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Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12519, 22 April 1909, Page 3

Writing to the London "Standard" a 'correspondent in describing, the Panama Canal works states that life is -cheap there. Premature explosions of the builders' own mines, or disastrous discoveries with steam shovels of old uhexploded French charges, are of frequent occurrence. .Men are blown toMts, but there is ndtime for appre-hension-^-the canal must be built. At first the American workers died from disease" as quickly^as -the French- had : done, but scientific methods rigorously' apphed, have made the zone a fairly ; healthy country, for the tropics. .The men live in mosquito-prbof houses, re--leritless war is waged on the mosquito, and quinine is forcibly administered. The huge wages offered at first attracted plenty .of labour, and now the officials are yreeding out the foreigners, and reducing wages. An ordinary locomotive driver still gets between £4pO.and £500 a;year. Wages are paid in accordance with the risk run by the worker. ■ ' ■ '-V\: -