Evening star., 1906-03-23

minals at Cristobal, where they have water
thirty feet deep along the docks mile and
half long and platforms to store over
100000 tons OF freight. with railroad tracks
they can. by working. In the different
hatches on the boats load directly on the
cars noticed how promptly our steamer.
the Dundolin. was unloaded. 1t took
twenty-nine days to load her in New York
and only eighteen days to unload her on the
docks OF Cristohal. They have at times un-
loaded as much AZ f1fty carloads OF brick In
one day OF eight hours work A mile above
drydock, 80 they can dock the largest of the
Panama feet of steamers.
The new hotel now being built at Cristo-
bal to accommodate 400 people Is almost
done. The dining room of this hotel was
thrown open on Washington's birthday for
the use OF young and old people and sew
eral hundred enjoyed dancing from In
the evening until 2 in the morning. The
same great work that Is going on In Girls
tobai Is being done at LaBoca, on the Pa
cifc side where the railroad terminals and
warehouses have been extended and en-
iarged, SO they can berth five large steam
ers and as many schooners. I was there
when they un1oaded $4,000 feet of lumber
on vessel In ten and one-half hours.
There were 1900 bags of coffee taken of
the steamer at Colon. loaded on the cars
ana hauled forty-seven miles over to La
Boca, loaded on another steamer. all in less
than three days. The train service is over
80 per cent higher in rating now than when
! was there eleven months ago. They have
an average of twenty-four passenger and
freight trains day, with fourteen con-
struction trains, at different points. attain
ing a.higher rate of speed than the trains
OF last year. which has considerably re-
duced the time required by passenger and
freight trains in going from Colon to Pan
anna
Schools have been established through
out the zone. and English and Spanish is
IA t0h 1,y-, ~
are 2.o00 school children in the zone. SO
that the schools are indeed timely institu-
tions.
Great Lack of Good Labor.
The great problem in my estimation, is
the securing of efficient labor. / learn from
some of the men who are the heads of sew
eral departments that a great many young
men from eighteen to twenty years. who at
home would never stand rigid civil serv-
ice examination for the position they were
sent here to fill, come down just for the
Trip, ana usually make very poor and in
ef1cfent clerks and aim to get the same
salary as the clerks who are on hand work
ing early and late at night to fit themselves
Tor promotion. Tie merit mark should be
given TO good men on the zone. as the rail-
roads do in the states. The young doctors
who are sent here should have some ex-
perience. and should learn TO speak Spanish
before they come, as three-fourths of the
employed to work these laborers should
also learn the language. The eight-hour
law should never have been put in force in
the fsthmus, as 1t gives the Iaborers more
time for the saloons and the many spirit
houses in the city and in the canal zone I
met several of the master mechanics and
they all complained of the laborers and /
have seen several cases of inefficiency-one
where they We're sent to make repairs on
the steamship Dundolin while lying In the
port OF Cristobal, and were incompetent to
do the work. Mr. w. J. Thomas who has
charge of the large shops at CristobaI
looking after the setting up of all the new
engines and cars, after their arrival com
planned that many of the mechanics coming
TO the isthmus were incompetent. He in
stanced several cases where mechanics
coming to the isthmus with appointments
In specific trade upon their arrival were
found to know nothing about that trade.
AS hrst-class mechanics are much needed
in the isthmus to look after the increasing
business, where over 200 locomotives and
1900 freight and passenger cars have to be
closely examined each day, | think IT would
pay the government ten-fold TO engage a
competent man in the United States to ex-
anime the qualifications of mechanics be-
fore they are appointed.
Il am satisfied that good mechanics could
be obtained IL they knew what the govern
ment was doing in the way of taking care
of them, giving them 65 cents an hour and
board and overtime for their work The
only dissatisfied people, and there are many
whom L met on the isthmus in six weeks,
are those who go to the isthmus under ap-
pointment and who could not make good.
THE government employees and all the
people in Panama complain of the high
price they have to pay for smoking to-
bacco. cigarettes, cigars or anything manu-
featured out of tobacco of any kind, for
the reason that the Panama government
for the sum of $42, coo for one year gave the
Brandon Bros. the right to sell all the to-
bacco sold in the republic of Panama and
the canal zone