The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-01
COOLIES Ar PANAMA.
Experiences e1 an Employer on the Congo
Railroad.

To THE Enron or THE SUs-Siri In iaa2.
living In Hongkona, ] was appointed general
agent In China for the COmpaanie du themin
dc Fer du Congo Of BRUSSELS, Belgium. MI
Henry foumyer, Minister Pienlpotenttary 20
ChlnB. wGs then alive. and IL was que 70 ms
representations, coupled with details ana
estimates furnished by me. that the Congo
Railway Company, after having tried laborers
from half n dozen different countries. lncluo.
ing blacks from the Senegal. finally decided
10 employ Chinese coolies. / was commis-
stoned 10 charter q steamer, j chartered tbe
Wuotan. Capt. OFT. and DESPATCHED her from
Macao, Portuguese China, with a fun com
plement OF coolies.
The mems welfare was looked after In
every respect. Chinese physicians accom-
panied them 10 their destination, Bona.
then, as now, the capital OF the Congo Free
State. the steamer was fitted up specifically
for their comfort, and nothing was left I'M
done to make the ventureN success.
The coolies proved splendid laborers. IN
t~elliRent and industrious, but although eur-
rounded with every safeguard as 70 tneir
personal comfort the notorious climate OF
the west coast OF Africa proved fatal to many
or course, there were then no sanitary ar
rangements OF any kind. Still. the Belgian
railroad has been for years a fdh dceorn pit. Y
and 80 far as 1 know the Chinese coolies dio
II, those that survived. And now this leade
me up TO our national undertaking. the build
ing OF the Panama Canal. ~
or course. the two undertakings, namely, Unt
digging and building of the Panama Cana
and the building of the Congo railroad: can ony
be compared as matters In Kind. Where the
Congo Railroad Company used 900 Chinese
coolies the Government would have TO employ
a great many thousands Of Chinese. as the
work that has TO be done at the lsthmus y
incomparably greater; but ] predict; and !
hope 1 am not too presumptuous In putting my,
self on record, that without the importation O.
Chinese coolie labor the big ditch, so-called!
will never become q reality.
From all 1 have learned from official and
private sources the sanitary aTrang ementa
which our Government has carried out are
short space Of time since the United states
purchased the concession from the French
bondholders, and 1t is consequently reason;
able to assume that II Chinese are imported
their mortality will be very much less than
that experienced at the Congo,
The coolies / shipped to Bona received a
daily wage of $50 francs, and were fed by the
railroad company for which n trifing, charge
was made to the debit Of each coolies &C
count. They signed an agreement, before
selves to stay at the Congo for two years,
when, at their option. they were, to be returned
free Of charge TO port Of embarkation. Their
passage out to West Africa was also paid by
the railroad company,
Each man before. he was put on board the
and If not passed by the doctor was rejected:
on the other hand there was absolutely no
compulsion: the men accepted went, OF
their own free Will; interpreters explalned
to them what was expected Of them, and
each mar. received a copy in English and
which he made his contract.
NEW YORK, Feb. 20. JULIAN RUBRN.