scan
dal mongers who from time to time
have written about the commissions
work.
Care and forethought have been
exercised by the commission and
nothing has reflected more credit
upon them than their refusal either
to go ahead too fast or to be deferred
by the fear Of criticism from not go
ing ahead fast enough. It is curious
to note the fact that many Of the
most severe critics of the commission
criticize them for precisely opposite
reasons, some complaining bitterly
that the work is not in a more adj
vanced condition, while the others
such haste that there has been insult
ficient preparation for the hygiene and
comfort of the employees. AS a mat
ter of fact neither criticism is just.
1t would have been impossible to go
quicker than the commission has gone,
for such quickness would have meant
insufficient preparation. On the 9TH
er hand. to refuse to do anything I'M
til every possible future contingency
had been met would have caused
wholly unwarranted delay. The right
course to follow was exactly the
course which has been followed. Ev-
cry reasonable preparation was made
in advance, the hygienic conditions in
especial being made as nearly perfect
as possible, while on the other hand
there has been no timid refusal to
push forward the work because of in
ability to anticipate every possible
emergency, for, of course, many de-
fects can only be shown by the work.
ing of the system in actual practice.
Good Police Force.
In addition to attending to the
health of the employees, it is Of course
necessary to provide for policing the
zone. This is done by a police force
which at present numbers over 200
men, under Captain Stanton. About
one-fifth of the men are white and the
others black. In different places I
questioned some twenty or thirty Of
these men, taking them at random.
They were a fine set, physically and
in discipline. With one exception all
the white men questioned mad served
in the American army, usually in the
Philippines, and belonged to the best
type of American soldier Without ex-
ception the black policemen whom
questioned had served either in the
British army or in the Jamaica .,
Barbados police. They We're evidently
COntenteQ and We're doing their work