The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-24
THE ADMINISTRATION
 OF CHAIRMAN GOETHALS
 IS HIGHLY COMMENDED
Real Digging of Canal Is Proqressinu MarvelousIy We'll and Health Conditions Are Greatly Im-
 proved-EmpIoyes Are
 We'll Cared For.

Oyster Bay August 23.-President Roosevelt today made public a repore made to him on August s by a special committee consisting of James Bron- son Reynolds Samuel B. DonneIly and Henry Beach Needham, regarding con- ditions In Panama. The commission was appointed April 25 last, Ito inves- tigate conditions, especially as re- gards labor and accommodations on the Isthmus of Panama"
 That the President is pleased with the report is shown in letter which he sent to each member of the com mission on Friday. He expresses par ticular pleasure over the fact that the commission upholds the administration of Col. Goethals. chairman of the 18th milan canal commission, and the Presi- dent has had copy of the report mailed to Col Goethals requesting that the recommendations made by the com mission be put into effect immediately so far as possible. The President will submit the report to Congress with ap- propriate recommends tions
 President Roosevelts letter of ap- preciation, sent to the commissioners on August 21 is as follows:
 4 Presidents Letter.
 "Gentlemen-I have received your ad mirable report upon conditions at Pan- anna. l am greatly impressed with it, fn xrrff1 appropriate recommendations as soon as that body convenes. Meanwhile I shall send your recommendations to Col. Goethals and ask him to put them into effect so far as possible, and where he deems this impossible or impracti. cable, to report the fact to me with his reasons. I am naturally extremely pleased at the very satisfactory show ing that your report makes of condi- tions under Col. Goethals and his asso- ciates I doubt if 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 canal. The suc- cess has literally been astounding.
 Five years ago, when we undertook 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 expeditiously than we had ventured to think. and the rapidity of the rate of progress has steadily increased.
 Meanwhile the treatment of hygienic conditions on the isthmus has been such to make 1t literally the model for all work of the kind in tropical countries. Five years ago. the 18th mus of Panama was a by-word for unhealth- mess of the most deadly kind. At present the canal zone is one of the healthiest places on the glode and the work which is being prosecuted with such tremendous energy Is being prose. cuted under conditions so favorable to the health and well-being of the work CTS that the mortality among them IS abnorma1ly small
 "Flnally in addition to the extreme ef- fciency of the work under Colonel Goe- thals and his associates and the extra ordinary hygienic success achieved under Dr. Gorgas, there is the further and ex- ceedingly gratifying fact that on the isthmus the United States government has been able to show itself a model employer. There are matters to cor rect of course as your report showed, but on the whole it Is true that tho United States government is looking after the welfare health and comfort of those working for 1t no other government has ever done in work of like character.
 Again thanking you for your report. I am, sincerely yours,
 THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
 Report of Commission.
 In prefacing its report the commission says:
 Work on the construction of the isth- milan canal has passed through two stages those of planning and of prepara- tion It is now in the third and final stage, the stage of construction. Both the earlier stages required the presence of a large working force. necessarily ouartered in temporary and make-shift accommodation. Because of these condi- tions inevitable at the outset early crit icsm of the canal enterprise mistook the initial and temporary outfit for the per- equipment
 "The terrible scourge of yellow fever. against which the French struggled in vain. the filthy and pest-breeding state of the principal Panaman towns, the rough labor camps and other pioneer hardships of the first two eras. have been eliminated through the brilliant and per- sistent activity of the department of sanitation, the department of municipal engineering, and the building department. Today we find yellow fever driven from the isthmus, malaria and pneumonia greatly reduced. and a high average of health established.
 'Although the governments immediate object on the isthmus Is to dig the canal and to provide living quarters for tenn porary enterprise, 1t has. In fact, cre-
 
 (CONTIN LIED ON FACE sl