The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1906-12-20

place for the constant Increase In the
vision is made in advance, but II is not
possible that this should always be the
case; when 1t s not there ensues a
tons are unsatisfactory, until a remedy
can be provided; but | never found
case where the remedy was not being
provided as speedily as possible.
Improvements In Cities.
The sanitation work in the cities OF
important as in the zone itself, and in
many respects much more difficult, be
cause II was necessary to deal with
the already existing population, which
naturally had scant sympathy with
revolutionary changes. the value of
which they were for long time not
ton consists largely Of colored labor
ers who having come over from the
West, Indies to work, on the canal,
abandon the work and either take TO
the brush or lie idle In Colon Itself;
thus peopling Colon with the least de-
sirable among the imported laborers,
for the good and steady men of course
continue at the work Yet astonish- :,
ing progress has been made in both
cities In Panama 80 per cent Of the
already paved with an excellent brick
pavement laid In heavy concrete, a few /.
of the streets being still in process of
paving The sewer and water services
In the city are of the most modern ny
gienlc type. some of the service hav-
ing Just been competed.
In Colon the conditions are peculiar
and II Is as regards Colon that most OF
the very bitter complaint has been
made. Colon Is built on a low coral
island. covered at more or less shallow
depths with vegetable accumulations
or mold, which affords .sustenance and
strength to many varieties of low
lying tropical plants. One-half of the
surface of the island is covered with
water at high tide the average height
of the land being ~ feet above low
al igb
shallow. natural reservoirs or fresh
water breeding places for every. varie-
~ 6 or i MESQUITE an, ana the groHndd TENDS ,S
town was originally built no attempt
was made to FIJI the low ground. either
in the streets or on the building sites.
so that the entire surface was prac
ticaliv uuagmire: when the uuag
mire became impossible certain of the
streets We're crudelv improved bv FILL
ing especially bad mud holes with soft
rock or other material In September,
1905, systematic effort was begun to
formulate general plan for the prop
er sanitation of the city. in February
last temporary relief measures were
taken, while in July the prosecution of
the work was begun in good earnest.
The results are already visible in the
sewering. draining. guttering and pay
ing of the streets. Some four months
will be required before the work Of
sewerage and street Improvement will
be completed. but the progress already
made is very marked. bitches have
Deen aug through the town, connecting
the salt water on both sides, and into
| these the ponds, which have served as
| breeding places for the mosquitoes, are
| drained. These bitches have answered
| the chief cause of the astonishing
diminution of mosquitoes More bitches
of the kind are being constructed.
Unjust Criticism.
Care and forethought have been exer-
clsed by the commission. and nothing has
| rnHa "a N
their refusal either to go ahead too fast
or to be deferred by the fear of criticism
! curious to note the fact that many of
the most severe critics of the commission
| criticise them for precisely opposite rea-
| sons, some complaining bitterly that the
work is not in a more advanced condi-
| ton, while the others complain that II has
been rushed with such haste that there
has been insufficient preparation for the
hygiene and comfort of the employees.
AS matter of fact neither criticism is
just. II would have been impossible, to
go quicker than the commission has
gone. for such quickness would have
meant insufficient preparation. On the
other hand, to refuse to do anything UNI
til every possible future contingency had
been met would have caused wholly un-
warranted delay: The right course to
been followed Every. reasonable prepare
ton was made in advance, the hygienC
conditions in especial being made as
nearly perfect as possible: while on the
other hand there has been no timid re-
fusai to push forward the work because
of inability to anticipate every possible
emergency. for. of course, many defects
can only be shown by the working of the
system in actual practice.
Iuasmuch as so many both OF the white
and colored employees have brought theil
families with them, schools have beer
established, the school service being un
der Mr.. O'Connor. For the white pupils
white American teachers are employed
for the colored pupils there are also some
white American teachers, one Spanish
teacher, and one colored American teach
er. most of them being colored teacher:
from Jamaica, Barbados and st. Lucia
The schoolrooms We're good, and 1t was
q pleasant thing to see the pride that tn,
teachers We're taking in their work anC
their pupils.
Care OF Employees.
Next In Importance to the problem o
sanitation, and indeed now of equal i'm
portance, is the problem of securing anC
caring for the mechanics. laborers ant
other employees who actually do the worl
on the canal and the railroad. This grea
task has been under the control of Mr.
been well done. At present there ar
some 5000 white employees and som
10000 colored employees on the isthmus
went over the different places wher
the different kinds of employees wer
working, | think | saw representative
of every type both at their work and !,
their homes, and | ConverSed with prob
ably "A couple of hundred of them al
told, choosing them at random iron
every class ana lnCluulllS tnOSe VINO cam
especially to present certain grievance
olmost invariably expressed far create
content and satisfaction with the con
dltions than did those who called t
Nearly 5000 OF the white employees ha
come from the United States No ma
can see these young, vigorous me
energetically doing their duty withou
, "A thrill of pride in them as Americans
. , They represent on the average "a hig
class Doubtless to congress the wage
, paid them viii seem high, but as a mat
, ter of fact the only general complain
which / found had any real basis anon
! | the complaints made to me upon TN
, | isthmus was that, owing to the peculil
/ surroundings. the cost of living, and IN
| distance from home, the vases wer
. really net as high as they should be. !
. / fact, almost every man ! spoke TO te
, + that he ought to be receiving NOR
/ money-a view however, which the aver
: age man who stays at home in IN
United States probably likewise hold
I as regards himself. ! append figures G
the wages paid so that the congress ca
judge the matter for itself Later | sha
| confer ON the subject with certain repre-
, sentative labor men here In the Unite
! states. as we'll as going over with Nj
/, stevens the comparative wages paid o
+ the zone and at home; and | may the
, . communicate my findings to the can;
O. ruNf,