The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-04-23
TAFT.5ACK
 AT HIS POST Tssls of His Southern
 Trip. WORK ON THE ISTHMUS Cubans Have General Confidence in
 United States. In Porto Rico War Secretary Found Uni- versal Sentiment of Tranquility and Prosperity-Accompa-
 nied by Gov. winthrop.

Washington, April 22 2.-Secretary Taft and party arrived at the Wash ington Navy Yard on board the May flower tonight. after an absence of ex- actly a month, on a trip that included Panama Cuba and Porto Rico.
 The Secretary and Mrs. Taft were immediately driven to their residence. Former Governor Beekman Winthrop and Mrs. Winthrop were guests of the Secretary on the return triuF The otn- CTS in the party includedF representa- tives Burton of Ohio and De -Armond of Missouri. Senator Kittredge of South Dakota and Miss Msfgaret Ide
 Secretary Tafts stats4hent follows:
 We reached Colo1fon Saturday. March 30. We spent Saturday, Sunday, Mon day. Tuesday and Wednesday on the isthmus The fest pits had been sunk upon the proposed sites of the locks and the engineers, Messrs. Noble, Stearns and Freeman. made the1 examination.
 They formally reported to me that the foundations were entirei:' satisfactory but they expected to make a formal written report. I also at the request of Col. Goethals requested them to an- swer certain technical questions as to the best means of constructing the dams, both at Gtun and at Soan. I held @ long conference with the Panama au- thorities in the presence of Senator Ktttredge, of the canal committee of the senate and Minister Squires, in res- pect to a number of matters which needed adjustment between the one au- thorities and the Panama government and we tentatively reached a satisfac- tory arrangement which will be form ulated in subsequent correspondence.
 Heard Railroad Complaints.
 T also heard certain complaints con- corning the dealing of the Panama rail- road with its lots in Colon and took the matter under consideration, awaiting a fuller statement of the details to be made by the lot holders.
 T also heard the applications of the steam shovel men and the construction locomotive engineers and construction train conductors with rererence to their terms of employment. inc3.fding wages. [ have forwarded a, report on this mat ter to the president. What has hap pened in respect to this do not know We were very busy during the five days spent in Panama.
 'I left the engineers and Mir. Rogers, general counsel of the Isthmian Canal Commission, on the isthmus the engi- neers for the purpose of r.aking furth- CT reports upon the technica al questions which I referred to them and Mir. Rog- CTS for the purpose of pushing some condemnation litigation to acquire title to land which is now n t. @ rogress of the work becomes necessary for us to take over.
 T found Mir. Stevens on the isthmus and also Col. Goethals, Majors Sibert and Gallard and Admiral Rosseau Mir Stevens is very much out of health and needs a long rest. He has brought to an efficient state a great organization which is doing the work and making the dirt fly And he has done his ut most to transfer this organization in its efficient condition to the control of Col. Goethals and his assistants
 We left Colon on Wednesday, April 3. and reached Havana on Sunday, April '. I spent Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Havana, conferring with Governor Magoon. Col