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The Condition of Canal —Its ‘Benefits to the South ITS BENEFIT TO THE SOUTH. (The Birmingham News.) “The Panama Canal and What Its Construction Means to the South” is the subject of an article in the Chatta nooga Tradesman of recent date. The writer sets forth that the canal will be a potent factor in the development of the shipping interests at the Gulf ports by reason of the fact that the shortest route from the Pacific end of the canal to China and Japan will take a steamship within 125 miles of the port of San Francisco, enabling it to enter and leave that port with the loss of only twenty-four hours on the outward or return voyage, and that San Francisco will naturally become the principal port of call not only for vessels bound from the Atlantic and Gulf seaports of the United States to the Orient, but for the great fleet of vessels from London, Liverpool, Hamburg, Bremen and other foreign cities which will utilize this route both because it is shorter than byway of the Suez canal and because the Pana ma canal is so much larger that it will accommodate ships of greater draught. With this great additional fleet doing business to more or less extent with Mobile, Gulfport, New Orleans, Galves ton, some idea of its importance to the south can be gained. But the writer above referred to says that the south will be benefited by San Francisco becoming the princi pal coaling port for vessels bound both ways, because the Panama canal will bring the coal mines of the southern states nearer to that city than the fuel deposits of Australia and other com petitive regions, and thus the market which San Francisco will offer to the southern coal miners be a large commercial advantage. The writer adds: “There is nd reason why the mining companies of Alabama, Kentucky, Ten nessee and possibly West Virginia, should not furnish the bulk of the bunker coal required for all this ship ping at San Francisco as well as the coaling stations which will doubtless be established at one or both ends of the canal. This means that a fleet of colliers will be required for handling coal alone from southern ports through the canal to the Pacific coast. “The cane plantations of Louisiana and the southwest will have a far bet ter opportunity to compete with the Hawaiian producers in the American market. “The canal will afford an opportuni ty to increase the commercial relations between the south and such cities as Seattle and Tacoma. What this means to the textile interests of the south JOHN A. STEWART COKE S. DAVIS STEWART & DAVIS Life, Accident, Casualty and Surety Insurance 504-5-6 PRUDENTIAL BUILDING, .... ATLANTA, GEORGIA MANAGERS: THE MARYLAND LIFE INSURANCE CO., of Baltimore; THE GENERAL ACCIDENT, of Perth, Scotland; THE METROPOLITAN SURETY CO., of New York. Live Agents in Georgia cities and towns can increase their writing capacity and earnings by communicating with us. Special Inducements Offered First-Class Men ' 'WATSON’S WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN. can be appreciated, bearing tn mind the extensile market on. the Pacific coast not only for cotton manufactures but for the raw material. It is not improbable that the coton trade with the United States west of the Rocky Mountains will be much more than doubled, since the canal will allow the material to be carried to this section at much lower rates than overland by rail as at present. “But possibly the chief item of in terest to the south through the com pletion of the canal is the expansion which will take place in the southern iron and possibly steel industry. It may be needless to say that up to the present time the construction of buildings and other developments in the communities on the Pacific coast . has been greatly retarded by the ex pense of securing structural steel and metal in other forms. Undoubtedly ship building on the Pacific coast would assume much greater dimen sions if it were not for the excessive • cost for frame work and hull plates for vessels most of which is now brought across the country by rail. In spite of the remarkable growth of the city of Seattle as an industrial center, at the present time the pro duction of iron and steel is practical ly nominal for the reason that the jaw material for these metals is not avail able, the iron ore not being of a qual ity which will allow it to be smelted to produce iron of suitable composi tion. As the coal mines are brought near to the Pacific coast cities, the iron makers will enjoy an equal ad vantage and there is no question but what the building of the canal will so increase the demand that despite the proportions of the ii dustry at present it will be greatly enlarged, since the use of structural material alone will cause the Pacific coast to become a very broad market, saying nothing of the requirements for shipbuilding, the construction o* railroads, electric power plants and other enterprises needing large quantities of metal.” It will be seen from this that the Pan ama canal bids fair to do big things for the south in the development of its coal, iron, steel, cotton and sugar interests. This