Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-08-06

men. policemen. ali branches Of civil
administration. ONCE forces. sanitary
and hospital officers. foremen. civil en-
: ginesrs. aud the Ike. ..
/ Laborers did not come to the canal
Rome Ia sufficient numbers during the
early years necessitating recruiting
, otiees IN Europe. the West Indies and
the United States A total OF 1900
men were imported under contract
/ with the commission from i9o4 to
! 1910
Spain furnished the largest number
OF European laborers 10 the canal I'M
Ill the government or that country In
zoos forbid further emigration to PAN
! ANA. Out OF total OF ll,TyT Euro
pean laborers imported to 1910. S222
were Spaniards. and the others came
principally from Italy. Eranee and Ar
/, menla' sr..-: =.s
The colored labor predominates In
the canal Zune 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 lI.OI2 laborers were
imported
The color line has been drawn In the
canal zone by dividing the employees
into gold" and silver men In the
hrt category are the Americans and
In the second the common and nnskill-
ed laborers Wages are paid In silver
to the labOrers, and salaries to the
Americans are paid In gold. This dis
tinetiOn IL not hard and fast one.
and the Idea was adopted ~ the best
| means FOR the government to draw the
color line Second class coaches are
provided on the trains. special win
dows In the postoffices. 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 lnventing the
greatest Of these belongs TO w. q.
I. Rierd. formerly general manager OF the
Panama rtilruad and the man who
most largely was responsible for bring
Ing that archaic system from chaos
to order under Chief Engineer Ste
yens. He originated trick shifter
which does the work OF 500 men In
one day and requires only nine men to
operate t..
Strikes have never been successful In
the canal zone. In 1904 President Iloose-
welt give 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-
ean state executive. but the supreme
rourt held that the canal zone was
not under the constitution and was
THBiet 30 the regulation Of military
/! reservation
The canal employees are the most
tlannefrsI act Of workers IN the world
an eight hour day With 4 two hour In
tefhiissiOn u nom, first class board
eheaper Than IN the United STATES. free
quarters free niedienI sevvise on fun
PAY miiIe holidays on pny. reduced
railroad rates. wpges and saIaries from
Il
So to ~ per cent higher than In the
United Suites. an annual vacation Of
fprty-two days on full pay for gold EN-
ployees aud the necessaries OF life for
siie ut lower prices In the government
coi4missary than 10 the United States.
No one realizes how generous the
eOrernment has been to It's 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 10 cake work
at wages or salaries lees than they
we're receiving when thes quit. One
foreman drawing $50 q month In Pan
anna decided be could do rs well at
home. In year he returned to the
canal zone and gladly took position
at IS cents an hour. or shout S132 a
month. The cost Of living and stand
ard Of pay In the United States made
him repent his action.