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Show BECOMING SYSTEMATIZED. As a result of its new policy in treatment treat-ment of the Panama canal project the administration expects to make a saving sav-ing of from three to four million dollars, dol-lars, and possibly more, the amount depending de-pending upon the total cost of the waterway. It is also contemplated that tho Government will be able to cxerciso larger control of the work through its own engineering force, which of late has been doing some very effective work. Probably the cause-for the high bids which were submitted was in the fact that a bond for live million dollars was exacted from each of the contractors. The Oliver proposlion was to supervise tho construction for six and three-quarters per cent of the entire cost. That of tho McArthur-Gillcspic combination was for twelve and one-half per cent. Under the new arrangement the administration admin-istration believes that it will be able to accomplish the work at the rate of five per cent for supervision. It has been determined to let contracts for different sections of the work to different differ-ent contractors, exacting no bond whatever, what-ever, but rotainiug practical control in the Government engineering corps. Another important mutter is the retention re-tention of control of quarters and of the subsistence department by the Government. Gov-ernment. Upon the proper conduct of these depends tho health of the laborers labor-ers and consequently the well-boing of tho work. Even if theso arc to be run by the contractors themselves, it has been decided that the best interests of the work demand that tho engineering force of the Government shall exercise the right of rigid supervision. Tho President has not decided how many sectious the work shall be divided into, but expert advice to him is that thero be a section for each particular class of construction, so that constant familiarity famil-iarity with the nature of the work will have a tendency lo expedite its prosecution. pros-ecution. It is likely that thero will be nine soctions in all, probably requiring tho sorvices of as many contractors, if so divided thoro will bo the Colon section sec-tion from .tho Caribbean sea to the mouth of tho Mindi river; the second from that point to Gatun lock; the third to be the Gatun locks themselves; the Gatun dam will constitute the fourth; the works for regulating the level of .tho lake at the dam will be the fifth; the sixth will be from Gatun lock to San Pablo, in which there will bo but little excavation, although it covers a stretch of over fifteen miles; Cnlcbra cut is to bo the seventh section, sec-tion, in which the largest amount of excavation is necessary; from this point to Pedro Miguel lock will be the eighth; and last of all will be that from Pedro Miguel to deop Water in Panama bay. By rotainiug control in the government govern-ment engineers, the mattors of sanitation, sanita-tion, food supply and the relations of the contractors with tho Panama railroad rail-road will bo regulated in such way as to prevent complications which might otherwise arise to the detriment of the work. It would seem that under such a-rrangemcnts there is good prospect for final completion of tho canal; but friends of the sea-level proposition are not at all satisfied with the prospect of difficulty in maintenance of tho lock canal, which may bo a constant source of aggravation and impediment to utility. util-ity. The present effort, at precision in the Panama canal project will put at rcst- many of the' serious nud jocular suggestions sug-gestions of failure with which. oven papers pa-pers friendly to Ilia President nvo been redolent of Into. Thn- Chicago -Intcr-Occan recently remarked sis follows: "It would seem High timo to find out wliero-wo really are at; Panama, what wo havo to do, and how wo aro going to do it. So far no one seems really to know." Now that tho project ia bocoming fairly well systematized the pooplo will have more faith and tho nowspapers loss fun. |
