The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-18

black policemen whom I questioned had served either in the British army army They were evidently contented, and were doing their work we'll Where possible the policemen are used to con- any emergency no Yhesitation is felt in using them indiscriminately.
 Inasmuch as so many both Of the white and colored empnoyes ,har, havs SeSoSa SeSoois haSs 5asis peen sesstabiished, the school service being under Mr. OCon- nor. For the white pupils white the 'ec eoiored ei % pupils there gre also some white American teachers, one spanish teacher. and also one colored Amerieann teacher. most of them being being Soiored d St Lucia. The schoolrooms were good, tit was a pleasant thing to see the pride that the teachers were tax
 ing h their wSrk K ana tnsr se ptSpis ptDa saloons in the Zone; but the new hlgh license law which goes Into effect on January 1.next win probably close cessful efforts are being made to mini niIze and control the sale of liquor.
 The cars on the passenger trains on the Isthmus are divided Into hrst ana marked in the price of tickets. As a rule second-class passengers are col ored and first-ciass passengers white; but in every train which l saw tnsss iss passengers. and on two of them ther" were coiored hrst-class passengers.
 Cnre of Empioyen.
 Next, in importance to the problem of sanitation. and indeed now of equal importance. is the problem of securing and caring for the mechanics, lahorers, and other employees who actually .lyyosd oS This great task has been nnder the control of MT Jackson. Smith, and on the whole has been well done. At pres pioyes and some fe.0OO colored elni- ployes on the Isthmus. went over the different places where the dinereht hEn hhSs Of ss spSyss wa1s of es:rS type both at their work and m tne,r homes; and conversed with propanlY a couple of hundred of them all yoiu, choosing them at random from every class and including those who came ee- peciaily to present certain grievances. t found that those who dld not come specifically to present griavanees az most invariably expressed far greater content and satisfaction with the con- ditions than did those who called to make complaint. Nearly 5000 of the white employees had come from the United States. No man can see these young, vigorous men anerRetically doing their duty without thrill of pride in them as Americans. They represent on tho average a high class. Doubtless to Congress the wages paid them will seem high, but as . matter of fact the only general conh- plaint which found had any real basis among the complaints made tO mo upon the Isthmus was that. owing to the peculiar surroundings, the cost of living ana the distance from home
 the wages were really not as high as they should be. In fact almost evary man I spoke to felt that he ought to be receiving more mohey--a view. however. which the average man who stays at home in the United States probably likewise holds as regards paid so that the Congress can judge the matter for itself. Later I shall confer on the subject with certain rep resentative labor men here in the United states as well as going over with Mir. Stevens, the comparative wages paid on the Zone and at home; and l may then communicate my find lnKs to the Canal Committees of the
 = Quarters Are satinfnctery.
 The white Americans are employed, some of them in office work, but the majority In handling the great steam shoveis, as engineers and conductors on the dirt trains. as machinists inAthe great repair shops, as carpenters and time keepers, superlntendents. and | foremen of divisions and of gangs, and so on and so on. Many of them have brought down their wives and families; and the children when not in school are running about and behaving precisely as the American small boy and small girl behave at home. The bachelors among the employees tive, sometimes in small separate houses, sometimes in large houses; quarters being furnish@ ed free to all the men. married and un- married. Usually the bachelors sleep two in room, as they would do in this country. I found a few cases
 where three were Tn room; and was told of, although l did not see. large tv4 Tur1kf unFAE eH Ina for 1t is not possible in what Is really a vast system of construction camps always to provide In advance as ample house room as the Commission intend later to give In one case, where the house was an old French house with a leak in the roof, did not think the &C., commodiations were good But m every other case among the scores of houses entered ct random. the accom-noda- tons were good; every room was neat and clean. usually having books, mag azines and smal ornaments; ana In short just such room as a self-respect- ing craftsman would be glad to live In there must be here aud there married people were even better Doubtless theer mus tbe here and there a. married couple. who, with or without reason are not contented with their house on the Isthmus; but I never happened 70 strike such a couple. The wives or the stoam-shovel men, engineers, ma chinists and carpenters Into whose nLa
 pressed their pleasure in their home fife and surroundings. Indeed l do not think they could have done other wise. The houses the mseIves were ex- cellent--bathroonl, sitting room, plaS- za, and bedrooms being all that could he desired. In every house which happened to enter the mistress of the home was evidently a good American housewife and helpmeet, who had glv- en 10 the home life that touch Of at tractiveness which, of course, the bach. elor quarters neither had nor could have. ~.-. .E.1f-
 The housewives purchase their sup plies directly. or through thetf nus bands, from the comT1mlssaEy con m I stores snoRs oa agreed that the supplies were excellent, and all but two stated that there was no complaint to be made; these two complained that the prices were exesso ,o States On Investigation 1 did net feel that this complaint was well tounoed' The married men ate at home, Ihe un- married men sometimes ate at priVate more often, judging by the answers or those whom l questioned, at the coy ernment eanteens or hotels where the meal costs 30 cents to each employe. as good a meal as we get m the gnited States at the ordinary hotel m Wnlch 50-oent meal is provided. Inree. fourths of the men whom l questioned stated that the meals furnished at these Government hotels were good the re- maining one-fourth that they were not good I myself took dinner at the La Boca Government hotel, no warning coming. There were two rooms, as generally in these hotels. In one the employees were allowed to dine without theirS coats. while in the other they had