The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-01-18

tions of the Panama railroad. Colonel Goethals said was responsible for a part of the deficiency.
 Colonel Goethals gave the estimates for necessary appropriation, for the va- rious branches of the canal work for neering department including the Washington offices. s2s.ss5.33s; santa tioR t2.172.42o; expenses of Canal Zone government, 36S2,007; Panama railroad, sl,iss,s40; making a total of sSz.40a.- s63.
 In discussing the item of sanitation. Colonel Goelhals expressed his opinion that should Congress provide a lump sum of s2.ooo.oo0 annually 1t would be sufficient to maintain the health of the Isthmus, providing extra expenses could be incurred in emergency.
 An outbreak of yellow fever" he said. would cause a stampede from ths lsthmus and delay the work very seri- ously. However, I don't believe in car- rying sanitation too far.'
 On the subject of wages and perqui- sites of canal employees. Colonel Goe- thals brought out many interesting features of life on the Isthmus De- mand for quarters for married em- ployes has increased to such an ex- tent that the Commission had found 1t necessary to cease the guarantee of married quarters, although they con- tinue to give suitable quarters to mar ried employees when they are available. Nearly bOe houses for couples are in demand at the present time.
 Colonel Goethais expressed emphatic condemnation of any plan to build the canal under contract He said that a contractor would have trouble in keen. ing his labor on the Isthmus. owing to the reputation for cruel and inhumane treatment by workmen left by the French contractors.
 According to the statements of Col onel Goethals there will be practical plete the canal by the time certain con tracts for steam dredges are completed. which 1t Is supposed they will he by the end of the next fiscal year.
 Through questions put to Colonel Goethels by Senator Taiiaferro. tha fact was brought out that the commiaslon does not propose to receive dictation rom cement firms when the concrete work on the locks is taken up next January.
 If the firms who propose to furnish the cement put their price too high. we will make 1t ourselves. We do not wish to enter the manufacturing field. for 1t adds to our troubles and we d. ready have troubles enough" added Colonel GOeknAlS. N-f
 An alleged newspaper agitation de- nnanding that dirt fly" in the canal. i. Colonel Goethals said, in his opinion, had much needless excavatinG and has, ty dumping on the canal before he be- came connected with the project Dumped dirt. in many instances. had to be removed. Senator Tariaferro brought up the question of the increas- Ad wages of skilled employees in this connection and asked if the raise at the instigation of the chairman was papers to have "dirt ny."
 NO. sir" answered Colonel Goeth- els. Those wages were raised in or der to keep good workmen on the Isthuma"
 In discussing the probable time of completion of the canal. Colonel rSoethels was loath to even hazard q hrtaess, but said it was generaliv- Sun- posad it would take six gears longer.
 The dsf1culfieH. pga are liable to en- counter ara unknown and unesrtaln.' ' said he. "We hape had two or three slides and we are likely to eilconntsF more. In one place. we had 5oO.00o cubic yards of material in motion and travelling at the rate of one foot an hour. It required night and day work to save our equipment.
 Senator Ehiberson asked CoioneI Goethals a number of questions and brought out the statement that he ex- pects no difficutty in building satia- factory locks on the canal