panama canal unskilled caribean workers wages?

Question

I need to know what the lowest salary was that workers on the Panama Canal were paid. The book that I have says that middle class made $100 per month, and engineers fresh out of college could make $250 a month, but it doesn't say anything about the lowest paid caribean workers. If anyone knows how much they made, please tell me (and give me the source). I need to know this desperately. Thanks :)

Answer 1

I coulding find anything but I would suggest you might want to check out http://www.czbrats.com/Menus/Builders_menu.htm and you might get your answer there.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 2

Panama Canal

Maps | Geography and Data

http://geography.about.com/library/maps/blpanama.htm

A large shaded relief map of Panama from the PCL Map Collection

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/americas/panama_relief.jpg

http://www.canalmuseum.com/

Panama Canal Becomes Panama's Canal

Following nearly a century of U.S. control, the Panama Canal is being handed over to Panamanian authorities at noon on Dec. 31, 1999. Tom Bearden reports on how it will affect U.S. foreign policy. More…..

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/latin_america/panamacanal/

Dateline: 07/12/99 (Rev. 10/11/99)

On December 31, the United States will transfer the Panama Canal and the surrounding Panama Canal Area to the Panamanian government. The transition is expected to be an easy one as the U.S. finally abandons control of the a territory held since 1904. more…..

http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa071299.htm

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1999/panama.canal/

Good luck.

Kevin, Liverpool, England.

Answer 3

During the unsuccessful French effort to build the canal in Panama (1881–1889), skilled workers were paid in gold and unskilled laborers were paid in silver. Under the U.S. administration, the pay system rapidly evolved into a means of racial segregation. Inform students that all non-white, non-U.S. citizens were paid in Panamanian silver coins and listed on the "silver roll." This included Afro-Caribbean workers from the British West Indies (66 percent of Canal Zone workers came from the colonies of Jamaica and Barbados), Chinese, East Indians (from the subcontinent of India), Panamanians, manual laborers from southern Europe, and some U.S. citizens who were African Americans. White U.S. citizens and European professionals were paid in U.S. gold coin and listed on the "gold roll."

Silver roll workers were paid $200-$300 per year, while gold roll annual salaries ranged from $900-$7,000. Workers were segregated at different pay lines, lived in separate housing, ate at separate dining facilities, were treated in segregated hospitals, and shopped at different commissaries. Silver roll workers did not receive housing for their families, unlike gold roll workers, so they lived in local tenements off of unpaved, rutted roads. Unlike the gold bachelor's quarters, housing provided for single silver workers was not screened.

Answer 4

West Indian laborers 10 cents an hour and specialized labor 16-20 cents an hour.