The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-18

age of 800 unskilled laborers native of
Spain on the isthmus since March l,
only one has died from disease. With
such a satisfactory showing as IS al
forded by the actual statistics for the
past few months, | am inclined To the
opinion that we would be warranted III
extending invitations for unskilled labor
from the United States, dependent, now
ever. upon the execution Of the policy
outlined i'm the foregoing paragraph, That
proper quarters be first provided.
With reference to the feeding of the
oolored laborers and to the suggestions
relating thereto in your letters, that we
get up government messes, importing, II
necessary. man and wife from the West
India Islands to do the cooking and the
caring for the messes, and forcing the
negroes to eat at the messes, l beg to
say that instructions were issued while
You We're on the isthmus not only to IN
stall sufficient facilities for the furnish
ing of cooked meals at 10 cents each,
but that a ration be offered for sale IN
the eommissary stores, the constituent
parts of which shall be the same as the
cooked meal, the price fixt to be equiv
alent to that of the cooked meal less the
cost of preparing and serving the same.
The Inauguration of this policy was an
nounced by posting in all commissioners
and labor camps the schedule OF such
ration and that it was now available Tor
purchase.
In this connection it may be stated
that, as a means of more effectively pro-
vidng proper nourishment to its un-
skilled labor, the commission, several
months ago. authorized the chief en-
gineer, in future emplOyments OF labor, 10
adopt the policy of fixing the wage with
the understanding that certain amount
was to be deducted for meals to be FUR
mis- nv 40
engineer was authorized to put this pol
icy in effect at such time as was deemed
best. Since that time the commission
has further DISGUST the feasibility OF
adopting the policy of fixing the wage at
a certain figure and furnishing meals
free, without further payment, such
meals to be part of the total wage
earned by the laborer. 1t is the inten-
ton, on January 15 to put in effect a
new wage scale for the present 20-cents-
per-hour laborers under which the daily
wage shall include subsistence. The
construction of kitchens for feeding all
bachelor employees is being pushed to
the utmost. Your suggestion that it
might be well to bring man and wife
from the West India istands to do the
cooking and caring for the messes, Will
be carefully gone into and it is very
probable that it can be adopted, and that
it will prove to be a step in the right di-
rection.
With respect to your request that re-
port be made relative to a more ample
supply of vans for the colored laborers,
| beg to say that while you were on the
isthmus purchase orders were placed by
cable for an increased supply of vans
and other West Indian products and that
meantime the subsistence department
has been able to meet the demands Tor
this class of food stuff with what 1t was
a l1l 10
mus.
With respect to your statement that
the very large sick rate among the ne
groes seems to show that an effort
should be made to teach them some OF
the principles of personal hygtene-not-
ably, having one suit of underciothing to
work in and another to sleep inland
your inquiry whether or not a plan en-
bodying this feature can be formulated
and an effort made to operate II, l peg
10 say that some time ago, because OF
the prevalence of pneumonia among the
negroes, the question arose of furnish
ing this class of labor on arrival with
suit of Undertaking and light blanket.
1t was the consensus of opinion that
such n policy. if possible of proper exc
cution would bring desirable results.
but ii was not felt that the commission
was authorized to furnish this extra
suit of clothing gratis. Furthermore,
such action would possibly be the first
step toward clothing the employees We
were not in a position to force the TWEEN
ty-five thousand negro laborers already
on the isthmus to purchase such add
| tional clothing although it might be
/ made condition In future labor con-
| tracts.
| 1t has been ascertained that a large
| percentage of the arriving laborers are
| already supplied with change of UNI
| derclothing and do change their clothes
| frequently and it must be admitted that
| If all of them were supplied with such
| extra suit it would be extremely difficult
| to enforce changes of clothing at proper
| intervals if the laborers were not in
| clined so to do after being advised OF
| the beneficial effects thereof.
| This matter will, however, be taken up
| de novo, with n view of instillng in la
| borers the general principals of personal
! hygiene. and of seeing If plan cannot
| be formulated. with the cooperation OF
! the laborers, to accomplish the end de-
sired.
With respect to your inquiry as to
what has been and is being done in the
| very important matter of providing rec
reation and amusement for the men, L
beg to say that the commission has made
| some progress in its efforts to provide
| means of amusement and recreation for
| its employees, but not so much as
| would have been the case had il not been
for the continued stress of work of more
vital Importance, such as the creation of
| proper housing and feeding facilities.
| The commission has authorized the con-
struction of club houses at a cost not
| to exceed $500 each, and four are now
in process of constructon-at Culebra,
Empire, Gorgona and Crstobal Two of
these at Culebra and Empire. will be
| ready for use early in 1907. The four
| structures are alike in design They
| provide n front building of two stories
| connected with a rear building of one
story The front building, which will be
1873 feet by 40 feet. will contain social
| parlor, card room, billiard and a
writing room on the first floor, and an
| assembly hall 81 feet by q feet, free
| from any columns TO break the dancing
| spance on the second floor. The rear
] building which will be 100 feet by rs
| feet. will contain double bowling alleys
| 100 feet long a gymnasium % feet long,
shower baths, and over hundred single
| lockers.
| A comprehensive plan has been de-
| vsed whereby the commission working
/ in conjunction with the Young Mems
| Christian association. will manage these
| and other similar buildings in the chief
| labor centers Each club will have a
| hoard of directors selected from its own
! membership, but all clubs will be under
| The control so far as broad principles
| are concerned. of n general board to he
| selected by the commission. Authirty
| has been given by the commission for the
| construction of a suitable number of APP
! propriate buildings TO accommodate prop