Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-12-17

out exception the black policemen whom
questioned had served either In the British
army or in the Jamaica or Barbados po.
lice. They were evidently contentod, and
were doing their work Well Where possi-
BILE the policemen are used 70 control peo'
pie OF their own color, but In any elner-
gency no hesitation Is felt IN using them
| Unfortunately
SCHOOLS
Inasmuch as 30 many both Of the white
| and colored employees have Drought their
families With them, schools have been es-
tablished, the school service being un-
| der Mr.. O'Connor. For the white pupils
| white American teachers are employed;
for tho colored pupils there are also
some white American teachers, one span
ish teacher, and one colored American
teacher, most OF them being colored
teachers from Jamaica, Barbados. and 81;
| Lucia. The schoolfooms were good, and
II was a pleasant thing TO see the pride
that the teachers We're taking In their
work and their pupils.
| There seemed 10 me 10 be too many sa-
looms In the zone; but the new high
| license law which goes into effect on Jan.
/ next will probably close four-nfths Of
| them. Rcsolute and successful efforts are
being made to minimize and control the
sale Of liquor
| The ears on the passenger trains on tho
isthmus are divided into first and second
class, the difference being marked In the
| pil't VI tCktlS, AS II RUE SECOND Glass
| passengers are coored and first class pas
| sengers white. but In every train which
| ] saw there were a number OF white Sec
ond class passengers and on two OF them
there were colored first class passengers
| CARE or EMPLOYEES
Next in Importance to the problem Of
sanitation, and indeed now OF equal I'M
| portance, Is the problem Of securing and
| caring for the nee hRnics labOrs and 9TH
| onnl0XlG "a IA tits n ba tnpf On
| the canal and the railroad. This great
| task has been under the control OF Mr..
| Jackson Smith, and on the whole has
| been wen done. AT present there are some
| 500 white employees and some 1900 col
ored employees on the isthmus went over
| the different places where the different
| knds OF employees were working, | think
| ] saw representatives of every type both
az their work and IN their homes; and
| conyersed with probably couple OF hum
! dred OF them all told choosing them al
| random from every class and including
| those who came especially 20 present GER
tam grievances. | found that those who
| did not come specifically 10 present
| grievances almost invariably expressed
| FAR greater content and satisfaction with
! the conditions than did those who called
| TO make complaint.
QUARTERS GOOD.
Inc wni,v ol.eIienis uie employed,
| swine OF tnem IN UInce nVtn, Out t.e ma
| J.llty in hauuiinB tie great steam shUvyls.
as eAElneers a4.A IVhuevtOlh ull tne uil
| ..alns, rs macnlnls IN the great repair
shops, as ca. per te,s and tlmekeepers. su.
| pei.YteLuents, d.u tsianitu =. u4s.siv.is
ana Vf gangs, ana SO on and 80 GA. AIany
| ~ them nave brought down their wives
| ana families; and the children when not
| ~ school are running about aud behaving
| Pfechely as the American small boy ana
| snistii sltl behave AT nome. lno De.nelObs
among the employees live, sometimes IA
| snah separate uouses sometimes III large
houses; quarters being furnished free to
all tue men, married ana unmarried.
Usually the bachelors sleep two In a
room, as they would do IN this country.
The quarters for the married peop'e were
even better DOUBTLESS there must be here
anu there married couple who, with OF
without reason, are not cOntented with
their house on the isthmus; but | never
happened to strike such a couple. The
wives Of the steam shovel men, engineers,
machinlsts, and carpenters into whose
houses | went all. with one accord ex-
pressed their pleasure In their home life
and surroundings. Indeed I do not think
| they could have done otherwise The
houses themselves were e2cellent-bath-
| ROOM sitting room, piazza, and bedrooms
| being all that could be desired. In every
house which | happened 20 enter the mis-
tress Of the home was evidently a good
| American housewife and helpmeet who
| had given to the home nfo that touch
| OF attractiveness which. OF course, the
nNUntE had
have.
FOOD SUPPLIES.
The housewives purchase their supplies
directly, or through their husbands, from
the commissary stores OF the commission
All withwhom | spoge agreed that the sup
plies were excellent, and all but two stat
ed that there was no complaint TO he
made; these two complained that the
prices were excessive as compared TO the
prices In the states. On investigation |
did not feel that this complaint was well
founded The married men ate at home.
The unmarried men sometimes ate at pri-
vate boardinghouses, or private messes,
but more often Judging by the answers
or those whom questioned. at the gov
eminent canteens or hotels where tho
meal costs 20 cents to each employe. This
D-cent meal struck me as being as good
meal as we get In tho United States
at the ordinary hotel In which a 50-cent
meal Is provided.
NO CAUSE FOR COMPLAINT ABOUT
rooD.
came TO the conclusion that. speakine
generally there was no warrant for COM
plant about the food Doubtless IL grows
monotonous after awhile ANY man ac-
eustomed TO handling large masses OF men
knows that some Of THIN. even though
otherwise very good men, are sure TO
grumble about something and usually
about their food. Schoolboys, college boys
and boarders In boardlnghouses make
similar complaints; so do soldiers and
sailors
CHINESE AND OTHER LABOR.
OF the nineteen or twenty thousand day
laborers employed on the canal. a few
hundred are Spdnlards. These do excel
lent Work. Their foremcn told me that
they did twice as well as the West India
laborers. They keep healthy and no dir
hculty ~ experienced with them In any
way. some Italian laborers are also en-
ployed In connection with the drilling. AS
might be expected, with labor as high
priced as at present in the United States,
II has not so far proved practical BILE 10 get
any ordinary laborers from the United
states, The American wage workers on
the isthmus are the highly paid skilled
mechanics OF the types mentioned pre-
yiously. a steady effort IL being made to
secure Italians, and especially to procure
moro Spaniards, because Of the very salts.
factory results that have come from their
employment; aud their numbers win BIO
increased as far as possible. Ii has not
proved possible. however, 10 get them IN
anything like the numbers needed for tho
work, and from present appearances We
shall In the main have 10 rely, for the
ordinary unskllled work partIy upon roll
ored laborers from the West Indies mart
" upon Chinese labor. /, certainly ouKh,
20 be unnecessary 20 point ont that the
American workirgman IN the United
States has no concern whatever In The
question rs 10 whether the rough work
on the isthmus which Is performed Nv
aliens In any event. IL done nv aliens from
one country with black skin or nv ALIENS
from another country with yellow skin
Our business IL 10 die the canal "a o.
fc'ently. and as quickly as nossble. PRO
vided ALWAYS that nothing IL done ina,
Is inhumere 10 any lahorers ard nothint,
that irterferes with tho wages ~ or low
ers the standard Of living ~ our own
workmer. Waving N view 'h's n-i~cinio
have arr7r9ed ~ try yeVaral fh~uspre
Chinese lahorers This u Desirable r--h
heceuse we rnrs' ,rv H. anA nut L..
'ahorers are most efficient ard f,iriNer
-~are. hecpuse should not leave rnr-
selves ~ tho mercy ~ nnv ono tvra =,
f0re'rN laNo~. - nresent 'he great hulk
~ tho u~-tt'lef lahor ~ the tethn,ua IL
6one hv West rrdIa negroes chienv from,
farra'cs psrhedos ard tho other English
rossesainns