Durango semi-weekly herald., 1906-01-01

eroes. They furnish the best labor
now found In the tropics. but. as ev-
erybody connected with the canal tes-
tifes, they are very poor compared
with what we are accustomed TO in
this zone Secretary Taft says that
another year will be required to solve
the labor problem. There are alto
gether now 1900 men at work. and
they are not satisfactory. The engi-
neers would like to get rid OF them
and substitute japanese. Chinese or
Italians. which possibly may be done
in the future.
The labor unions have secured the
application Of the eisht-hour law
which is demoralizing, as everybody
down there works ten hours. and they
are decidedly opposed to the employ
ment Of Chinese or Japanese. There
seems 10 be no good ground for their
position. because American labor VIII
not go there. and hence there can not
possibly be any competition with our
workmen AT home. Mr., Gompers says
that 1t is matter OF principle, and
not question of race, color or cii-
mate: that no man should work more
than eight hours day, be he white.
black or yellow. and he argues that
the government OF the United states
should set an example 10 the rest OF
the world In the treatment of its EN-
ployes This eight-hour rule VIII In
crease the cost OF the canal s1O.ooo.-
900 or s12,000,OO0, and, according TO
the Judgment OF the engineers, Will
postpone its completion for year or
two If not more.
The Japanese government, as / told
you in recent letter, sent sanitary
inspectors 70 the isthmus last spring
who reported against allowing Jap
anese subjects to go there, but 1t Is
believed that since the sanitary i'm
provements have been made they
would come to different conclusion,
and the Japanese minister will be
asked to advise his government to
make second Investigation 1t is
also proposed to have an inspection
of affairs made by the Italian author
tiles in case 1t should be found advis-
able to seek labor in Italy. Within a
few months. Secretary Taft says
! there will be no reason for anyone
| to object TO working on the isthmus
on account of the climate or sanitary
conditions. The first thing the com
mission did was TO secure an ahund
ant supply of pure, fresh water. The
next step was TO lay sewers in the
streets of Panama. which, like New
Orleans. has always depended upon
surface drainage. About so per cent
of the sewers have been already com
| pleted. and the rest will be finished
before another year.
| In order to make Panama reall!
healthful." said Secretary Taft thu
other day the commission has decid
ed TO pave streets which for centurie!
have been dirty--muddy in rain.
weather. dusty in dry weather and full
of diseases In all weathers. The Who'll,
isthmus, from Panama to Colon, wheI
our commission went there first, wa
grown up with underbrush, will
weeds. and with that Jungle that ;
Itrnny,,1 an ta-
rejoice in. Now. from point to point
as the population increases. and Al
the work is elaborated. the jungle Il
being cut down, the hills are beinj
shaved, and under the tremendou
work of the sanitary department pool
are being drained. swamps are beinl
relieved of water, and In every wa.
the stagnant water surfaces and prop
agatiug ground for the deadly mos
quito are being reduced. When on,
thinks of strip A miles long and
half mile wide, in the center of tn,
tropics, with marshy swamps and wal
er accommodating everywhere, the tasl
of reducing the stagnaut water sur
face SO as TO prevent the generation
of mosquitoes seems impossible, bu
1t must and can be done.
The mosquito" continued the sec
retary, ''is the worst enemy In th,
propagation of disease that man hai
in the West Indies and American
tropics. One variety in the isthmu,
carries the germ of the deadly yellow
fever; another variety carries tn,
| germ of malaria, while third infect.
its victims with the loathsome diseas,
OF elephantiasis. Petroleum prevent.
the generation Of mosquitoes A vel
low fever mosquito lives only abou
| ninety days. The custom of the vel
low fever mosquito is not TO depart
far from the place OF its birth. 1t is
not ordinarily born in the open. It's
| fellow. who carries the malaria germ
is born in the stasnant pools that are
found in the meadows. on the hills
and in the valleys, but the yellow few
ar rnoaoulto is ordino rtly to he fOunf