Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-12-16
PART OF CANAL
IN WAR PROVES
ITS GREAT WORTH
Big Ditch Kept in Working Or
der and Fully Met Every De-
pand That Was Made U59n
1t By the Country.

Especial Gable Dispatch to the New
York World and Albuquerque JournaD
Cristcbal. Canal Zone. Dec. Is
The Panama canal force is proud of
the way the big ditch behaved during
the war. 1t was completed barely in
time to play its part in affording
quick passage to the nitrate ships car
rying their indispensable cargoes
from Chile to the United States and
Europe and its machinery had hardly
been more than tested before ii was
called upon to do yeoman service for
the cause.
The departure of Gen. Goethals also
put a new governor at the head of the
administration in this critical period,
but Governor Harding's hand at the
helm has been no less successful than
was that of his predecessor in making
the canal. The period of the war has
witnessed fewer incidents here of an
unpleasant character than any other
place under the American flag. There
have been no slides from the sides
of the cut no strikes or other la
Dor troubles; no sabotage; no inter
ruption to traffic; no shortage of sup
plies; no lack of adequate provision
in arranging for all the needs CT the
zone. @
Enemy Plots Frustrated.
Germans We're promptly interned
and all suspicious characters deport-
ed. Precautions against spies were
so thorough that the impossibility of
getting by the zone police has been a
subject of comment on all sides. Tons
of German propaganda were inter-
cepted and all sorts of tentative plots
nipped in the bud revolutionary
movement against Costa Rica, engi-
neered by political exiles here, was
promptly squelched
A volunteer news service was or
ganized by canal employees and a
counter campaign against German
propaganda was carried on all over
Latin America, which has had good
results in the attitude of many of the
governments in South and Central
America
More than 10 per cent of the canal
employees went to the war. Those
remaining worked overtime in every
department. The Zonites gave $685. 900
a year to the Red Cross; subscribed
nearly $5,000,O0O in all to the Liberty
Loans and never once complained
about high prices or grumbled over
conditions imposed by the, war. None
of them showed alarm over the SUBJ
marine menace.
The women knitted and sewed for
the Red Cross, and entertained the
British wounded on their way to Aus
tralia and New Zealand with hospi-
tality which has been commented
unon in the newspapers of those
countries and officially recognized by
their governments.
The health department has been
notably efficient The malarial rate
has been lower than at any time since
the American occupation. The influ
enza epidemic was so handled as to be
practically negligible. The opium and
cocaine trade was broken up, and the
soldiers and sailors protected from
other forms of dangerous vice.
Tens of thousands of acres of land
in the zone were cleared and planted
or turned into pasture and stocked
with cattle against any possible block
ade The fishing business was devel-
oped with the same end in view,
Altogether the little American col
ony on the Isthmus feel that they
have kept their work going at "A high
pitch of efficiency, and the big dem
onstrations held on the victory day
were full of evidences of their loyalty
and enthusiasm in. the parades, the
speech making and the absence of
any Earring note.