<P> The US relied on a stratified workforce to build the canal . High - level engineering jobs, clerical positions, skilled labor and jobs in supporting industries were generally reserved for white Americans, with manual labor primarily by cheap immigrant labor . These jobs were initially filled by Europeans, primarily from Spain, Italy and Greece, many of whom were radical and militant due to political turmoil in Europe . The US then decided to recruit primarily from the British and French West Indies, and these workers provided most of the manual labor on the canal . </P> <P> The Canal Zone originally had minimal facilities for entertainment and relaxation for the canal workers apart from saloons; as a result, alcohol abuse was a great problem . The inhospitable conditions resulted in many American workers returning home each year . </P> <P> A program of improvements was implemented . Clubhouses were built, managed by the YMCA, with billiard, assembly and reading rooms, bowling alleys, darkrooms for camera clubs, gymnastic equipment, ice cream parlors, soda fountains and a circulating library . Member dues were ten dollars a year, with the remaining upkeep (about $7,000 at the larger clubhouses) paid by the ICC . The commission built baseball fields and arranged rail transportation to games; a competitive league soon developed . Semimonthly Saturday - night dances were held at the Hotel Tivoli, which had a spacious ballroom . </P> <P> These measures influenced life in the Canal Zone; alcohol abuse fell, with saloon business declining by 60 percent . The number of workers leaving the project each year dropped significantly . </P>

Who owned the land where the canal would be built