The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1914-04-24
MAY STRIKE At
REDUCED Wages
big Ditch" will Run Thru
Ancon Cemetery.
Unemployed Situation is Now Ser.
ious Problem At Panama;
Thieves Busy.

Panama, April 1S.-Much opposition
to reduction in me wage scale of
skilled labor on the canal has arisen
since the new wage scale was promul-
gated in conformity with an execu-
tive order issued by President Will
son on February 2, to become OPP
erative on April /, when the per-
n,anent government Of the Panama
Canal we.A into effect.
The skilled workers have been
in communication with the
parent unions in the United States
with the result that the Metal
Tnddes Departments of the American
Feder1 ion of Labor has innstructed
the unions on the Isthmus to imme-
diately. begin 4the frmation Of a
Metal p, Truies Council in Panama.
Several meetings already have been
he'd at which strong opposition to
any wage reduction was voiced.
Under the terms of the Adamson act
establishing the permanent govern
ment of the Panama Canal it is pro-
vided that no one on the canal force
shall be paid more than twenty-five
per Get in excess of the average wage
for similar work paid in the United
States. In continuity with Ibis pro-
vision Col. George w. Goethals, gov
ernor of the Panama Canal, issued a
circular establishing a new wage scale
This provides for considerable 'reduc-
tions all along the line.
It is understood here that Col.
Goefhals personally favors the con-
tipuance of the present wage scale
until the period Of construction shall
have been ended. II this is done the
reductions will become effective grad
ually and not until after the con-
struction of the canal has been fully
completed. ~a
The various labor unions represent
ed on vthe isthmus, it Is understood,
have communicated or will communi-
cate, with their parent organizations
with the view of obtaining strike
sand ion. 1t is not the immediate
according to labor lead
ers here. to make use of the strike
weapon 10 force the contention of
the present scale, but only in an
of such p character as to
make its use a necessity. rt>
u is not anticipated that any OPP
position to the new wage scale will
come from the Numerous clerks Rnd
other unorganizod employees on he
canal force. AS yet no active opo-
sition has appeared among them, al
tho 1t u said that many Of them
resigning and returning
TO the States and seeking other en-
ployment. This class of emptoye in
any event will suffer considerable
,hrinkage thru the gradual reduc-
ton in force made necessary by the
of construction work.
A serious problem also confronts ia
of the canal zone ard the
Republic of Panama because of the
Increasing number of unemployed men
Within the last year many thou
sands of unskilled canal workers
lave been thrown upon their resourc :
because there was no more work
or them. In almost evrey case they
lave saved no money for a rainy day.
The resus. has been an increasing
mount of lawlessnoss running par
icularly into the line of petty bur
,larios. For unskil.ed labor there
S now absolutely no demand, either
N THE lsthmus, the outlying prov
noes of the republic or the neighbor-
ne republics OF Central and South
The proposed government
in he Province OF Chirique is
expected to afford some relief, but
he hope of its early start is not !,
1 all bright here.
There is 4 tie or no other construc- !
ion work in progress. Public work.
'ith the exception OF the national
xpos.tlcn. prcN tiealE is AT stanh-
till. On the Zone the roads are be-
ng CONSTRUCTED by the prisoners IN
he penf entiary. This also is the
ase in the Panama Republic. Both
anaana City and Colon. he two
lost important cities in the Pana-
IA Republic. are titled with idle ne
rocs who are looked upon as more