El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-06-02

itecture. their material needs supplied
by commissary at low prices, and
receiving wages higher than similar
services command anywhere else in
the world, the men who are digging
the canal find that a generous gov
eminent is doing everything that
reasonably could be expected in re-
turn for the services rendered
The average American receives
about $3.50 a month for his Ia
Dor. He Is furnished If married and
in the service a reasonable time, with
a house for himself and family, his
light bill is never rendered, the coal
for his kitchen stove costs him moth
ing, the ice man never calls to collect.
most Of his diversions and those OF
his family are at government expense,
and food and raiment for himself and
family are obtainable at prices in
which no middleman has figured
profit
Commissary Prices Interesting.
The commissary prices at which the
canal employe buys his supplies of
food are interesting. Short cut NUT
ton chops are quoted at 20 cents
pound. pork at IA cents, sirl0in beef
steaks at 10, pork sausages at Is.
fresh halibut at Is, sugar cured hams
at is. and so on all through the list
Here 1000 miles from New York,
where every cost of retailing is high
er, the prices are lower than prevail
in the states. The canal employe buys
his clothing at prices much lower than
at home. A linen suit that would cost
IS in Washington may be bought by
the canal employe for IS. 1t is rough
ly estimated that more than half OF
the married employees are saving lib
era1 portion of their income every
month
The commissary is operated by the
Panama railroad, saving a lot OF
otherwise red tape. The aggregate
value of the goods sold annually
amounts to GONE SIS, 900, 600 More than
a million dollars worth of groceries.
a hundred thousand dollars worth of
hardware. a million and a half dol
lars of cold storage supplies and $15S.-
900. worth of tobacco were handled
last year. During the calendar year
1910 prices of almost everything, ex-
cept pork products, were cheaper than
in any other year since canal building
operations began.
Open Only to Employees.
The commfssary. under agreement
with the Panamanian government, is
open only to canal employees. The ma
tive merchants put Up a stiff fight
against the establishment Of the COM
missary. being DESTROYS of making a
profit out OF the canal workers, but
Uncle Sam was anxious to protect his
force from extortion, and would agree
to no other course. He did agree that
the commissary should not sell to any
outsider. and every tourist can testi-
fy that the canal employee has reason
to rejoice that he does not have to
patronize the local merchants.
Every canal settlement has its COM
missary. The canal employe buys cou-
pom books, carefully numbered and
registered, and with these he can buy
what he wants. He gets the books
and the amount paid for them is taken
out Of his wages for the next month.
The eommissaries are huge depart
ment stores. there is an ice cream
nlanufa curing plant. a laundry. and
everything needed by modern COM
munity of Americans.
Houses Are Cool.
The houses in which the employees
live are built for GOODNESS and comfort
Broad verandas, carefully screen ned.
surround each one. Some of the more
important officials have a whole
house to themselves. Others live in
what are known in the states as semi
detached houses. accommodating two
families Others are four-family houses,
with two families on the lower
floor and two on the second floor
the houses being semi-detached two
family flats. There used to be large
number OF Bachelor quarters, but so
many of the bachelors went home or
became benedicts, that some OF these
quarters have. been converted into non
housekeeping flats. and in them live
the married people who have not yet
cd FOR oh ;Sf
to get housekeeping quarters. A
large number of the families living in
these quarters take their meals at the
hotels at 35 cents a meal
Bachelor Quarters Cozy.
The bachelor quarters are cozily ar
ranged and fitted with shower baths I
and other modern conveniences The /
furniture of these quarters. as well as /
that Of all the three thousand build /
ings owned by the, commission. is
furnished by the government This !
district quartermaster, and if ever
men needed diplomacy and tact. (
these men do. If Mrs. A. happens TO
al on Mrs. B. and finds a swell front I
dresser in her bedroom, while hers has
straight front. as soon as Mrs. A.
starts home she is likely to go by
the quartermaster's office and know
me reason why Such discrimination is |
practiced. She forgets that new furni-
lure is coming in continually and pat
.erns are changing.
Lieutenant colonel c. A. Devol. the |
chief quartermaster is the officer
who took charge OK affairs at San
Francisco after the earthquake. He
says. significantly. that equitable
Jules cover the assignment of quarters
md the allowance of furniture, and
hat these rules are being administer
ID by a body of district quartermas-
ers who have now received such
raining that he thinks the problems
If this branch of the work have been
olved.
Hotel System Good.
The hotel system on the Isthmus
9 an admirable one, with accommoda-
ions to suit all the employees. The
Vest Indian negro has the privilege
Il patronizing the mess kitchens along
he line. His quarters in the barracks
re free and he pays 80 cents a day for
lis meals. These are of nourishing
God handled with the utmost cleanli-
Iess. He takes his beef, rice and po-
o eat them. But with all this he is
ust as much husbands part to try