The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-04-21
Canal Workers Demand That
 Bonus Stay

Washington, April 21.-The Pan
 anna Canal Is to be wrecked because Canal Zone have been denied their perquisftes by order of President Harding, according to William c. flushing, member of the Panama Canal Wage Board and the Panama Canal Complaints Board, who repre- sents the Canal employees and is ask ing relief from Congress.
 The canal workers do not intend to
 blow up the canal; but intend to leave the Canal Zone and return to the United States unless their per
 quisities are restored to them. Hush
 ing said. They will tell other work
 CTS in the United States how unsatis-
 factory climatic and working condi-
 tions iH the Canal Zone really are and they do not believe any one will go there to take up the work without perquisities. he asserted
 Representative Cooper, Republican, of Ohio, a labor member of Congress, has taken up the cudgels in behalf of the Canal Zone employees He has in troduced in Congress a bill restoring conditions of employment on the Canal Zone, as they existed up to January 1 last, at which time the perquisites were cut out by the Pres ident on the recommendation of special Panama Canal Commission, which spent a month investigating the Canal in the Summer of 1921.
 Must Pass Tests.
 The American employees on the Canal according to Representative Cooper, have been selected after rig orous physical and mental tests from the finest craftsmen and cleriaa1 workers in the United States. They were induced to enter tropical service by the customary 25 per cent differ entiaI in wages. and free quarters, light, fuel and sanitation. Service in the tropics entails from twenty to thirty days cumulative leave each year and twenty-four days annual leave with seven days travel time to enable an emp1oye to return to the United States periodically to recuper- ate his health. These perquisites are President. Cooper declared.
 Representatives of the Canal em- ployes assert that in the order re- voking the perquisites there has been American workman in favor of the executives and the alien negro work men. The latter, mostly British con tinue to receive free heat, light and they say, while American workmen are required to pay a rental 1 so per cent greater than that of the l negro workmen for similar quarters. | and ar enlarged for heat, light and l 
 Officers Got Increases.
 The supervising officers of the 1 Panama Canal Zone formerly receiv- l ed the same .perquisltes as the skilled | put when these perQu1SlJeS l were revoked the officers had their l pay increased $50 to s10O a month. l The pay of workmen has been re- 1 luced in many instances, and further | are scheduled. The aver | age pay of skilled workmen and the | clerical staff of the Panama Canal is s1S2 a month, which includes the l of 25 per cent over com- oensation for similar work in the | United States.
 Governor Morrow. of the Panama Canal Zone, has sided with the en- oloyes in their protest. He has told | Secretary of War Weeks that "adop- ion of these . recommendations at once and in toto would ruin the CanaI."
 Continuing, Governor Morrow says: l We would soon have a halting, limp ng service. damage bills to an incal- ,ulable extent, a very considerable 1 raffic loss, a wh olesale desertfon of highly expert employees, resulting in a ! lisorganized service that could never ,e restored to even small fraction if its present efficiency; also. a val 1 lable strategic assert would be almost l otally destroyed. The net result l would be an actual financial loss as yell as a great loss in national pres ige" 1