The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1912-08-13
"A TONS OF MONEY A MONTH
PAID OUT BY UNITED STATES 1O
PANAMA CANAL WORKERS.
An Interesting Description OF How
the Ghost Walks Down "hefe
We're Digging Big Often

We're Digging Big Dltch'
PAY day in the canal zone is the
day to which all employees look for
ward to with especial pleasure. To
speak of paying out A tons OF money
each month may seem TO some 10
imply that this amount OF money is
paid out from the pay car III one
day. but such would be wrong I'M
preston.
The nav car is out three days in
each month. the twelfth, thirteenth
and fourteenth. paying ABOUT one
third of the employees each Day less
the towns of Ancon, part OF balpoa
and Cristobal. there being an 18TH
mian canal commission pay ONCE at
Ancon which pays the employees at
Ancon and as many as care 10 10
come from Balboa. Inc paynasler
often visits the dredges, paying the
men while at work; likewise the for
tifcation islands and the Island of
Tohaga From the Cristobal office
the men in Cristobal and vicinity are
paid. The paymaster mere makes
trips to Toro Point, Posto Belo and
Nombre de Dios to pay the employees
at these places.
Some may wonder how these take
care of their money at these places.
For the accommodation OF the en-
ployes a postmaster accompanies the
paymaster and issues money orders
for deposit or transmission wherever
the men may wish to send the mon
ov Questions are often asked about
mail reaching isolated points of the
canal zone. Where there is no post
office there are regular paid messen-
gers who gather the mail and take it
to the nearest postotfice, returning
with the mail addressed to this place,
having bought stamps, money orders,
ETC., for the employees. Where work
is in progress this messenger makes
from two to four trips daily, but
from such places as Tobaga they
make three trips week. The COM
missary department was so closely
related to pay day in the early days
that it is hard to tell of one without
mentioning the other Formerly
there was one car which divided into
two parts, one marked gold en-
Moves" and the other silver en-
DIoyes." This car carried the money
and payrolls, the employe signing
the roll and receiving his wages. In
the gold" end of the car was a man
from the commissary department
who had the employees account and
he was expected to settle it as soon
as he was paid.
In those days there was only one
commissary, which was located at
Cristobal. This would give a man
credit after he had been certified by
the head of his department, but he
was expected to settle his account as
has been described.
After this followed form of pay
receipt, which has been improved up
on until here shown, which is now in
use, was adopted, two cars are now
in service, one for the payment OF the
employees and the other carrying the
timekeeping force of each division,
who distribute pay receipts to the
employees that have not received them
before pay day. One end of this car
is marked gold pay certificates" and
the other Silver pay certificates"
Gold rolf means all American
citizens employed that are over the
age of 18 years, and 'silver rolf
means all other classes of labor en-
oloyed The word Silver" also
means that these employees may be
uaid in Panamaian silver if the gov
eminent so chooses. Amount de-
Quoted" means that sum has been
taken from ones wages for commits
sary and hotel books that he has
drawn during the month, it being
necessary to draw commissary cou-
pOn books if one wishes to trade at
the commissary, as money is not
handled, and hotel books if one wish |
es to take advantage of the 30-cent
meals at the hotels. Otherwise one
would pay so cents.
After the pay certificates are made
out by the various time-keepers they
and the payrools are sent to the ex-
aminer of accounts office, where they |
are examined and stamped. Then the |
roll and certificates are sent to the
disbursing office where they original |
ed and are given to the employees, |
who sign and have them witnessed |
and hold them until the pay car
comes, when they are changed for
money.