Gilpin observer., 1906-12-20

Philippines. and belonged to the best
type. of American soldier. without ex-
questioned had served either in the Brit
ish army or in the Jamaica or Barbados
pnd were donE were ber work Well Where
possible the policemen are used TO CON
trol people of their. own color. but In
any emergency no hesitation is felt IN
using them indiscrminately.
lnasmuch as so many both of the white
and Golored employees have brought their
established, the school service being un-
der Mr.. o'Connor For the white pupils
for tine colored pupils there are also some
white American teachers. one Spanish
teacher, and one colored American teach-
err most of them being colored teachers
from Jamaica. Barbados and St Lucia.
The schoolrooms were good and II was
a pleasant thing to see the pride that the me
teachers were taking in their work ana
their pupils
Care of Employees.
Next in Importance to the problem of
portance. Is the problem of securing and
caring for the mechanics. laborers and
other employees who actually do the work
on the canal and the railroad. This great
task has been under the control OF Mr.
jackson Smith. and on the whole has
been well done. At present there are
some 5000 white employees and some
1900 colored employees the isthmus.
/ went over the different places where
workingi | think | saw representatives
of every type both at their work and in
Their homes; and | eonyer5ed win IN prop a1I
told, choosing them at random from
every class and including those who came
especially to present certain grievances
olmost invariably expressed far greater
content and satisfaction with the con-
dtions thar did those who called to
make complaint.
Nearly 5000 of the white employees had
come from the United States. No man
can see these young, vigorous men men
a thrill of pride in them as Americans
They represent on the average hiSh
F., class. Doubtless to congress the wages
| ter of fact the only general complaint
which found had any real basis among
isthmus was that. owing TO the pecunar
surroundings. the cost of living, and the
distance from home. the wages Were
| really not as high as they should be- In
| fact, almost every man | spoke to ret
] that he ought to be receiving more
money-a view. however. which the aver
age man who stays at home in the
United States probably likewise holds
| as regards himself l append figures OF
| Judge the matter for itself. Later l shall
| confer on the subject with certain repre-
States, as well going over with Mr..
Stevens, the comparative wages paid on
the zone and at home; and may then
communicate my findings to the cana!
committees of the two houses.
| Chinese and Other Labor.
OF the $4,000 or 10000 day lp- ,rers
| employed on the canal a few hundred
| are Spaniards. These do excellent
work Their foreman told me that
| they did twice as well as the West
Indian laborers. They keep healthy
and no difficulty is experienced with
them in any way. Some Italian labor
| ers are also employed in connection
| with the drilling. As might be eX-
| pected. with labor as high priced as
| at present in the United States. it has
| not, so far proved practicable to get
| any ordinary laborers from the United
| States The American wage-w workers
| on the isthmus are the highly paid
| skilled mechanics of the types men
| toned previously. a steady effort is
| being made to secure Italians and es-
| pecially to procure more Spaniards.
| because of the very satisfactory re-
| suits that have come from their en-
ployment and their numbers Will be
| Increased far as possible 1t has
not proved possible. however. to get
them in anything like the numbers
| needed for the work. and from present
appearances we shall in the main have
to rely. for the ordinary unskilled
| work, partly upon colored laborers
from the West Indies. partly upon
| Chinese labor. 1t certainly ought to
! be unnecessary to point out that the