The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-12-18

P'S'"1S mace 10 me upon the
isthmus was that, owing to the pecu-
Tar surroundings, the cost Of tivino
ana tne distance from home the
wages were really not high as
tney shouio be. IN fact almost every
man Z spoke to felt that he ouoht %
De receiving more money! view
however, which the AVERAGE man who
stays at home IN the United States
himself
Chinese Labor.
The President thus speaks ~ Chinese
OF the nineteen or twenty thousand lay
laborcrs employed on tbs. canal a few
hundred are Spaniards These DO excel
lent work. Their foreman told me that
thcy did twice as well as the West India
ia.9rers. Ihey keep healthy and no
oitncuity Is experienced with them in any
way some Italian laoorers are also elu-
ployed "a connection with the drilling
As might be expected with labor as high
priced as at present in the United States
II has not So FAR proved practicable 10
get any ordinary laborers from the United
States The American wage workers Ola
the isthn-s are the highly paid skilled
mechanics % the types mentioned pre-
Viousiy. A steady effort Is being made 90
secure Italians. and especially TO procure
more SlanlardS because OF the very SAT-
isfactorv results that have come from
their employment. and their numbers will
be increased as FAR as possible. IL has
not proved possible, however. 10 get
them in any thing like the numbers
needed FOR tie work. anJ from present
appearances We shall in the main have
10 rely, for the ordinary unskllled work
partly upon colored laborers from the
West indies, partly upon Chinese labor.
II certainly ought 10 be unnecessary TO
point out that the American WOrkingman
in tho 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 "a yellow skin. our business
is 70 dig the canal as efficiently and as
quickly IS possible provided always that
nothing is done that is inhuman to any
laborers and nothing that interferes with
The wages Of or lowers the standard OF
living OF our own workmen.
Having IN View this principle,
have arranged to try several thous-
and Chinese laborers. This Is de-
SRA bic both because we must try 10
find out what laOorers are most etfi-
Client, and furthermore because We
should not leave ourselves at the
mercy Of any one type OF foreign
labor. At present the great bulk OF
the unSkllied labor on the isthmus Is
done BY West india negroes, chiefly
from Jamaica. Barbados, and the
other English possessions. One OF the
governors OF the lands In question
has shown an unfriendy disposition
to our work, and has thrown obsta-
ces In the way OF our getting the
labor needed; and II Is highly unde-
sIrabIe to give any outsiders the I'M
preston, hoWeVr III founded. that
they Indispensable and can die
tate terms to Us.
The West India laborers are fairly. but
only fairly. satisfactory. Some Of tho
men DO very well indeed; the better
class. who are 10 be round as foremen.
as skilled mechanics, as policemen are
good men; and many OF the ordinary dav
y bOrers are also good. But thousands
% those who are brought over under con-
tract cat our eXpense) go on into the
jungle 70 live or loaf around Colon, or
work SO badly after the first three or four
days as to cause serious diminution Of
the amount Of labor performed on Friday
and Saturday OF each week. questioned
, many Of these Jamaica laborers as to
the conditions Of their work and what. II
any changes they wished. I received
many complaints from them. but az re-
CARDS most 81 these complaints they
themselves contradicted one another.
Steam Shovels.
The Presidents we'll known admiration
for the steam shovel IS evinced IN the
| following language.
Thc main work Is now being done I'm
the Culebra cut. Tt was striking and I'm
/ pressive to see the huge steam shoveis
| I'm full play the dumping trains carry
! ing away the rock ana earth they dis
! lodged. The implements OF French OK
cavLtiug machinery. which often stand "A
| little way from the line Of work though
| OF excellent construction look like the
Veriest toys when compared with these
| new steam shoves Just as the French
dumping cars seem Ike toy cars when
! compared with the long trains of huro
cars. dumped by steam plows which are
now IN use. This represents the enor-
nous advance that has been made In
machinery during the past quarter Of "a
! century. No doubt a quarter Of "a CEN
| fury hence this new machinery OF
which We are now proud, will SINH
| larly seem out Of date but il is certainly
| serving its purpose we'll now. Tho ola
| French cars has to he entirely discarded
| We stil have IN use a few Of the mora
modern. but not most modern cars
which hold but twelve yards Of earth
They can bc employed on certain lines
| with sharp curves. But the recent cars
| hold from twenty-five TO thirty wards
| ariece. and instead % the old clumsy.
methods OF. unloading them. n steam pillow
Is drawn from end to end Of the whole