Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-24
CANAL JOB IS MARVEL
investigators Astonished by
What's Been Done.
NO MORE PLAGUE SPOTS
Governments Treatment of Its EN-.
ployes Is Commended.
MINOR CRITICISMS ARE MADE
President Makes Public Report Of
Commission-Pleased With Show
ing on the Isthmus.
NO MORE PLAGUE SPOTS
MINOR CRITICISMS ARE MADE

| August Il Dy a special commission con-
sisting Of James Bronson Reynolds, Sam
uel B. Donnelly and Henry Beach Need
ham, rega riding conditions in Panama. The
commission was appointed April Is last
ito investigate conditions. especially az
regards labor and accommodat tons, on the
Isthmus of Panama"
| The President Friday sent letter
to each member of the commission. He
Expresses particular pleasure over the
fact that the commission upholds the
administration Of Col. George w. Goe-
thals, chairman of the isthmian canal
commission, to whom he has had a COPY
of the report mailed. requesting that the
recommendations made by the commission
be put into effect Immediately so far as
possible. The President will submit the
| report to Congress with appropriate
| recommendations.
Appreciation of President.
President Rooseveh's letter of apprecia-
q, is as follows:
"Gentlemen: I have received your ad-
mirable report upon conditions at Panama.
/ am greatly impressed with it and shall
submit it to Congress with appropriate
| recommendations as soon as that body
convenes. Meanwhile l shall send your
recommendations to Col. Goethals and ask
him to put them into effect so far as pos
sible, and where he deems this impossible
| with his reasons.
am naturally extremely pleased at the
very satisfactory showing that your report
makes of conditions under Col. Goethals
and his associates. l doubt II there is any
piece of work undertaken on behalf of the
American people of recent years of which
the American people have more reason to
be proud than of the work hitherto done
on the Panama canal. The success has
literally been astounding.
Meanwhile the treatment of hyRienic
conditions on the isthmus has been such
as to make 1t literally the model for all
work Of the kind in tropical countries.
Five years ago the Isthmus of Panama
most deadly kind. At present the Canal
Zone is one OF the healthiest places on the
globe. and the work which is being pros
ecuted with such tremendous energy is
being prosecuted under conditions so
favorable to the health and well-being of
the workers that the mortality among
them is abnormally small.
Finally. In addition to the extreme eff
f1ciency of the work under Col Cocktails
and his associates and the extraordinary
hygfenfc success achieved under DR.. Cor
gas. there is the further and exceedingly
gratifying fact that on the isthmus the
United states government has been able
to show itself a model employer. There
are matters to correct. of course, as your
report shows. but. on the whole, 1t is
true that the United States government
Is looking after the welfare, health and
comfort Of those working for it as no
other government has ever done in work
of like character. Again thanking you
for your report, l am sincerely yours,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
Scourges Are Conquered.
In prefacing its report the commission
says:
The terrible scourge of yellow fever,
against which the French struggled in
vain: the filthy and pest-breeding state of
the principal Panamanian towns, the
rough labor camps and other pioneer
hardships Of the first two eras have been
eliminated through the brilliant and per-
sistent activities Of the department of
sanitation, the department of municipal
engineering and the building depa rtment.
Today We find yellow fever driven from
the isthmus, the deadly stegomyia mos
quito thus rendered innocuous, malaria
and pneumonia greatly reduced and a high
average of health established"
After giving detailed description OF
the method of work on the canal and the
amount o machinery and labor involved,
the report continues:
when We recall that this enormous
plant is operated at a distance of 1852
miles from It's nearest base of supplies
New Orleans-and 1875 miles from it's
main base of supplies, New York, we
curacy the magnitude and complications
of the undertaking. On April 30. 1908.
&c, 11S men were actually at work for the
isthmian canal commission, and 1915 at
33, 1873, of which number there were 1881
gold employees and 1882 silver en-
ployes. The gold employees are those
paid in gold, nearly all of whom are
Americans on the clerical force and skill
ed mechanics. The silver employees are
those paid in silver and are nearly all
foreigners. mainly unskilled laborers.''
Criticises Supervision.
The commission, in calling attention to
the complicated system of supervision,
says:
THE expense of this cumbrous system
seemed to us unnecessarily great. The
salaries of four superintendents at $275
per month amounted to $1,1OO per month.
and the salaries Of fourteen supervisors at
$175 per month amounted to $3.50 per
month"; total of 1850 per month"; or
$40, 600 per annum. for superintendent
alone. One competent. experienced super
intendent should be sufficient to superin-
tend and supervise the entire service
A reviser of the wage schedule would
work to advantage, the commission finds.
On this the report says:
THE wage schedule should be simplifed,
the grades reduced in number and the
same pay and hours required for similar
service for the isthmian canal commission
and the Panama Railroad Company. Much
cause for existing complaints would be
eliminated by these changes"
No Wage Reductions.
The commission dwells at length on the
difficulty of holding skilled workingmen
at the isthmus, and in this respect says
that the wage rates paid on the isthmus
are but 10 per cent higher than the rates
paid on building construction work in the
city of New York. 1t recommends that no
reductions be made.
REGARDING the number Of hours the en-
ployes should be asked to work, the report
says:
:Telegra piers and train dispatchers on
the Panama railroad should receive by ex-
ecutiye order the benefit of the provisions
of the so-called hours of service law,
passed at the last session of Congress, and
should therefore not be required to give
more than nine hours of service daily, ex-
I'm this connection, 1t Is proper to record
that we found the eight-hour law faith
fully enforced in the entire service of the
isthmian canal commission"
Compensation for Injured.
Adequate compensation for those injured
while at work on the canal is recon-
mended. In case OF permanent disable
,,,>r< v,ap.tono for tho fni,,red men for the