The Washington times., 1906-01-25

Chief Engineer John +. Stevens, of
the Panama canal in his testimony be-
fore the Senate committee. which was
delivered in secret session. and has not
heretofore been made public, recon-
mended that the canal should be built
under private contract; that Chinese
labor should be employed; that the ex-
tension Of the eight-hour law 10 the
work On the isthmus be repealed.
He thought that the lock canal could
be built within the original estimate of
cost. and that the greatest problem in
constructing it was the one of labor.
The engineering and CONSTITUTIONAL
dimculties melt into insignifcance com
pared with labor THAT Is the question
today" lie said he regarded one Canton
Chinaman as worth two of the colored
lah0rers now employed on the canal.
From a hygienic and climatic stand
point il would be entirely possible for
American white and colored labor to be
utilized there, but it was not practi-
cable to get them. so the question Of
whether they could do the work was
not worth discussing.
Neither the importation Of Chinese nor
the abolition Of the eiEht-hour law
could hurt the American Iaborer. while
the continuation of the latter regulation
would increase the cost of the canal %
per cent. and the American laborer
would be taxed TO pay for il.
The Work Accomplished.
Senator German asked whether it was
correct that although S26. 600 600 had been
appropriated to run the work until next
June, there was nothing Vet accomplish
ed toward the construction of the canal.
except the sanitation of the zone and
the putting Of the railroad into condi-
lion 10 d the work.
Mr.. Stevens replied that in addition
o10 yards of material had been re
moved, quarters for the men furnished,
supplies and equipment purchased, and
the technical work Of surveys com
pleted.
can you state whether any money
has been squandered OF misa pprOprlat-
ed?" asked Senator Hopkins
L do not know OF any" was the re-
ply.
do you mean to say" asked Mr. Cor
man. that IN that project, spending
that money down there, YOU have not
made mistakes that have cost us thou
sands OF dollars?'
Il do not recall any now.' responde..
the witness
Undoubtedly there have been mis-
takes made. for of course mistakes
viii be made and know I have made
them many times myself
Senator German said he was not crit
ieising anybody, "But il would be
strange with such a condition of things
as exists down there II mistakes We're
not made"
Speaking Of the old French equip
InenI ne found when ne went To the
isthmus. Ma Stevens said: Il wallld
Ia he an 2 -Tarr. a.1
river or burn II as quickly as / would
undertake 70 use 20 in operating that
plant IL is absolutely unsuited for
us this story true?" asked Senator
Morgan, that trains and engines used
by the French are still 10 be dug out
OF the ground there in some places2'
French Machinery Galore.
81 presume SO" witness replied
''There is not a place along the whoie
zone there, within any reasonable dis
tance of the canal, but that YOU can
find some French machinery.
Former Chief Engineer Wallace had
bought 300 new steel dump cars Half
of them have been delivered on the
isthmus in sections, and up 70 date, 4"
said the witness, eve have succeeded
In erecting about sixty or seventy of
them"
Mr. stevens found them unsatisfac-
tory in actual use, because wet mate
rial would stick 10 them and would not
dump So he ordered 500 fiat cars.
which could be unloaded with plow.
These viii be delivered within the next
six months, as well as 120 first-class
engines.
The question of the Culebra cut, wit
ness said is a question of the dispo-
siti0n of the material. If I had all
the steam shovels in the world, all the
(Cnntinued ON Second PareN