The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-02-10
GREAT BAGS or MONEY
FOR PANAMA LABORIRsI
1nterestin Times When Uncle
Sans Paymaster Distributes
Wages Among Workingmen.
Panama Canal Workers Are
Paid at the Rate Of
Eight q Minute.

e
= Eight a Minute.
No more interesting scenes could
be imagined than those in the vari-
GUS camps on the Panama Canal
when the great army of laborers eni-S
ployed by the United States govern
ment are paid their wages from q.
special train filled with money
chiefly bags of a thousand dollars
each, weighing about sixty pounds.
The skilled white laborers and Of
flee employees, about $500 in all, re-
ceive their pay once a month, &.
amounting to about $250,0OO, in
much the same way as ordinary gov
ernment clerks are paid in Wash
tngton. OF the laborers, however,
largely Jamaican negroes, there are
at present $4,000 at least, and they
draw about 100000 a month in
fortnightly payments.
Money Put on Wagons.
One might think that the pay
clerks in their train load of specie
would feel uncomfortable among this
army of dusky giants, especially
when the train halts in some small
tropical camp and great sacks of
silver are unloaded in the jungle.
The other day at Panama 100000
was put on the pay car for the So
called "silver men" working at Tab
erniAa, San Pablo, Cristobal, Gatun
and Bohlo. Some Jamaican colored
police were watching the negro boys
bringing out the sacks of silver, and
others stood by the wagons while the
money was put on.
Calls "Sixty' for Every $6O,O0O
"Sixty,' exclaimed Mr.. Waldrop,
the chief cashier.
A policeman climbed on to each
track, the whips cracked and off went
the teams of mules, with the cashier
and pay clerks bringing up the rear
in cabs: Mr.. Waldrop did not seem
to be afraid about leaving the thous-
and-dollar bags unguarded on the
railway station, where altogether
there must have been nearly two
tons of coined silver.
The pay car is, of course, specially
constructed, and three lines of labor
ers face its side doors. These are
in pairs, and the men climb up on
the car trucks to one of the double
doors, receive their money, pass out.
at the other and leap down.
Pay Checks Presented.
The pay counter runs the entire:
| length pf the car. close 10 the donrs
and only one man can stand In front
Of satsa time Each sapplf cant pre
sents q pink pay certificate giving HIS
number, the amount of wages due
to him, and the signature of an Off
c1al, who certif1es that the bearer Il
the proper person to. pay and has
given receipt by signing his name
on the certificate.
For further security the laborer
shows his diamond-shaped metal tag
with his number stamped on it. This
usually hangs from his belt. but at
the pay counter he holds it up in his
lett hand, puts down his certificate.
grabs of his hat, and holds it OUT
for the shower of silver. The pay
clerk compares the numbers, glances
at the signature, and then reaches
under the counter and throws rolls
OF coin and loose silver into the
extended hat. So
Chinese Displace Whites. s.
The rolls usually contain $25 done
AAA H~NoSo ny Su1AcSC UOySs
whom the disbursing office, after
having tried white clerks and girls.
has found to be the most rapid and
accurate money counters on the
1sthmus. Two of them are cham
ptons-Chong and Leon These will
count and roll up in $25- packages
over $4,000 worth of silver dollars
in day and never make mistake.
These two Chinese boys have count
ed and wrapped millions of dollars.
and not one package has ever been
found wrong. Their pay is about
SIS month.
The scene in the travelling, pay
train is most interesting. The canal
laborers are paid at the rate of eight
a minute at; each door, or twenty
four minute for the entire car.
This rate can be kept UP. provided
no forged or imperfect certificates
are presented: Forgeries there are,
of course, but of very stupid kind.
Thus So will be altered into thirteen
in the figures on the order to bay
and not In the receipt. Detection
and arrests occur every payday.