The leader-enterprise. [volume] (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1912-1915, 1914-01-30

skilled labor, such as mechanics, car.
penters, plumbers, masons, electricians,
etc. They also are the steam shovel
locomotive and marine engineers, rail
road conductors, time inspectors. fire
men, policemen, all branches of civil
administration. office forces, sanitary
and hospital officers. .foremen, civil en-
gineers, and the like.
Laborers did not come to the canal
zone in sufficient numbers during the
early years. necessitating recruiting
offices in Europe. the West Indies and
the United States, A total of $4,000
men We're imported under contract
with the commission from 1894 to
1910
Spain furnished the largest number
of European laborers to the canal I'M
til the government of>that country in
1908 forbid further emigration to Pan
anna. Out of a total of 11,797 Euro
pean laborers imported to 1910, S,222
were Spaniards, and the others came
principally from Italy, France and Ar
menia.
The colored labor predominates in
the canal zone and was obtained in the
islands of the West Indies. Barbados
furnished the largest number, l9.44S.
The largest immigration for one year
was in 1907, when 14.042 laborers We're
imported.
The color line has been drawn in the
canal zone by dividing the employees
into gold and silver men. In the
first category are the Americans and
in the second the common and unskill-
ed laborers. Wages are paid, in silver
to the labOrers. and salaries to the
Americans are paid in gold This dis
tinction 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 postofices, special clerks
IN the commisSary and separate eating
places for the silver employees.
Many labor saving devices have
been born of necessity in the canal
zone. The honor for inventing the
greatest of these belongs to W. G.
Bierd, formerly general manager of the
Panama railroad 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 it.
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 military
reservation.
The canal employees are the mos
pampered set of workers in the world
an eight hour day with two hour in
PERMISSION at 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 from
30 to 50 per cent higher than in the
United States, an annual vacation of
forty-two days on full pay for gold en-
nlnU00e - oYioc q 20,
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
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 d month in Pan
anna decided he could do as we'll at
canal zone and gladly took a position
at 65 cents an hour, or about $132 a
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 off at
full pay in every year He has a va
cation Of forty-two days on pay. a sick
leave of thirty days on pay and nine
holidays on pay, total of eighty-one
days that the government voluntarily
depnves itself Of the employees serv-
ices. The sick leave. too, is pretty
generally used up by the employees,
who have little trouble in persuading q
district physician they need a rest at
Taboga sanitarium or Ancon hospital
1t is apparent that the government has
invested some of it's millions in a 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 $40 or $50 a one way