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

transferred, but no such sale or trans
fer of property has been made by the
railroad company during your admins
tration as vice president of the rail-
road, or, In fact, none in recent years.
p As to lands or property of any de-
scription on the isthmus leased to OIL
Gals of either the commission or the
railroad by the Panama railroad, [ have
to advise you that there are only two
such lots. These are TWO Bolivar street
lots that were leased to Mr.. Yung, our
present land agent, about seven months
ago. These are in no way choice lots
and have no particular value. They are
lots located in what is known as the "Ffre
Zone"-a strip of land bordering the conf
pany's docks and houses and commits
sary to protect the property in event OF
fire in adjacent buildings.
No buildings have ever been erected
on these lots or in this Fire Zone in
recent years. and when the lots were
leased to Mr.. Yung it was with the
understanding that he should not build
upon them until such time as ample ire
protection, in the way of water supply,
ETC., was furnished and had in Colon.
Mr. Yung has paid his rental regularly
an advance on these lots. but has never
received one dollar Of income from them.
and will not receive any such income un-
til he is permitted to build on them.
Mr.. Yung is one of the Oldest employees
in the service of this company-havlng
been in its employ for nineteen years
and he was given the two lots in question
under the same terms and for the same
rental that any other person would lease
them, but they We're leased to him prin-
cipally as a reward for his long years
of service with the company.
s. As to the employees of the commits
sion or railroad leasing lots from the
l,ap~ to OBJ that the
following employees now hold leases Tor
certain lots in Colon:
John Gregory, former foreman OF the
blacksmith shops of the Panama rail-
road, has lease for one lot whlch Mr..
Gregory leased from the railroad some
ten years ago. Mr.. Gregory is not ana
has not been in the service of the Pan
ANA railroad for the past seven months.
IT, e. Koch. one of our train condue-
tors, has a lease for one lot located on
Bolivar street, and on this lot ne mas
erected a dwelling house. The lot was
leased to Mr.. Koch four years ago. hoeh
has been in the service of the Panama
Railroad company for the past ten years,
serving, respectively. as locomotive en6l-
neer, master mechanic and now as con-
ductor The lot i'm question was leased
by the Panama Railroad company to q
gentlemen by the name of cannavaggio.
and the lease was purchased by MT hoeh
from Canavaggo the same being trans
ferred by the Panama Railroad company.
w, S. OBrfen. also a train conductor
also has a lease to one lot on Bolivar
street upon which dwelling ana pus-
mess house has been located by MT.
O'Brien. This lot was leased by the rail-
road company to Mrs. de Cooke some
ten years ago, and the lease was bought
fby Conductor O'Brlen from Mrs. DE Cooke
the same being transferred by the Pan
Dot after NIT. u Gflen
purchased the same. This lot was pur-
chased by Mr. o'Brien little over a
wear ago and before the time OF your
administration as vice president,
c. S. Clark also a train conductor. mas
a lease for five lots ON Bolivar street.
The lease on these lots was purchased
by Mr. Clark from a Mr.. de Leon in 1861
the lease being transferred in the proper
manner by the Panama Railroad com
pany.
J. e. Stevens, also a train conductor.
has a lease for one lot on Bolivar street
upon which he has erected dwelling
house. This lot was leased by the rail-
road company to a Mrs. de Cooke, and
the lease Stevens now holds was pur-
chased from Mrs. de Cooke, and the lease
was properly transferred to stevens In
October, 1905, by the railroad company
In Panama there Is not a lot leased 10
or held by any white employe or oHlcial-
such lot being situated III inc pu9iiV9s
portion of the city.
Won will note by the above that none of
these lots. with the exceptions of the one
held by Mr.. Gregory and the two heid by
Mr. Young, We're ever leased directly 10
an emplose of the Panama Railroad COM
pany In all other cases the employe mold
ing the lease purchased same from the
o,iginal holder. In this connection | beg
TO advise you that these employees paid Tor
Al Iotc RANGING from AltD to
$1,000 gold, which will convey to you an
IDEA of their value.
AS to other lots leased to employees; We
have in Colon and Panama leased about
forty lots: that is, of the small outlying
lots to colored employees, switchmen,
clerks, brakemen, yardmen and colored
employees of this class. Upon these lots
they have built their little homes, and
they pay to the railroad company an av-
erage yearly rental of 50 gold. This Will
also give you an idea of the value of
these lots.
Along the line of the road in the va
rious villages there Is not one lot leased
to an official or white employe There
are a few of these lots. however, that
have been leased to colored employees who
work for the railroad company from time
t. time and who are, generally speak
ing treated or considered as non-em-
ployes
BY the above statement you Will note
that during the administration of the
present officials, or, In fact. any official
since the ownership of the United States
government on the isthmus, but two lots
have ever been leased to an official or
white employee.
The lots leased to colored employees are
transferred to them from time to time as
they desire to build their little homes.
The above is a true statement of the
facts as will be shown at any time by
the records of our land office and the reg
lister of such leases.
Trusting this will serve your purposes,
I remain, yours very truly,
w. G. BIERD,
General Manager
The following is the scale of wages
paid by the isthmian canal commission
in the department of engineering and con-
struction to men in various outdoor en-
pigments. including mechanical and
building trades, railroad and engineering
positions on the isthmus, with brief state
ments Of the qualifications required in
each case:
Foreman mot speciaD-Sf25 per month.
Experience in handling men and material
on construction work.
Dump Foreman-$100 per month. Ex-
perience with skeleton track on construc-
ton.
Municipal Foreman-S1O0 to $50 per
month Experience in laying iron and
xltrifled pipe lines and In concrete work
and road construction.
Rock Foreman-s100 TO $3.50 per month.
Experience with various classes of ex-
plcsives and in directing drill work in
heavy cuts on railroads.
Track Foreman-s100 to $50 per month.
7 In, Iat Il a rfa ,ita