The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1906-10-19
TODIG CANAL
BY CONTRACT
Government Issues Invitation for
Bids on Excavating Work.
CANNOT AVOID MONOPOLY
Only Wealthy Men or Corporations
Controlling at Least Five Millions
VIII Be- Expected TO Figure.

Invitations for proposals to COM
plete The Panama canal were issued
at Washington Tuesday the canal
commission and the form of contract
under which the work is to be done
was made public by Chairman Shonts,
who also gave out a letter written to
the secretary Of war, giving the COM
missions reasons for contracting the
work. The contract provides that each
bidder must Undertake the entire work
of construction. No bar will be Of
fered to corporations associating in
the undertaking, but they mast be
legally organized into a single body
with which the government can deal.
Bidders vii not be considered who
do not have capital of $5,00O,O00. A
bond OF 100000 is required with each
proposal ana bond of $3,0O0,0O0 will
be required fpm the successful bid
der. The bidding is not limited to
American contractors. ali proposals
are to be in before noon Of December
y, when they will be opened.~,
Proposals are to be expressed~iin
terms of percentage upon the estiR
mated cost Of construction, which is
to be fixed by board of five engi-
neers.
The chief engineer of the canal com
mission is to be chairman of the en-.
cheering board.
The engineering board win also es-
innate reasonable time for the com.
pietion of the canal and will agree
upon a system Of premiums and pen
alties to be handed to the contractor
according as the work is completed
within or beyond the estinaated cost
or time
The contract specifies that the COM
mission is to retain control of. all en-
gineering work in connection with
the taxation of the canal, also munio
ipal engineering, the police, sanitary
hospital and commissary departments,
mess houses, quarters construction
and maintenance Of buildings. opera
ton Of the Panama railway.
Sixty days after signing the con-
tract actual work is to begin On the
isthmus. No American employee is to
work more than eight hours.
Chairman shonts defends the per-
centage system Of payment in his let
ter to Secretary Taft as follows:
"This plan is being employed in
creasingly by the Oldest, largest and
most successful corporations in the
country.
"The government will get the bene-
fit Of the combined Efforts of the best
and most experiences contractors in
the world, each in chlrge of a depart
ment in which he is specialist and
co-operating with otter specialists.
"The government will secure the
co-oneration of thee contractors in
keeping mechanics of all classes.
CIV retaining cntrol Of the work
and exercising trict supervision
through it's engineering force, the
government will pptect itself against
7eap or faulty wirk.
THE contract vii be mora flexible.
.nally tornlinatio OF the contract,
ould it become recessary, will be
IS disastrous to the contractors,
lie rssumption O work would be
sier to the government on account
!. its close relations thereto."
The canal, under tie contract, can
be constructed witt better results
than it can be donf by the govern.
ment, Secretary shoEs says. II would
take the commission years to get
men and build up deartments equal
to those now controlld by the lead
ing contractors, accor6ng to the let
fc~