El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-05-18

about the labor OF the canal Uncle
sam pays bigger wages and gives long
or vacations than any other employer
on earth The men here get from %
10 90 per cent more than in the states
ana they nave 1re6 quarters, free medi-
cal attendance and free fuel They can
buy eatables at a shade above cost
and each OF them has six weeks vaca-
ton, with his high rate Of pay during
the year
In return for this Uncle sam sees
that they do their work There is
mighty Hc9e lOafing on the canal anu
during working hours every muscle is
put TO its highest efficiency. There are
detectives who go about to see If there
is any scamping the job or padding
the pay rolls, and the poor workman
Is pretty sure TO be dropped
This IS especially so OF the men
handling the machinery A careful
record is kept Of the amount OF labor
thaL each machine performs, and from
week TO week the engineers know just
what every steam shovel and every
dredge is doing There is n great com
petition as TO which machines and
which gangs do the most. and as a re-
suit we have had some surprising work
Inc outputs of the steam shOvels have
been doubled, and single shovel has
eXcavated about 1000 cubic yards in
one day, while another has record OF
having loaded more than $4,000 cubic
yards in one month That first shovel
Cid the work OF over 600 men Now
when il IS remembered that we have
something like 100 shovels on the 18TH
mus you can see how much It means
that all should work we'll Altogether
the shoVels alone represent a force
equal to the labor of 10000 or $4,000
men, and the same IS true Of other
great machines on the isthmus. such as
me rack Shutters and spreaders, each
OF which does the work of hundreds.
Machine Efficieney-
Indeed. the amount OF labor saved
AT Panama by the use or machinery IS
enormous Uncle Sam is doing nothing
that he can get steam. electricity o..
compressed air to DO. and he finds that
II pays. Scientific studies are made
OF blasting and drilling. and the men
know Just where 10 use and when 10
save dynamite In connection with the
steam shovels. the government employs
200 or 500 men in drilling and blasting.
III Jne work were done by hand il
would have to have 1000 or 5000 men
ana would use about three times the
amount Of explosives. The track shift
ers and spreaders, which are handled
oy three white men G1d six labOrers.
can move more than a mile OF track in
a day. and they can spread down an
Is foot dump to a wide road OF nine
Ieet- 1t is estimated that the nine
men so working are equal to gang OF
SEQ. which would need nine foremen to
handle them The LidgerWOOd unload
srs. which require % white men and ~
4aoorers to operate them. each do as
much work as $500 labOrers with the
necessary white fOremen. sUpposinE
the work to be done otherwise. The {
dredges are also OF enormous saving in +
the way OF efficiency. and we have I
many other machines OF similar eco
nOmical nature.
Uncle sans bookkeeping.
] wish I could show you the books .
that the government is keeping down I
here at Panama They have q system
of accounts which shows just what ev-
erything costs $oWn to the lttnS or
every pound OF sand and rock 10 the
making OF every yard OF concrete and
L might say as TO the labor perform
ance OF almost every man II the con
crete I'm one division OF the work IS
COSTING more than that Of another Tn
e. sam knows it. and his books show
iust how much the cement and sand
IN each yard OF that concrete cost 1t
Ii the same with the dredgeS and with
avery BIT Of machinery, even 10 the OIL
used I'm greasing the same
The cost of excavation per cubic yard
Is figured out to the hundredths OF a
rent and the variations from month
Ia month are estimated This Is per |
cubic yard OF work done. and &c shows I
Just what we are getting out OF the
men and machines.
am looking al the records OF last
year During the months OF July, Aug
3st and September the average cost.
per cubic yard. or WOrk there was a
ibout So. ia August almost So and IN
July only little over 81
This was MADE up OF items like the
Cost OF drilling. so cents.
lasting, = cents. Ioaolng oy power.
.ents. by hand. % cents. truck trans
,ortation. % cents tracks. one cent:
'fvfsiOn expense IS cents. and so on Z
making up the total that 7 have given. Z
would say. however. that 7 have only
quoted the round numbers, and that l