New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-07-05
TO STAY AT PANAMA
Jackson Smith Not to Retire-Mr.
Taft Pleased 1cith Conditions.

lFFom The Tribune Bureau
Washington. July 4-Amone the reoo,. toi-,.
stories regarding the Panama Canal and its adj
hlhlstration none has occasioned creator s,,r-
I'1Ss nor been moro emphaticaIIy denied than
me assertion that Jackson Smith member 90 tbe
commission in charge of labor housing and
subsistence. would soon resign. There is no+b-
Ing IN which Mr.. Smith takes greater pride than
IN the fact that he is not a gutter" He is rho
| exponent Of the theory that 10 Americans of
nervous temperament the tropics act as q now.
erIul stimulant. and he prides himself on be,ne
! always keen for fight with the discour. vi,,o,
conditions which beset the prosecution NJ r,
enterprises in the tropics For wears he has
I labored in the region Of the equator and v.bo,,
I IN 1905, he was invited to take charge Of M.
labor problem on the canal he Jumped At tbe
chance' not because of the ernolurnert II offerad
oot because Of the wholly unsatisfactory cnndt-
uon Of the labor supply. the strenuosit,. of 4ba
prospective struggle and the opportunity af
forded to make valiant fight in purely Amer
lean enterprise
Inc work which Mr.. Smith has ACCOMPLISHED
IN converting the dilapidated French buildings
mo hdbltable quarters for white employees n,
erecting thousands more in providjDo an ado
quate connissary, in solving the labor problem
by establishing European connections from
"hIch there are being received from seven hum
ufed 10 oE@ thousand white iab0rcrs a month
and in establishing a working forco OF close -
forty thousand men on the isthmus has received
the highest commendation from the President
and the Secretary OF War. as we'll as from Chief
Engineer Stevens, under whose eye most Of Mr.
smiths achievements were wrought. Mr.. Smith
who is now in this country Will return 10 the
isthmus by August 49,
The Secretary Of State has just made lie Roy
Parke, the European representative Of the
on mis- an Of
Embassy at Paris. as armed with an exequatur
from the State Department 1t is believed Mi
PaTke may be even more successful IN occurring
for the canal abundant supply Of high class
European labor. which Is being used 10 replace
the more or less-chietly nore-shIftless Jaraai-
can negro Mt. Parke is a disciple and under
study of Jackson Smith and an enthusiast on
the satisfaction Of fighting the obstacles pre-
scented by the tropics. having been assistant gen
eral attorney for the Mexican Railway before
Mr.. Smith enlisted his services in the canal
work Nj. Parke, who IS IN Washington
Will sail for Paris the last Of July.
The inspection Of the accounts OF the commits
sion on the isthmus which was made the basis
for a recent sensation, is part Of the routine
methods employed by the government for eEer-
c!sing supervision over all its officials who deal
with its finances. An inspection OF the auditing
and disbursins Offices in Washington was com
pleted just before the inspectors sailed for Colon
and everything was found In absolutely salts
factory condition When that inspection was
completed the inspectors ordered 10 the
isthmus TO go over the accounts. funds and
property there although II was intended TO keep
their departure secret, as that Is the method
always employed by government inspectors, even
including bank examiners.
The fact is that the Secretary Of War is great
" pleased with the conditions the isthmus. IN
so far as he IS advised Of them, and he keeps in
pretty close touch with all that goes there
The army engineers have found IL necessary to
make some shifts Of civil engineers employed on
the work and some Of these have quit or are
contemplating resigning, because they have been
assigned to work for which they seemed best
suited instead of being permitted to choose
more ambitious lines; but Chief Engineer
Goethals has thus far consulted the Secretary Of
War regarding every change he deemed II wise
70 make and in every instance he has been as
sured of he hearty approval OF Mr.. Taft