The Citizen. [volume] (American Fork, Utah) 1903-1912, 1906-12-22

complained OF. and that the trouble was
mainly due to the extreme difficulty, and
place for the constant Increase in the
numbers of employees. Generally the pro.
vision is made In advance, but 1t Is not
possible that this should always be the
case; when II Is not there ensues a
period of time during which the condi-
tons are unsatisfactory, until a remedy
can be provided; but | never found a
case where the remedy was not being
provided as speedily as possible.
Improvements In Cities.
The sanitation work in the cities Of
Panama and Colon has been just as
important as In the zone itself. and In
many respects much more dithCult, 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
able to perceive In Colon the popula-
ton consists largely of COlOrcd labor
ers who. having come over from IN"
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 laborcrs.
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
streets that are to be paved at all are
already paved with an excellent brick
pavement lHlu III nfbNN concrete " low
OF the streets being still in process OF
paving. The Arwcr and water services
IN the city are of the most modern by
gienic type, some uf the service haN-
ing Just been completed.
In Colon the conditions are peculiar
and II Is Ms regards Colon that most Of
the very bitter complaint has been
made. Colon is built ON low coral
island, covered At more or less shallow
depths with vegetable denominations
or mold which affords sustrnance ana
strength to varieties of low
lying tropical plants. Ou"-hnlf OF IN"
surface OF the island Is covered with
/ water at high tide. the average height
of the land being ~ feet above low
tide. The slight undulatlons furnish
shallow. natural reservoirs or fresh
water breeding places for every varic-
~ OF mosquito. and the ground tends
| to be lowest In the middle. when the
town was originally built no attempt
was mad" to M the low ground. either
in the streets or on the building sites
| 80 that the entire surface was prnc-
| trallV dungtnire' when the uung
| mlre became impossible certain OF the
| streets were Crudelv improved hv MI
| ing especially bad mud holes with soft
rock or other material In september
| 1905. "A systematic effort was begun to
| formulate n general plan for the prop
or 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 ana pay
| ing OF the streets. some TOUR months
will be required before the work Of
| sewerage and street improvement viii
be completed, but the progress already
made lis very marked. bitches have
| been dug through the town, connecting
! the salt water on both sides, and into
| these the ponds which have served rs
breeding places for the mosquitoes, ar,
| their purpose, for they are probably
| the chief cause of the astonishing
! diminution Of mosquitoes. More bitches
] nj hind hniny constructed
Unjust Criticism.
Care and forethought have been eNcr-
| cised 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 going ahead fast enough. II IL
| curious to note the fact that many OF
the most severe critics OF the commission
critlcise them for precisely opposite rea-
sons, some complaining bitterly that the
| work II not In more advanced condl-
! ton, while the others complain that IL has
been rushed with such haste that there
| has been insufficient preparation for the
| hygiene and comfort OF the employees
| As n matter OF fact neither criticism Is
just. IL 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 un.
III every possible future contingency had
been met would have caused wholly un'
warranted delay. The right course tn
been followed Every reasonable prepare
ton 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 re-
| fusai to push forward the work because
Of inability To anticipate every possible
| emergency, for, OF course, many deteCis
/ can only he shown by the working OF ia,
system In actual practice.
| Inasmuch Hs so many both OF the white
and colored employees have brought th"ii
! families with Them, schools have been
| established, the school service being w
der MIR. O'Connor. For the white pupli'
| white American teachers are employed
for the colored pupils there are also som,
| white American teachers, one spanish
teacher, aud one colored American teach
| or. most OF them being colored teacher'
! from Jamaica, Barbados ana 81, Lucia
/ The schoolrOoms were good. ana II wa
| u pleasant thing To see the pride thar th'
] teachers were taking IN their Work hh'
their pupils.
Care OF Employees.
Next In Importance to the problem o
sanitation. and indeed now OF equal I'm
/ pOrtance, IL the problem OF securing hh'
caring for the mechanics, laborerS IN,
on the canal and the railroad, TINS gfrh
! task has been under the control OF MI
Jackson smith. and on the Whole Whole n ar,
some 6.Op white employees ana SOM
| 1900 colored employees on the isthmus
| / went over the dinereW places WHERE
working, / think | saw representative,
| of every type both AT their work ana "
| their homes: and | conyersed win pron
/ ably "A couple OF hundred Of them al
| told. choosing them at random iron
every class and including those who can'
| especiully to present certain grievance
olnnst invariably expressed far great
| content and satisfaction WIN tue con
| ditlnus than did those VINO called
| make complaint, ~ A..
! Nearly 500 of the white employees hh'
| come from the United states, No MAJ
| can see these young, vigorous nl"'
| enrrgetically doing their duty wlthnu
"A thrll OF pride In them rs Americana
They represent on the average hlgl
| class Doubtless To congress the wax"
paid them will seem high but as nhl
ter OF fact the only general complain
which ! found had any real basis hmoul
the complaints made To me upon w
Isthmus was that owing 10 the p"cull !
! surroundings, the cost OF living, ana IN
distance from home, the wages Wti
realty not as high as they should be- u
/ fact almost every man | spuk" to Tel
/ thut he ought tO he receiving NOR
I mnnry-a view, however, which the aver
age man who stays AT home In ~
/ United states probably likewise hold
as regards himself | append figures q
/ the wages paid, so that the congress ca
/ fudge the matter for itself Later shal
/ CoTfrr ON the subject with certain r"pr"
sentative labor men here IN the Unite
. states as well as going over with NJ
7 stevens the comparative wages paid al
the zone and at home, ana | may the