Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-12-18

one hand : secure to the contractor
sufficient enumeration to make il
worth while for responsible contractors
of the best kind to undertake the work;
and provided on tho other hanI it can
be done on terms which will not give
an excessive profit to the contractor at
the expense of the government. After
much cons :, ration The plan already
promulgated ~ the secretary of war
was adopte,. This plan in it's essential
features was drafted, after ,areful and
thorough stu-y anC consideration, by
the chief engineer, Mr.. Stevens, who,
while i'm the employment of Mr. Hill,
the president of the Great Northern
railroad, had personal experience of
this very type of contract. Mr.. Stevens
then submitted the plan to the chair
man of the commission, Mr. ShontS,
who went carefully Cver it with Mr..
Rogers, the 'o"al adviser of the COM
mission, to ;ct that all legal difficulties
were met. He then submitted copies
of the plan to both Secretary Taft and
myself. Secretary Taft submitted 1t to
some of the best counsel at the New
York bar, and afterwards L went over
it very carefully with Mr.. Taft and Mr..
Shonts, and we laid the AN in it's
general features before Mr. Root. My
conclusion is that it combines the max
imum of advantage with the minimum
of disadvantage. Under it a premium
will be put upon the speedy and
economical construction of the canal,
and a penalty imposed on delay and
waste. The plan as promulgated is
tentative; doubtless it will have to be
changed in some respects before we
can come to a satisfactory agreement
with responsible ontractors-perhaps
even after The bids have been received;
and of course it is possible that we
cannot come to an agreement, il which
case the government will do the work
itself Meanwhile the work on the
Isthmus is progro ssing steadily and
without any let-up
Single Commissioner Desired
A seven-headed commission is of
course a clumsy executive instrument
We should have but one commissioner,
with such heads of departments and
other officers under him as we may find
necessary. We should be expressly
permitted to employ tie best engineers
in the country as consulting engineers.
l accompany this paper with a map
showing substantially what the canal
will be like when it is finished. When
the Culebra cut has been made and the
dams built Gf they are built as at
present proposed) there will then be at
both the Pacific and Atlantic ends of
the canal two great fresh water lakes,
connected by a broad channel running
at the bottom of ravine, across the
backbone of the y. estern hemisphere.
Those best informed believe that the
work will be completed in about eight
years; but 1t Is never safe 20 prophesy
about such work as this, especially
in the tropics.
1 am informed that representatives
of the commercial clubs of four cities
Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati and ST.
Louis-the membership Of which in
cludes most of the leading business
men of those cities, expect to visit the
lsthmus for he purpose Of examining
the work of construction of the canal
am glad to hear 1t, and shall direct
that every facility be given them to
see all that is to be seeN in the work
which the government is doing. Such
interest as a visit like this ould in
dictate will have a goo7 effect upon
the men who are doi-.g ,Ae work, on
one hand. while ON the other hand IL
will offer as witnesses OF the exact
conditions m'n whose experience as
business men and whose impartiality
will make the result of their observa-
tions of value TO the country as a
whole.
OF the success of the enterprise L am
as well convinced as one can be OF any
enterprise that Is human.
Confident of Ultimate Success
1t is stupendous work upon which
our fellow Countrymen are engaged