The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-24
PLEASED WITH
WORK ON CANAL
President Roosevelt Says That
Everything He Has Done
Has Been Done Well.
LABOR PROBLEMS REMAIN
DIFFICULT QUESTIONS ARE VET
TO BE SOLVED.

Oyster Bay. Aug 23-President
Roosevelt today made public a report
submitted to him on Aug. by a spe-
cial commission consisting of James
Bronson Reynolds, Samuel B. DonneIly
and Henry Beach Needham regarding
conditions in Panama The commits
sion was appointed April % last.
The president sent 10 each member
of the commission on Friday letter.
In winch he expresses particular pleas
ure at the fact that the commission
upholds the administration of Colonel
George E. Goethals, chairman of the
lSthmian canal commission. and the
president has had copy mailed TO
Colonel Goethals requesting that the
recommendations made by the COM
mission be put into effect immediately
so far as possible. The president wifi
Submit the report TO congress. with
appropriate recommendations.
The commission reports that it in
spected the entire line of the canal ex-
cavation from La Boca. the southern
or Pacific terminus, to CrystobaI. the
northern or Caribbean terminal. and
Travelled through the excavation sew
eral times. interviewing the men at
work"
indicating the scope of the inspection
the commission reports that il visited
the government workshops, cOnstruc-
ton plants. warehouses. shipyards.
dredges. commissary stores, living
quarters chat is, hotels. ynesses. kitch-
ems and camps). schools club houses,
courts, police stations and the conva-
lescent home at Taboga.''
Roosevelt is Proud.
President SRoosevelt's letter to the in
vestigators says: II doubt if there is
any piece of work undertaken on be-
half of the American people of recent
years of which the American people
have more reason to be proud than of
the work done on the Panama canal
The success has literally been astouno-
ing. Five years ago, when we under
took the task, no sane man would have
dared to hope for the results which
have already been achieved. The work
itself has been advanced more expe-
ditiously than We had ventured to
think. and the rapidity of the rate of
progress has steadily increased.
Meanwhile the treatment of by
gienic conditions on the isthmus has
been such as to make it literally the
model for all work of the kind in
tropical countries. Five years ago the
isthmus of Panama was byword for
unhealthiness of the most deadly kind
AT present the canal zone is one of the
heaithiest places on the globe. and the
work which is being prosecuted with
such tremendous energy is being prose-
cuted under conditions so favorable to
the hetlth and we'll being of the work
ers that the mortality among them is
abnormally small
Two Stages Passed.
In prefacing it's report. the commits
sion saws: Work on the construction
of the isthmus canal has passed
through two stages, those of planning
and preparation. 1t is now in the third
stage the stage of construction.
The terrible scourge of yellow fever,
a gainst which the French struggled in
vain; the filthy and pest-breeeding
state of the principal Panama towns.
the rough lumber camps and other
hardships of the first two eras have
been eliminated through the brilliant
and persistent activity of the depart
ment of sanitation. the Departments OF
municipal engineering and the build
ing department. Today we find yellow
fever driven from the isthmus. malaria
and pneumonia greatly reduced and
high average of health"
OF the progress of the work the re-
port saws: This year over two and
one third million cubic yards were ex-
cavated in each OF the winter months
the dry season in Panama. million
yards being approximately equal to
square mile on foot deep To prepare
this immense mass for removal. i05
tons of dynamite were used per month.
Continued on Page 2.