The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-18


 condition of our own city has necessi- tated cuts which affect materially va rious departments of civic development that have been established within the past few years and have come to be felt of vital importance.
 Civil administration is of vital import ance. The United States government has shown it's attitude toward civil admins | tration in the manner in which it has handled the civil department at the canal zone
 The building of the canal was strictly a business proposition. The civil depart ment organized in the canal zone has 1 been a means to that end It is the so- cial basis of an industrial proposition. i The erection and maintenance of churches, l hospitals, comfortable quarters club l houses and schools, and the provision for the administration of civil law were 1 factors in building the canal because they tended toward efficiency through secur- i ing competent and contented workmen 1 Such men would not stay where they were deprived of all amenities to which they were accustomed at home 1 Civil administration in the canal zone
 
 way by Frank Cause, superintendent of the canal zone schools, and Charles Carr principal of the Canal Zone Public High school
 The department of civil administration say these writer's is less conspicuous than the spectacular canal and the work there while it was in progress. The visitor watched the engineers and the construc- tion of the canal, and now views the canal itself and he is oblivious to the l skilful organization of other departments 1 He has good food, his quarters are com | fortable and the sanitation is perfect 1 He sees policemen in neat khaki uni forms, and he finds no confusion and little failure to comply with the law. He sees fire stations in every town of the canal zone. His mail is delivered exact ly as it is in the United States He sees prisoners at work building maeadamized roads. He is told that there is an ex- cellent system of public schools where provision is made for educating chil- dren of every nationality. He finds a country where American in- stitutions obtain and where American ideas predominate, though the people are of different onalities-Americans, West Indians, East Indians, Chinese. Japanese Sraniards Turks, Syrians Englishmen, ocotchmen, frenchmen, Germans, Ital- ians, Greeks and Scandinavians
 The present department of civil admin istration was organized in 1908. Four years before that time Maj. Gen. George w Davis, United States Army, retired was appointed governor of the canal zone He was directed by the President to take formal possession of the zone and the property of the United States therein and In the cities of Colon and Panama Fol lowing this the present system of civil administration was worked out and estab- lished. It comprehends these divisions;
 Posts, customs and revenues
 Police and prisons.
 Fire protection.
 Public works.
 Steam vessel inspection service
 Schools
 Treasurer of the canal zone
 Auditor of the canal zone
 The Judicial branch includes supreme court circuit courts and district courts.
 In the division of posts, customs and revenues Is included the postal cus- toms and internal revenue service of the zone, the collection of rentals from public lands and buildings and the administration of estates. In the zone are 16 postoffices all or Which are money order offices and at each of which postal savings cer- tificates are issued and deposits are received.
 Postage stamps are purchased from the Panamian government for 40 per cent of their face value. They are sold by the division of posts at their face value, making a net revenue of 60 per cent. This arrangement Is made by the Taft agreement The postal service is not self-sustaining, owing to the payment to the Panamian government of 40 per cent for stamps and to the Tact that a large amount of the mail is commission mail and is ranked
 The customs department handles all matters relating to the ships and sea men, collection of Panama tariff on imports and to the enforcing of the exclusion laws against Syrians and Chinese. It also makes assessments and collects taxes.
 Taxes
 All lands and buildings held by pri- Vate owners are taxed at per cent of their estimated rental value Other taxes are on stocks of merchandise poll tax for permanent residents and various license srXes. This department collects rentals on lands and buildings leased by the government These rent als become a part of the revenues of the zone and are used toward the con- struction and maintenance of schools roads and other public Improvements
 The zone revenues total about $320,- eco a year, aside from the postal re- cotrts. During the construction of the canal the money order sales were more than s5.000.000 year. The greater portion of this was the savings of the employees of the commission and of the Panama railroad
 Police and Prisons
 A chief of police is in charge of the de- partment of police and prisons He is assisted by a full corps of officers. This includes slightly more than 100 white policemen and less than 100 negro police men. The white policemen are usually ex- members of army, navy and marine corps, and the negroes are from the West Indian armies or constabulary.
 In the zone penitentiary are kept the convicts and in the district jails are kept prisoners awaiting trial and those serving for msdemeanors. The convicts build and keep up the macadamlzed roads.