New-York tribune., 1906-12-14
PROGRESS At PANAMA.
,STEYENS ENTHUSIASTIC.
Belief That Big Contracting Firms
VIII Make Bids IN Groups.
From The Tribune Bureau.I

vposbinrton Dec IS-The Isthmian Canal
c-ov,r,,ss,on IS receiving hundreds Of inquiries
from, interested persons in all parts of the
country who want to be informed about the
contracts for construction, which will be let
next month. To supply this demand for facts
and figures the commission has printed third
edition of one thousand copies of its circular
describing in detail the work TO be done. 1T
IS. of course. impossible to tell" said Leon Pep
herman chief of administration of the commits
sion. Just what proportion of these inquiries
have come from intending contractors. what
pronortion from document collectors and what
proportion from curious persons who have read
about the work in the newspapers and just
want to know about the details OF the canal
1 should guess. however. from the number of
contracting firms in the country that ought 10
be able to handle the job in piecemeal that we
Will set thirty or forty bids January II. when
they Will be opened. But until the day and the
hour specified will not really know any
more about 1t than you do. Half an hour be-
fore the hour set for opening bids we may not
have single one in the Office and ten minutes
before the expiration of the time are likely
to receive numbers of them by special messen-
ger"
1t is believed at the Office of the commission
that the big contracting firms of the country
which preparing to bid for the gigantic work
will make their bids in groups. Hardly a single
company in the land could handle unaided such
a colossal job the entire construction of the
canal. So it has been suggested and proba-
bly, will he accepted a good plan by the con-
tractors, that they form partnerships of four or
five companies each. which will enter into COM
petition with other groups for tho contract.
Chief Engineer John +. Stevens. who returned
from the isthmus three days ago, is enthusi-
astic over the progress made and iii prospect.
The rainy season is just about at an end on
the isthmuS,'' said Mr.. Stevens to The Tribune
correspondent to-day. "and have about six
teen thousand laborers at work the job who
Will be glad TO hail dry weather again. OF all
those We have at work. the Spaniards make the
best workmen The Negroes are not the best
on earth. especially the unmarried ones The
married men are steadier than the bachelors
and so we have offered all the inducements in
our power 10 lahprers having families. The
statement that the majority of the blacks on
the canal Jamaica Negroes is false AS a
matter Of fact very few Jamaica Negroes are
there. The majority Of our black Workmen
come from Barbados and Trinidad. We believe
that the more nations We have represented
among the workmen the better it will be for
Ihe canal. The competition among the races
Will. we think, help the work along.
The commissary is now in fine working or
DER and has been great comfort. Under the
system in vogue employees can get meals for
80 cents apiece at the dining halls. The laborers
may get their meals for 10 cents. and If they do
not wish TO buy the meals already cooked they
may purchase the ingredients that go into the
meals at a cheaper rate. We are feeding about
TWO thousand American employees at the 3O-cent
rate. If the employees do not wish 70 Datroniza
the restaurants the commission stores they
are not required to do There are plenty of
private concerns that are in business there Rut
5he me eStaolshment OF the government stores and
dining rooms has served the purpose of keeping
prices down to a reasona BILE point and g,1sran.
teelng the employees first class, wholesome food
and plenty of 1t"