The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-11
WILL T.ST
 IT. CHINESE Orig ,als to Work at Panama. JAMAIcANs ARE TOO WEAK Step Was Taken After Great
 Deliberation.
 
coolies VIII Be Secured Throush La- bor Agencie. and whsn work I. Completed VIII Be Im-
 mediately Deported.

Washington. Aug. 1o-chinese labor will be given thorough test on the Panama Canal Contracts calling for 2,5oo Chinamen for canal work have been prepared and advertisements will be issued by the Isthmian Canal Com. mission in a few days asking for pro posals from labor agents
 If the initial 2,5o0 Chinese prove a success 1t is likely that many more will be taken to the isthmus to do the work which is too hard for the Ja- niaicans now employed there in large numbers
 Organized labor has offered much opposition to the use of contract Chi- nese labor. but the Jamaican work men have proven inadequate. sufficient Spaniards cannot be had immediately to rush the work and the Chinese are the last hope of the Commission.
 President Roosevelt, Secretary Taft Chairman shonts of the Canal Comnis- sion and other men prominently ident- flied with the canal work are known to have delayed employing Chinese un- til 1t became evidenced that the other help available was not equal to the demands. The administration has taken the position that the canal must be dug at any cost and although the President urged that there be no haste in employing Chinese, he did not stand permanently in the way of the plan to trv the cooiies
 It is the intention of the Commission to ask for bids from labor agents who will arrange with the Chinese Gov ernment for the exportation Of labor, transport the Chinese to the isthmus under contract to work for a fixed wage and ship them back to China. thus relieving the Commission of all detail work and all responsibility.
 A bond will be required of all con- tractors for satisfactory fnifilment ,of any contract they may enter into with the Commission.
 There are said to be about thirty labor agencies which supply Chiness to contractors in all parts of the world These agents are familiar with aIi the Chinese laws. stand ready to pay money to the families of the men wh0- are going into then service. and are ready On short notice to meet demands for an unlimited number of cooIies
 Leroy Park labor agent in the asssss ploy of the commission. is stfI1 in Spain negotiating with the Spanish Govern ment for the employment of large number of penlnsular Spaniards on the isthmus. His efforts promise to be sue cessful. and the commission expects to recruit many high grade workmen from Spain. It Is the desire of Chief En. gineer Stevens to have several kinds of laborers on the isthmus. The employ ment of the Chinese will not displace the Jamaicans; who are already there. but 1t is not likely that many more West Indians will be hired if the Chi nese prove success.
 The negroes are paid only 80 cents a day against $1.60 to the Spaniards, who are said to be capable of doing three times as much work.
 If the contractors obtaining help for the commission do not pay more on the isthmus than the Chinese are paid in other parts of the world. it Is believed the daily wage of the coolies will be less than that of the Jamaicans on the isthmus