The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-18
PRESIDENT SENDS TWO
MESSAGES TO CONGRESS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE -

their food in the tropics in filthy YES
sells, over a few Goals, in mud holes,
and their custom of having in many I'M
stances only Il single suit of clothes in
which they work during the day and
sleep at night, leaves no hope of I'M
proVement until some means are pro-
vided for compulsory personal hygiene.
How to accomplish this is like teaching
the hog how to change his beloved hog
Wallow The necessity is great that am
pie and effective labor be provided, and
men living as some of these Barbados
and Jamaica negroes live cannot be but
expensive even if they worked for MOTH
ing. Just to refer to your october re-
port of deaths among the employees OF
the Canal Commission and the Panama
Railroad company-of the total of deaths
of 49, IS were Barbados and - Jamaica
negroes and all other employees gave
only 90 deaths. Every sick man IS an
expense, and the number is undoubtedly
as great in proportion as the number OF
deaths. The remedy for this should be,
in my opinion, to provide suitable negro
eating houses, and the pay to be so
much and board, no option .eing given
to the laborer. This would seem to be
a hardship where there were families,
but it is more than offset by the improve,
ment which would follow in effective
work The importance of dry clothes
when sleeping should be drilled into them
by their immediate gang boss. II they
can not be taught, then one should look
elsewhere for labor, preferably from our
own people, and | believe tnat when
they know the exact conditions Whlch
prevail in the zone there will be plenty
of those to do the work. In fact ! be
lieve that in less than year the work
on the enterprise will be sought Tor even
more than the work now seeks the labor
err. Why should not this be so? The
sanitary problem is solved and the
health conditions for the white and 9th
ers who are willing to live in IA civilized
way will remain as good. if not better,
than in most sections of the United
States. The bachelor laboring men get
80 per cent more pay, will be provided
a comfortable lodging place and AIDE
ouate and well cooked food, the man
with a family has comfortable home
for his wife and children, with white and
eolored schools, and no rent To pay.
What else does a man want who must
earn his bread by the sweat of his brow
What an opportunity for the southern
negroi In my opinion if they only knew
what opportunities there are on the 18TH
mus, labor could be obtained in scores
from the southern states, many OF them
immune to danger from the mosquito
borne disease.
The Presidents visit and interest will
bring this more clearly before the people,
and | hope ana believe that there viii
be a rush for work on the canal by the
better class of laboring men, but do not
let them find such accommodations as
the worst you showed us-a leaky roof,
a dirty canvas bunk. and walls not
whitewasht. Such conditions are unnec-
essary and are easily and cheaply rem
edied and does away with furnishing
the croaker and mischief-make" even
semblance of a basis of a bad report
The remarkable showing that in
community of 5000 Americans, composed
of women and children, none died in Sep
TENDER or October is wonderful, and
goes to prove that the canal zone in
health conditions is more than the equal
Of other localities in any climate.
Following the President in an inspec-
ton. the most searching and painstak-
ing | have ever witnessed, into every
phase of this Creates work of building
this waterway from ocean to ocean, L
was concerned in all that specifically
pertained to my profession, and l made
up my mind to give you my Impressions
for Your personal consideration. My
pride in our profession and my desire to
do my mite to the great work must be
my excuse for writing you thus fully,
but / am doing as | would be done by.
Yours sincerely.
p. NJ RIXEY.
DIR w c. GORGAS,
Colonel Medical Corps,
Chief Sanitary Officer. Colon. Panama.