New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-11-18
TAFT LEAVES PANAMA
On Eve of His Departure He
Praises Progress on Canal.
SOME AMERICANS COMPLAIN
Boilermakers, Who Asked Presi.
dent for More Pay, to Quit Be
cause He DELAYED Answer.

u
cause He Delayed Answer.
Colon. Nov T--Presideut Taft sailed for
Charleston IT o'clock this evening aboard
the arrnored cruiser Tennessee, which was
conveyed by the Montana. after four in
teresting days on the isthmus Before
leaving the President said:
This is the fifth time I have visited the
isthmus. and / have gone over the whole
line and looked into every part of the i'm
provemeut II is about twenty-five months
since l was last here. and in that time the
progress made has beei most satisfactory.
Indeed. it is remarkable
The first thing that strikes Is the
fact that work is being done apparently on
every foot OF the fifty miles OF canal and
done under an organization Of men. plants
and materials that operates as economically
and effectively as if it were a machine.
with Goethals In control Of a lever which
sets and keeps the whole machine in OPP
Grafton.
When 1 was here twenty-five months
ago the main question was the confirmation
of the judgment of Congress in having
adopted a lock type canal instead Of a sea
level. The extent to which Gatun Dam
removed from every impartial observer the
slightest doubt of the wisdom of the deci-
sion made AMI the feasibility of the plan
adopted. This conclusion is further con-
firmed and clinched by the difficulty Occa-
stoned by slides in CuIehra Cut, which fo-
a canal of an S5-foot level necesSitated
only an additional excavation. that could
readily be taken care of ANY attempt,
however. TO sink a canal in Culebra 10 a
depth eighty feet below the present pro-
posed level would Iengthen the time of con-
struction. weary the patience of the Amer
leans, make the cost almost prOhibItOry
and leave il an exceedingly doubtful ques-
ton whether, with the difficulty presented
by the Charges River such canal would
be possible at all.
The GattIn Dam lock. with the lake al
ready eighteen feet and slowly rising TO a
level of eighty-fve feet. which will con-
stitute the key 20 the whole plan of the
canal, is so far advanced that, taken with
Culebra Cut and the locks on the Pacific
side. definite picture is given of what the
canal is to be, which inspires one with
eagerness for its completion
The Iandsldes in CuIebra can be easily
removed. the further excavations and the
widening OF the slope where they occur
merely adding something 10 the amount Of
excavation previously calculated upon. and
% the cost. but the percentage of both time
and cost Will be very small. and not enough
| TO increase the estimates for the completed
canal.
The work is so far advanced that the
! time has come for the discussion OF plans
/ for the management and maintenance of
! the canal for the government Of Panama
| is peacefully pursuing It's course and en-
| joying prosperity and political calm in the
/ republic The authorities in charge mani
/ fest every disposition 70 assist the United
/ States in the construction of the canal
and to conform to every detail of the obli-
cations imposed by the treaty"
! On the eve of President Taft's departure
| one hundred boiler makers. dissatisfied
/ that. after hearing their complaints last
| evening the President would give no i'm
mediate answer to their demands. gave
/ five days notice of quitting their work am
| sailing for home. Several of the unions
| OF nachinists and blacksmiths are threaten
/ ing similar action
! 1t is not proposed to strike. but simply
IN resign and leave the isthnus. ONLY
hourly employees constituting - per cen
/ OF the force. are likely to be affected Ths
canal officials are indignant al these en-
pIoyes for trying to force their demands
which the officials regard as unreasonable
/ President Taft promised 70 consider tbs
matter fully and cable his answer from
/ Charleston. but this did not satisfy some
! Of the hot headed among the bOilermakers
! Thu, Canal Commission this afternoon is
sued statement which in part Is as fol
lows:
During the last year a number of petit
| tons asking for an increase IN pay were
who are paid hourly and VINO number
1,50e, about . per cent of the entire
American force The commission after
creases not considering any justification
necessary for sucfrS action The standard
which is from 10 TO 20 cents higher than in
the United States In addition. the work
ers receive free quarters, fuel. lights. medi-
cal attention and other privileges not
granted in the United States.
The reason given by the one hundred men
who have resigned is that the President
promise to send his answer from Charles
ton is not satisfactory This action OF the
boilermakers will not interfere with the
canal construction work and will cause
only temporary Inconvenience, until their
places are filed, which viii De within a
short time
The commission is not worried at the out
look The salaried men are not affected
President Taft told the hourly employees.
who demanded ten cents an hour increase
and six weeks instead of two weeks va
cation with pay. that he thought more va
cation than they were receiving was JUST
fed. The canal workers get all their liv-
ing supplies at wholesale cost from the
comrnissaries. and the commission says
that the cost OF living here is only 50
per cent OF the cost in the United States
President Taft spent the day in inspect
ing the Pacific division locks. and he en-
ioyed a fOur-mile sail on the Pacific en-
trance 10 the canal in tug He will make
a stop Of several hours at Guantanamo or
Saturday afternoon 10 inspect the proposed
naval base.
WHAT Is GOING ON TO-DAY.