Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1908-03-19
CURFEW At PANAMA.
Employee Suggests That One Is
Needed In Canal Zone.
TWO MEASURES ADVOCATED.

One of the Workers, Living In Bache-
lor Quarters, Wants Protection
Against the convivial Among His
Number-Views of a Daring Dis
senter.
correspondent or Ine New YORK POST.
The trouble began when this employee,
who is stationed at Paraiso, taking ad-
vantage of the canal commissions in
vitation for suggestions looking TO the
betterment of the service. made these
two:
First.-The establishment of a curfew
hour, not later than 10 o'clock in the
evening when lights in bachelors quar-
| ters should be extinguished.
Second.-The absolute prohibition of the
practice of bringing liquor into quarters.
The employee added ingenuously in
making the second suggestion that he
did not know whether 1t was against
the present regulations to have liquor
In bachelors quarters, but If not it
should be-"
In advocating these two measures
"for the uplift" the employee urged
these reasons:
There are many employees of the COM
| HhS5lpu NHuSe uullcS are DOltl uItlOuS
| and exacting, and at the end OF the days
! labor they are in actual need of undis-
| turbed rest to fit them for the duties of
! the morrow. When this is denied them
! through the action of various roisterers
! who periodically make their quarters an
! assembly of brawlers whom a respecta-
| BILE CD saloon keeper would not tolerate
| (the writer is aware that whosoever
! this shoe pinches will be the Ioudest in
denunciation of HIM, it IS evident that
the service given to the isthmian canal
! commission by all who come within the
zone of their disturbing influence is not
| and cannot be as efficient as II suOul4 ae.
For the benefit of dipsomaniacs who
| will indulge in stimulants regardless of
| detriment to personal health, and the
| writer would not deny them their rights
| in this respect, 1t might be well to estab-
! lish canteens in the various towns with
| ''booZing ken" attachments, where their
orgies could be indulged In without dis
| turbing those who have no desire to take
| part in them and who have rights" which
! should be respected
The response was instantaneous and
vivacious. An employee at Culebra
heartily indorsed the plan, but sug-
gested that the curfew should not be
rung until II o'clock. Eleven O'Clock
would suit everybody better than 10
p. m, because those who attend y. NJ.
| C. \. classes, tournaments, entertain
ments, lodge meetings and more inti-
mate rendezvous would be put to a
/ great deal of Inconvenience If not al
lowed to turn on lights on retiring"
One seldom thinks OF the hordes of
canal employees returning nightly in
throngs from Y. NJ. c. A. classes.
The Culebra employee wasn't so sure
about the advisability Of the second
suggestion. He thought it would re-
quire the presence of Il zone police
man TO keep the bachelors from bring
ing whisky into their quarters, but
J he added, at is to be deplored, to be
sure, that orgies are sometimes in
dulged in by coterie of friends, such
practice being, | am sure. against the
existing rules Of the commission.
The habitual drinking of some of
the men makes it also very disagree
able for their roommates especially,
but such practice, in my estimation,
cannot be regulated or stopped. what
ever means the officials may employ"
Another employee at Empire who IS
evidently a sociologist, vegetarian,
disciple of Bernard Shaw and a be-
lever in paternal form OF govern
ment, at once declared his willingness
to go to bed when curfcw tolled the
knell of parting day. He thinks it
would be perfectly lovely if the en-
| ployees could be made to eat legumeS
by official order instead Of meat.
Andrew Bearup, a locomotive en-
| gineer, is the only diSsenter who has
expressed himself publicly. He IS full
of wrath. In blistering words ne seeks
to dispel the idea 'that the bachelor
! population Of Paraiso consists of in
ebriates and rowdies." Bearup says
that he has been a resident of Paradise
! for eight months and has not seen a
drunken or disorderly person in that
station in all that time. He suggests
to the employee who advanced the cur
few plan that If his duties "be so ar
dunus that ii Is necessary for him to
Bachelors employed by the isthmian
canal commission and living in the ca
nal zone, at Panama, are debating
heatedly whether they need Il curfew
law for protection against the bibu-
| lous and convivial among their num-
ber. The suggestion that n curfew law
be established for night roaming bach
elors on the isthmus came from one
of the employees living in bachelors
quarters. says Washington special
- n "a q asSnss kERuFxrs eArRrasxx .