business can hardlv be shifted from the south to othei parts of the country by reason of the conditions of its proximity to the ca nal zone. How far the favoritism of the government tn discriminating in the interests of New York and other eastern ports in the shipment of sup plies to the canal zone may work against the south in encouraging chan nels of trade in favor of the east re mains to be seen. In the case of coal, iron and cotton, however, the econom ic conditions in *avor of the south will be hard to overcome by favoritism or discrimination in Washington. CONDITIONS DOWN IN PANAMA. (The Fort Worth Telegram.) The American people may confident ly expect to hear stories of graft, plun der and unwholesome conditions so long as the work of digging the Pana ma canal is in progress. Scandals have already developed and more are in prospect. Sunn public enterprises are always regarded as legitimate op portunities by designing characters throughout the country, and it is going to require a mighty effort to keep such men from continually getting in their nefarious work. Our people as a whole know little of conditions that prevail in Panama. Ail they know is that even in the inctpi ency of the work it has proven neces sary for the president to inaugurate several very effectual shakeups, but according to report, he has only shak en the situation immediately around the edges. L. C. Hemeyer, a canal zone sanitary inspector, who has just returned to New York, tells a story of imposition upon the laborers, who are each compelled to pay a rake-off of $lO per month to some one. He says these laborers are being compelled to eat food that is utterly unfit for use and insufficient to keep them in condition for work. Representative Rainey, of Illinois, has also just returned from a trip to the scene of canal operations, and tells the same story as to the conditions. Following is Hemeyer’s story in part: Unless the government takes steps to improve the quality and quantity of the food given the men the canal never can be completed. Food condi tions are simply appalling. Men do not get near enough, and what they do get is often unfit to eat. Outdoor workmen require substan tial food. Here is what they get for a big meal: Two small pieces of meat, about an inch square, cooked with beans, a couple of ounces of soup; one slice of bread and some coffee. It is the same thing day in and day out, and even if the food was palatable the stomach rebels after a certain length of time. As a result the men are weak and cannot do much work. The negro la borers pay 30 cents a day gold for board, and some one is making big money even at that price. A few days before my departure three ne groes were killed as the result of a bread riot. White men are all requir- ed to board at the canteens, except those who have their families along. No family is allowed to take boarders now. The canteen charges $27 a month for board. Families used to take boarders from $lB to $24 a month. The boarders got twice as much to eat at a private house as at the canteen, but Jackson Smith, a cousin of Secretary of War Taft, in charge of the canteens, served notice that all family boarding houses had to quit and threatened heads of fam ilies, where boarders were kept, with discharge from work on the zone un Jess the order was obeyed. As a re sult all family boarding houses were abolished. The government is not sup posed to make a profit on the canteens, but some one is getting a rake-off. There is at least $lO profit per month on every boarder. The character of the food of the can teen is awful. Among my other du ties as Inspector I was called upon to inspect canteens. One day I caught the cooks boiling up a lot of meat with maggots in it. I compelled them to bury the rotten stuff. In a few days an order was issued removing the can teens from under my Inspection. Embalmed beef is a dainty dish com pared with the stuff dished up to the men, both white and black, on the canal. As an effect of poor feeding the men topple over by hundreds ev ery day. Even the Italians now being brought in, strong and healthy men when they arrive, soon begin to fail in health. Men are getting out whenever they can. T'wo-thlrds of the white men would gladly leave if they could, and all the negroes are clamoring to get away. For my part, I believe it would be a good thing to get rid of the negroes. The wives of all the men are begging their husbands to quit and come back to civilization. If the government provides good food it will be able to get work. But if it doesn’t it will have trouble all along the line later on. Men coming back to this country soon will scatter the story of starvation and discour age others from going. I am here for the purpose of sounding an alarm to the administration. I wrote to Repre sentative Boutelle of Illinois about con ditions some time ago. He represents my home district, and took It up with President Roosevelt. The president, he said, told him attention would be given to the matter, but it hadn’t when I left Panama last week. Completion of the canal is jeopardized by the poor food supply. (Continued on page 14.)