The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-18


ability to anticipate every possible emer-
gency, for. of course, MANY defects can
only be shown by the working of the
system in actual practice
In addition TO attending to the health
of the employees. il 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 | questioned some twenty or thirty
of these men, taking them at random.
They were a fine set, physically and III
discipline. With one exception all the
white men ] questioned had served in the
American army, usually in the Philip
pines, and belonged To the best type Of
American soldier. Without exception the
black policemen whom I questioned had
served either in the British army or IN
the Jamaica or Barbados police. They
were evidently contented, and were doing
their work we'll. Where possible the
policemen are used to control people of
their own color, but In any emergency no
hesitation is felt In using them indis-
criminately.
Inasmueh as SO many both of the white
and colored employees have brought their
families with them, schools have been
established, the school service being I'M
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 eolored teachers
from Jamaica, Barbados and st. Lucia.
The school rooms were good and it was a
pleasant thing to see the pride that the
teachers were taking In their work and
their pupils.
There seemed to me to be too many sa-
looms in the zone: but the new high
license law which goes into effect on jan
uary / next will probably close four
. fifths of them. Resolute and successful
efforts are being made TO minimize and
control the sale of liquor-.
The cars on the passenger trains on the
isthmus are divided into first and second
class, the difference being marked in the
price of tickets. As a rule second-class
passengers are colored and flrst-class pas
sengers white; but in every train which |
saw there were a number of white second
class passengers, and on two of them
there were colored ffrst-class passengers.
Care of Employees.
Next in Importance to the problem of
sanitation, and indeed now of equal I'M
portance, is the problem of securing and
caring for the mechanics. laborers and
other employees who actually do the work
on the canal and the railroad This great
task has been under the control of Mr..
Jackson Smith, and on the whole has been
well DONE AT present there are some
5000 white employees and some 1900 col
ored employees ON the isthmus. | went
over the different places where the diff
ferent kinds of employees were working;
| think | saw representatives of every
type both at their work and i'm their
homes: and I eonversed with probably a
couple of hundred of them all told, ehoos-
ing them at random from every class and
including those who came especially to
present certain grievances. | found that
those who did not come specifically to
present grievances almost invariably eX-
prest far greater content and satisfaction
with the conditions than did those who
called to make complaint.
Nearly 5000 of the white employees had
come from the United States. No man
can see these young, vigorous men ener~
getically doing their duty without thrill
of pride in them as Americans. They rep
resent on the average high class. Doubt
less to Congress the wages paid them will
seem high, but as a matter of fact tho
only general complaint which | found had
any real basis among the complaints made
to me upon the isthmus was that, owing
to the peculiar surroundings, the cost of
living, and the distance from home, the
wages were really not high as they
should be. In fact, almost every man |
spoke to felt that he ought to be receiving
more money-a view, however, which the
average man who stays at home In the
United States probably likewise holds as
regards himself. l append figures of the
wages paid, so that the Congress can
judge the matter for itself. Later | shall
confer on the subject with certain repre-
sentative labor men here in the United
States, as well as going over with Mr..
Stevens, the comparative wages paid on
the zone and at home; and | may then
communicate my findings to the canal
committees of the two houses
Quarters Good and Satisfactory.
The white Americans are employed.
some of them in office work, but the
majority in handling the great steam
sbovels, as engineers and conductors on
the dirt trains. as machinists in the great
repair shops, carpenters and timekeep-
ers, superntendents, and foremen of di-
visions and of gangs. and so on and SO ON.
Many of them have brought down their
wives and families; and the children
when not in school are running about
and behaving precisely as the American
small boy and small girl behave at home.
The bachelors among the employees live,
sometimes in small separate houses,
sometimes in large houses; quarters being
furnished free to all the men, married
and unmarried. Usually the bachelors
sleep two in a room, as they would do
In this country. l found few cases where
three We're in a room; and | was told of,
altho / did not see, large rooms in which
four were sleeping; for it is not pos
sible in what Is really a cast system of
construction camps always to provide IN
advance as ample house room as the COM
mission intend later to gives In one case,
where the house was an old French house
with leak In the roof, | did not think
the accommodations were good. But in
every other case among the scores of
houses / entered at random the accom-
moda lions were good every room was
neat and clean, usually having books,
magazines and small ornaments; and in
short just such a room as a self-respect-
ing craftsman would ge bad to live in
at home. The quarters for the married
people were even better. Doubtless there
must be here and there a married couple
who, with or without reason, are not
contented with their house on the 18TH
mus, but | never happened to strike
such a couple. The wives of the steam
carpenters into whose houses | went, all
with one accord exprest their pleasure in
their home life and surroundings. Indeed
| do not think they could have done 9TH
erwise. The houses themselves were ex-
cellent-bath room, sitting room, piazza
and bed rooms being all that could be
desired. In every house which ] happened
to enter the mistress of the home was
evidently a good American housewife and
helpmate, who had given to the home life
that touch of attractiveness which. of
course, the bachelor quarters neither had
nor could have.
Food Supplies. A Thirty-cent Meal.
Tho housevives nurc base their sunnlies