Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-25
ISTHM|AN CONDITIONS
Civil Service Commissioners
cooIey's Observations.
SALARIES ONE HALF HIGHER
Than Government Compensation in
This Country.
HEALTH OF EMPLOYEES GOOD
Had Been No Yellow Fever for Long
Time and Did Not See
a Mosquito.
IEALTH OF EMPLOYEES GOOD

Afford w. Cooley, member of the civil
service commission. who has just returned
from personal inspection of conditions on
the isthmus of Panama, as affecting the
employees whom the civil service commits
sion has been sending there, takes a very
optimistic view of affairs in that cline Mr..
Cooley left this city March 81 in company
with Chief Examiner F. M. Higgins of the
commission. and they made the trip with
Mr.. Shonts and his party. He and Mr..
Higgins left a few days ahead of Mr..
Shonts, on the return trip. and reached
Washington last Thursday.
My trip was entirely In connection with
civil service matters" said Mr.. Cooley to q
Star reporter this morning. I'VE were
not entirely convinced here that we were
holding the proper kind Of examinations
to develop the sort of men needed on the
isthmus. I thought half an hours talk
with the men on the ground would be bet
ter than weeks Of study over the question
up here"
Salaries SO Per Cent Higher.
Mr.. Cooley said that salaries of ern-
ployes of the canal commission on the
isthnlus are about so per cent higher than
government salaries in this country while
the cost of living there is very much less.
All employees, he said, get either free quar-
tiers or quarters at Communication rates In
the government hotels Married men are
even provided with small houses, two fam
lies sometimes occupying one structure
The canal commission. he continued,
mas several restaurants run in connection
with the government hotels. where meals
can be bought for 80 cents each, or ~
cents day. There are also several messes
which employees have established and
which cost each man about $50 a month.
The government food is simple. but very
falriy good 1t Is impossible to get any
where On the isthmus the kind of a meal
you would get in a first-class hotel in
Washington.
Medical attendance is free and the gov
eminent hospitals are excellent. l do not
see how the hospitals could be made much
Better although, Of course. / am not a
medical man. The camp for convalescents
on Tobago Island. seven miles from Pan
ANA, in the Pacific ocean. Is a delightful
place. I went over there one day and was
particularly struck by it.
Transportation to and from places of
work Is free to employees.
so, in view Of these conditions, It is easy
to See that the men who go down there
from the states are In position to save
money.
There was absolutely no yellow fever
in the canal zone while / was there, and
there had not been any for some months.
And there was comparatively little ma
1aria. did not see one mosquito while
one The city of Panama was as free from
them as is Washington in January.
Health of Employees Good.
1.-The health of the employees seems to
be very good indeed. They all look very
well Two men who went down there
from our office in this city were looking
particularly well, and one looked better
than when he left here In fact. I talked
with the employees everywhere and was
struck with their general contentment and
even enthusiasm The only discontinued
men I met on the trip were three con-
tractors on the boat coming home.
Zone thing was very striking to me It
was that there is a very general peiier
and confidence in the men VINO are IN au-
thority in the zone-Governor Magoon, Mr..
Stevens and Chief Sanitary Officer Gorgas
"As to the climate: The temperature is
about the same as that In washington
on warm day in midsummer.not reai
hot day but the average Washington mo-
summer day. But there Is always g0oo
breeze and the nights are COMFORTABLE. one
wants a sheet over him at night, ana on
one occasion, when there was stifrer
breeze than usual blowing I slept with a
blanket over me- 20
INV he Thought would be made In the civil
sarvtce commissions methods as result
of his Investigations on the isthmqs.
sWell. there are some changes THINK
a,,pht to be made" he said. we are gong
basasfter To hold an examination which VIII
he a modified departmental clerks exami-
nation-that is. somewhat easier. anu m
Guiding a number of optional subjects, such
as railroad auditing, stenograpny ana .ype-
writing and the like This will enable us TO
certify from a particular roll, according TO
the kind of demand that comes from uiie
canal commission. / have come TO TINS CON
clusion after having talked with the oihciais
on the isthmus They told me what KIND or
men were most needed
GAS to the medical examination, think
there will have to be no change IN that:
The officials are satisfied with the heailh Oh
the men they are getting now
Altogether the men who are gong TO the
isthmus are very satisfactory 10 the canal
commission. At first they were not, prop
ably owing to the fact that dfscouragtng re-
ports of conditions there kept good men
away But now these reports are discount
tenanced, If one may judge from the class
of men who are now working there for the
government,
'.How about these reports of water fam
inc In Colon?' inquired The Stars represen-
tatiye.
No Water Famine.
81 heard that such reports were reaching
the states" he replied But / was in
Colon only about four hours and did not
happen to ask for drink of water while /
was there so know nothing about 1t first
hand talked with any number of persons
from there, however. / heard no one men
ton q water famine. judged. therefore,
that If there was one 1t was not very Sc
rious."
Mr.. Cooley. In answer to question as to
who are the men who became most discon-
tented on the isthmus, and why this is the
case said:
II believe what man whom met ON the
boat coming back told me Is about true. He |
said: Panama Is good place for man |
who is onto his job, and a very bad place |
for one who Is not
THAT is to say, the canal commission win |
not tolerate a man In one of the technical |
positions who does not know his business |
thoroughly. On this account there are q |
number of changes. and dissatisfaction lie |
aroused in the minds of those who are dis |
comfited
Not being an engineer. do not feel quail |
ified to speak on the engineering work that |
Is being accomplished In the canal zone I |
have had to confine myself to other mat
ters.''
Young Peoples Church Union Meets
The Young Peoples Union Of the Peo- |
Pies Church met at the home of its new
q ta.<