The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1906-12-22

license law which goes into effect on
Jan. next will probably close four
ffths OF them. Resolute and success
full efforts are being made TO minimize
and control the sale OF liquor
Care Of Employees.
Next In importance TO the problem
Of sanitation. and indeed now Of equal
importance. Is the problem OF securing
and caring for the mechanics. laborers
and other employees who actually do
the work on the canal and the rail-
road. This great task on the whole
has been well done. At present there
are some 5000 white employees and
some 10000 colored employees on the
isthmus. Nearly 5000 OF the white
employees had come from the United
States. No man can see these young,
vigorous men energetically doing their
duty without a thrill of pride In them
as Americans. They represent on the
average high class. The white
Americans are employed, some OF
them in Office work. but the majority
In handling the great steam shovels,
as engineers and conductors on the
dirt trains as machinists ia the great
repair shops, as carpenters and time
keepers. superintendent and foremen
OF divisions and OF gangs. and so on
and so on. The bachelors among the
employees live sometimes in small sep.
arate houses, sometimes in large
houses; quarters being furnished free
to all the men. married and unmar-
ried The housewives purchase their
supplies directly or through their hus-
bands from the commissary stores OF
the commission. All TO whom spoke
agreed that the supplies were excellent,
and all but two stated that there was
no complaint to be made: these two
complained that the prices were exces,
sive as compared to the prices in the
States. On investigation did not feel
that this complaint was we'll founded.
The married men ate at home. The
unmarried men sometimes ate az pri-
vate boarding houses or private
messes, but more often. Judging by
the answers OF those whom question
ed, at the government canteens or
hotels where the meal costs 30 cents
20 each employee This 30-cent meal
struck me as being as good a meal
as we get in the United States at the
ordinary hotel in which a 50-cent meal
is provided. I myself took dinner at
the La Boca government hotel. no
warning whatever having been given
OF my coming. My meal was excel.
lent I came to the conclusion that,
speaking generally. there was no war
rant for complaint about the food. ]
was given TO understand that one real
cause OF complaint was that at the
government hotels no liquor is served,
and some OF the drinking men, there
fore, refused TO go to them. The num-
Der of men using the government ho-
tells is steadily increasing.
Chinese and Other Labor.
or the 10000 or 10000 day laborers
employed on the canal. few hundred
are Spaniards. These do excellent
work. Their foremen told me that
they did twice as well as the West
India laborers. They keep healthy
and no difficulty is experienced with
them in any way. Some italian labor
ers are also employed In connection
with the drilling. As might be expect
ed with labor "a high priced as at
present in the United States. II has
not SO far proved practicable TO get
any ordinary laborers from the United
States. The American wage-workers
on the isthmus are the highly paid
skilled mechanics of the types men.
toned previously. A steady effort Is
being made 90 secure Italians and
especially TO procure more Spaniards,
because OF the very satisfactory re
suits that have come from their en-
ploymont: and their numbers viii be
increased as far as possible. II has
not proved possible, however. 70 ret
them IN anything like the numbers
needed for the work and from pres
ent appearances we shall In the main
have To rely for the ordinary unsklled
work partly upon colored laborers
from the West indies. partly upon
Chinese labor. II certainly ought to
be unnecessary to point out that the
American workingman IN the United
States has no concern whatever In the
question as 10 whether the rough work
on the isthmus, which is performed by
aliens In any event. Is done by aliens
from one country with black skin
or by aliens from another country with
n yellow skin. Our business Is TO dig
the canal az efficiently aud as quickly
as possible: provided always that
nothing is done that IL inhumane to-
any laborers. and nothing that inter
feres with the wages OF or lowers the
standard OF living OF our own work
men. Having In view this principle,
I have arranged TO try several thou
sand Chinese laborers This is de-
sirable both because we must try to
find out what laborers are most Of
ficlent. and. furthermore. because we
should not leave ourselves at the mer-
cy OF any ono type OF foreign labor.
At present the great bulk OF the un.