The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1906-09-25
PANAMA RED TAPE
RAILROAD MAN SAYS 1T HAMPERS
THE WORK.
Declares That Government Gets One
Hours work in Eight, and WIN
Never Build the Canal Under
Present system.

Boston Herald.
Uncle Sam will never build the PAN
anna Canal by day labor. If the canal
is to be finished at all the work must
be let out TO contractors" said Harry
Lee Russell yesterday to a Herald re-
porter. Mr.. Russell is assistant master
mechanic of the Panama Railroad and
has been on the isthmus since 1875,
except during the war with Spain.
when. as master machinist of the
Maine, he was blown up in the explo-
sion of that battleship. He Is spend
ing his holidays in Boston, and will
return shortly to take up his work
again.
why is this so? Because under
present conditions there is too much
red tape in the work. 1t takes con-
tractor to get good eight hours work
for his money, and the commission Is
getting one good hours work day
out of the Jamaica negro laborcrs
they employ, instead of the eight they
pay for. I tell you frankly that with
present methods that canal will never
be finished in my lifetime nor that
of the present generation.
THE United States mas already
spent over 100000, 900 there, and what
have we got? A fairly well equipped
double track rnilroad, between forty
seven to fifty miles in length; big
docks, steamship line and some slight
advance on the work the French did
toward digging the canal We havo
been using the French work in the
Culebra cut and are down now 200
feet 1t will take $50 feet moro to
bring 1t down to the necessary level,
all this through the solid rock. All
the work at present Is at, Labor cut,
about sixteen miles cast of the city
of Panama
Labor Problem the Greatest.
THE great problem there is the Ia
Dor problem: 1t is not yellow fever,
as the public here is led to believe.
on the isthmus. l have seen only tive
cases In two years What is called
yellow fever is enagres fever, and is
contracted by exposure to rain. but
this is not considered fatal If proper
precautions are taken. The sanitary
conditions there are excellent, thanks
chiefly to Surgeon Major Gorgas. They
nave good hospitals at Anson and Co
lombo, and 400 American trained nurses
Doctors make the rounds each day
among the men and administer pre-
ventives against fever
But, as l said. the labor problem
| is the most troublesome We have
from 5000 to 10000 men at work
there. about 1000 whites and the rest
| Jamaican negroes or negroes from
the Barbados One white man is worth
twenty Jamaican negroes; for they are
lazy, impudent ana good for nothing
There were from 5000 to 10000 strand
ed in Panama when the French Vacat-
| ed, amt they had TO be transported
back by the British government. NOW
| each laborer must deposit rs shillings
TO insure return passage before he can
leave Kingston to go TO the isthmus
| OF course, all the actual digging and
such labor is done by the negroes; they
are only ones who can stand the heat
The Americans and the Pansman
whites are mostly clerks. mechanics
or skilled machinists. a great number
| of Spaniards have been imported re-
gives an honest days work. have
1 had experience of coolie labor. and
Gently, and there is talk OF securing
coolie labor. for a ChinamuM usually
think that it would pay them well.
Red Tape Bars Chances.
| The whites are paid in gold, the
negroes are paid in Panama silver
which is worth only half its face value
in American silver. Machinists get 90
cents an hour: painters so cents. and
so do carpenters; laboTers 40 cents an
| hour, and steam shovel men get from
$3.50 to 1915 per month. and, of course
! free quarters are given TO all. But
should not advise any mechanic TO &C
from the States q Panama on a
| chance Let him secure his berth be-
| fore starting, for there is so much pol
! tiles in the administration of the work
it difficult in getting a decent job I'M
/ 1t difficult in getting decent Job IN
less he applies TO Washington first
THE quarters for the workmen are
good, particularly at Christopher Co
lombo, and there is a station of 5OC
| marines AT Camp Elfiott to maintain
order The government has also es
tablished a commissionary that sup
plies everything reasonable at cost
but most of the employees there ar
negroes, which should be remedied.
ION the railroad that crosses tn