Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-01-18
NEGROES TO DIG THE
CANAL.
Contractor oliver will take 5000
of Them to Panama.


Bangs, the contractors who will prob. |
ably build the Panama canal, are walt
ing for the I-thmian Canal Commission
to take action on the proposition they
presented Saturday to construct the
canal for 6. IS per cent of the total cost
There seems to be no doubt that the
canal commission will within few days
make the award When conclusion
is reached and the contract formally
executed, Mr.. Oliver and Mr.. Bangs will
set in motion the great machine with
which they will build the canal. Mr..
Oliver will go to the lsthmus at once
and there personally superintend this
work, the largest and most important
ever given a contractor. The contractors
will take over the whole plant owned
by the government in Panama and
will at once begin shipping additional
materials to the Isthmus. They must,
in accordance with the terms of the
contract begin actual work within sixty
days from the execution of the con-
tract.
Southern negroes will be used ex-
tensively for labor by Mr.. Oliver The
conditions in Panama are somewhat
similar to those in SOME of the South
ern Ste ties, where Mr. Oliver has done
much work, and he is doubtless more
familiar with the methods of handling
negro labor than any other contractor
in the United States. AS practically the
whole working force in Panama is black
that is, the force actually behind the
picks and shovels-Mr. Oliver is per-
haps better equipped than many other
contractors would be.
Admittedly one of the greatest prob
Down on the Isthmus the fact that the
white foremen now employed by the
commission are unable to get the proper
amount of work out of the West Indian
blacks, of whom there are thousands.
is not concealed. Mr.. Oliver will take
with him great force of white steam
shoyel men, superintendent, foremen
sub-bosses and the like. These will
come from the employees of the Oliver
interests in the United States. They
like Mr. Oliver, will come from the
South, where they have been working
with negro labor, and it is declared that
they will not find trouble in pushing
the black man forward at a rapid pace
il making the dirt fly.
Mr.. Oliver will take 5000 negroes tC
Panama with him and maybe more will
be taken out of the South. He has
not reached decision about the us,
of Chinese laborers. There are now
two responsible bids before the Isthmiar
Canal Commission for furnishing 1900
Chinese laborers, but no action has beer
taken on them. If Mr.. Oliver so de
sires he could doubtless take over thes,
bids and make a contract with the bid
ders.
There is no political reason to keel
Mr.. Oliver from using Chinese labor
He is not restricted in any way, and
entirely within the law and his rights
he may import all the Chinese laborer
he may care to have.
Like every one else who is familiar
with the situation in Panama, Mr.
Oliver realizes the importance of getting
the right kind of labor. In discussing
the contract today he said;
The men now employed on tn,
Isthmus who have been there for an,
length of time must be good men o
they would not have stayed by thei
work. From time to time there will
be complaints, but | have never ina,
any difficulty with my labor that
: could not handle. If the naen are wei
money promptly we can stand the troubl
, which will come from bad weather.
man with his feet in the mud and rail-
on his back is IA bad man to argue with
particularly if he does not know tina
hot meal and dry place to slee
are waiting for him when he stop
working.
LAS now do my work, the organ
ization of each separate job is unde
the direction of managing partner
with full authority to hire and di.
charge employees, and who is held re
sponsible for results"
Mr. Oliver has two-thirds and Mr.
Bangs one-third control in the CON
bination which made the lowest bi
for the job.
RUTLAND PARISH DIVIDED