1448
THE PHILIPPINES
large numbers by the islanders seeking relief from their sufferings. The endemic complaints of the country are swamp fever, diarrhea, beri-beri, and a few others. Incurable leprosy is very limited among the natives. Cholera was very prevalent in 1908. The mortality is low considering the number of inhabitants.
Dr. Augustin de la Cavada, a Spanish historian, says of the natives, and he is generally confirmed by American writers, that they are of a mild, submissive, and respectful disposition, predisposed to religious observances, extremely superstitious, and very hospitable. Those of Batangas, Cagayan, and Southern Ilocos are better workers and more industrious than those of the other Provinces. During their youth they work with energy and a certain intellectual vigour, but on reaching a more advanced age they lose a large part of their disposition for work and lapse into an indolence that is one of their greatest defects. The women are averse to idleness and have a spirit of enterprise, and they often engage in various trades with success.
The rivers and streams of the Philippines are countless and traverse the islands in al1 directions, the natural result of mountain peaks and ranges that extend over a large area
The most noteworthy volcanoes are Buheyan in Mindanao, Taal in Batangas, and Bulusan and Mayon in Albay. The last is in continual eruption and at times creates terror in the surrounding country, on account of the quantity of boiling water, ashes, and lava it throws out. In 1872 an eruption of this volcano destroyed entirely the villages of Malinao, Camalig, Guinobatan, Ligao, Polangui, and Albay.
The Civil Commission, appointed in 1900, voted the same year $1,000,000 gold for the improvement of Manila Harbour, and a somewhat comprehensive educational scheme was introduced and perfected by this Commission. It was decided that the English language should form the basis of the instruction given, and a system of district superintendence was established. In the municipal civil governments provision was made for local boards to supervise the work of the schools. Over 500 skilled teachers from the United States arrived in 1901, followed by over 1,000 in 1902. A compulsory school attendance clause was incorporated in the bill. Money was appropriated not only for the building of more and necessary school buildings, but for the institution of normal schools for the training of native teachers.
Harbour works, including docks at the mouth of the river on the south side, and also for the increasing of wharf and warehouse accommodation, by the demolition of part of the old city walls along the river front, have been completed, and the use of the new Government wharves and warehouses began on February 14, They are used exclusively by vessels plying between the United States and the Islands, and those regularly employed on the Manila, Hongkong and Amoy run. The use of the piers has reduced the expense to importers of general merchandise of getting their cargoes from ship to warehouse to approximately one-half.
1910.
British interests in the Philippines are much larger than is currently supposed. There are about twenty British firms in Manila, many of them of long standing in the islands. Their importance will, perhaps, be best gauged by the fact that two out of the three banking establishments in the city are branches of well-known British corporations. They include the largest import and export firms, but engineering works, ship repairing, stevedoring, and many other in- dustries are also represented. The larger firms have branches in most of the provincial ports as well as rice and sugar mills up-country. The principal railway in the Philippines, that from Manila to Dagupan, the port of the rice-producing district of the island, is the property of a British company, and many undertakings with foreign names are carried on mainly by British energy and capital.
Other railway schemes are being introduced under American control. Taking into account the numerous insurance, shipping, and other firms for which local firms are agents, it will be evident that British interests in the Philippines run into millions. Foreign carrying trade has been in the hands of British shipping, but an Act of Congress in 1909 providing for free trade between the United States and the Philippines designed to encourage American Shipping as well as commerce, since to secure the privileges allowed by the law there must be direct shipment of the goods between the ports of the two countries.
The naval authorities have undertaken a very necessary work, namely, that of surveying the local waters, and preparing new charts, the old existing charts being very inaccurate. As regards the trade of the islands there are still many serious difficulties to contend with; lack of capital and labour, to a large extent, handicaps agricultural the commercial development, capital from the United States not being attracted and the admission of Chinese labour being prohibited. An enormous increase has been