The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1913-09-29
Contlnued from saturday.

hrBt category are the Americans and
in the second the common and unsIdll.
ed laborers, Wages are paid in silver
to the laborers, and salaries to the
Americans are paid in gold. This dis
tincion is not hard and fast one
and the idea was adopted as the best
means for the government to draw the
color line Second class coaches are
provided on the trains, special win.
dows in the postoftices, special clerks
In the commissary and separate eating
places for the silver employees.
Many labor saving devices have
been born of necessity iii the canal.
zone. The honor for inyelting the
greatest OF these belongs to w. G.
Bierd. formerly general manager of the
Panama ruilroad and the man who
most largely was responsible for bring
Ing that archaic system from chaos
to order under Chief Engineer Ste
vens. He originated a track shifter
which does the work of 500 men in
one day and requires only nine men to
operate 1t.
Strikes have never been successful in
The canal zone. In 1904 President Roose-
welt gave the commission the power to-
expel anybody from the canal zone
who, in its discretion. was not neces-
sary to the work of building the canal
or was Objectionable for any reason.
No such power resides in any Ameri-
can state executive. but the supreme,
court held that the canal zone was
not under the constitution and was
subject to the regulation of a military
reservation.
The canal employees are the most
pampered set of workers in the world
an eight hour day with a two hour in
PERMISSION Mt noon. first class board.
cheaper than in the United States. free.
quarters, free medical service on full.
pay. nine holidays on pay, reduced
railroad rates. wages and salaries frop
80 to so per cent higher than in the
United States, an annual vacation of
forty-two days on full pay for gold en-
ployees and the necessaries Of life for
sale at lower prices in the government
commissary than in the United States.
No one realizes how generous the
government has been to its employees
at Panama more than the employee
who leaves the service to return TO
work in the United States. Over and
over again such employees have re-
turned to the canal zone to take work
at wages or salaries less than they
were receiving when they quit. One
foreman drawing $3.50 month In Pan.
anna decided he could do as we'll Mt
home. In year he returned to the
canal zone and gladly took position
at 65 cents an hour, or about 1892
month. The cost of living and stand
ard Of pay in the United States made
him repent his action.
Any employee on monthly salary
basis may take eIghty-one days or at
full pay in every year. He has va.
cation Of forty-two days on pay. sick
leave of thirty days on pay and nine
holidays on pay. total of eighty-one
days that the government voluntarily
deprives itself Of the employees serv-
ices. The sick leave, too, is pretty
generally used up by the employees,
who have little trouble in persuadlng
district physician they need a rest at
Taboga sanitarium or Ancon hospital.
1t Is apparent that the government has
invested some Of Its millions in way
no private contractor could follow, ex-
cept into bankruptcy. If an employee
does not take his vacation one year he
can accumulate it for the next year
and so get eighty-four days at full pay.
and his trip to the United States will
cost him only $50 or $50 a one way,
passage.
Pay days until Oct. /. 1907, were
semimonthly. Since then monthly pay
days have been the custom. The dis.
bursement Office at Empire is great
bank, handling nearly 100000
month. Payments for wages have in.
creased from 100000 monthly in
1905 to nearly 100000 a month as
maximum in 191o-11-12.
Silver employees or common laborers
earn 5, Z, 10, 10, TO- 20 and % cents an
hour. with few exceptions at 80 and
A cents an hour, and n maximum
monthly silver rate Of $40.
Gold employees. which includes all
the Americans, are paid from a mini
mum Of $T5 monthly to a maximum of
5000 monthly. not including in this
classification heads OF departments.
Colonel Goethals, as chairman and
chief engineer and president Of the
Panama railroad company, receives
$4,000 annually; the other members
of the commission. $4,000 annually;
clerks, from So to $3.50 monthly:
craftsmen. 500 to $3.50; engineers. as
sistant, special and designing, $o25 to
5000; foremen, $75 to 1910; inspectors.
$40 to $3.50; marine masters. $40 to
$225; master mechanic. 1928 to $oT5;
physicians. S1l0 to $500: district quar-
termasters. $3.50 TO 1927; hotel steward
$50 to Sl15; storekceprrs. $40 to S225:
superintendent. SlT5 tn SlS323: su