July 19, 1902.j
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT,
LABOUR TROUBLES IN MANILA, Į and bookbinders, failors, machinists and mech-
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Manila, 8th July.
During the last week of May, Manila began to believe the rumour then circulated concerning
the imminent strike of all native labourers.
Nothing definite was contained in the rumour and it was more or less regarded as mere idle talk, probably circulated by some enterprising Filipino schemers. Then the rumour gradually assumed definite shape; the City Street Depart ment was reported to be in danger of losing all its labourers, thus causing the municipal improvement work to come to a stand-still; servants were to go out with the rest of the unskilled labour; and all were to stand by the standard of unionism until the mercenary white employers extended the pipe of peace and a 50 per cent. increase in all wages to the over- worked brown brothers. With the possible hardships of having to "blanco ' his own shoes, wake himself up in the morning, and put himself to bed at night, staring him in the face, the average inhabitant talked about the situation so loudly and long that on 3rd June the papers chronicled the first information obtainable concerning the pending revolt of labour against tyrannical capital McCullough & Co., one of the largest local printing houses, received a cool demand from all of its native labourers for a 50 per cent, increase in wages,
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cigars would have to be high price, which would curtail as. In order to fight the Labour Unión, cigar factories have all combined forming sort of a Cigar Manufacturers' Union, and
anics, barbers, printers, map-makers, and architects, digar-makers, clerks. In addition to these there is a woman's section for dressmakers and tobacco factory girls." After more unim- portant discussion of future policy, etc., the they have agreed that when one factory is meeting was closed. He stated immediately closed on account of the strike of its afterwards to a reporter on the spot: "I am not operatives, all the factories should close. A now the president of the union and I do not general strike bas now been in force, since wish to have any further connection with it. the 7th instant and it is surmised that it will except as a friendly adviser to the Filipino work continue for a week or two before any settlement men. I would suffer as much as any one if wages is arrived at. The Cigar Manufacturers' Upion are increased, being a large land-owner and em-recognise the necessity of increasing the wages in ployer of native labour myself." On 14th June a view of the increased cost of living consequent meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce upon the American occupation, but some of the native labour addressed the meeting, the result able that if granted it would adversely affect the was held. The most prominent employees of demands of the Labour Union are so unreason-
to confer on the best means to deal with the of which was the appointment of a committee cigar trade altogether. Hence the deadlock. situation. On 5th June, the employees of Kerr & Co, commission merchants, and the Tabacelera Co., wholesale tobacco firm, went out on strike. This swelled the total estimated number of strikers to 3.000. The English Chamber of Commerce called a meeting for ten o'clock of this day. All the native butchers in the markets of the City also buried the bat chet with a vengeance, and struck terror to the souls of the consumer of that
Isabelo de los Reyes, ex-editor of the Filipino organ Justicia, perpetrated in Madrid during the Filipino insurrection against Spanish rule in these Islands, saw an opportunity for the re suscitation of his rapidly rusting agitatorial proclivities and jumped into the breach and proudly announced himself as the engineer of the movement. A postscript to the verbal announcement was to the effect that he was also able to call out every native workman in Manila on short notice. The arguments used by Reyes and his compatriots were that increased house rent, prices of food and other minor necessities of life, etc., demanded that the Filipino receive wages more in keeping with the natives' proper station in life. Besides McCullough & Co., several firms along the water-front were affected, among whom MacCondray & Von Buskirk, stevedores, were perhaps the principal sufferers. At the most opportune moment during the operation of load- ing some ship on short notice, the native labourers quit and demanded 20 per cent. increase. This necessitated the paying of a large increase in the salary list and brought on a consequent decrease in the profit. The Manila Press united in the belief that the best relief for the situation was Government intervention, presumably by the importation of foreign labour. The situation was not exactly "well. in hand," and had begun to took seriously alarming.
All
gentle and tender inhabitant of our best known watering places, the caribau. the natives who were talked to by the agitators seemed to take a childish delight in striking, It was a novelty to them, a sort of continual fiesta. One 7th June an informal meeting of the American, English and Spanish Chambers of Commerce was held, the result of which was a challenge direct to the union, in the shape of a resolution to the offect that resistance of the present unjust efforts for increase was the best policy, same being the r sult of agitators fiery speeches.. On 8th June Isabelo again showed his love for his d.w.," etc., by presenting to the US Philippine Commission a petition that the walls surrounding old Manila be demolished and houses for labourers erected on the space left vacant, together with hospitals for has beens," reading-rooms, Y.M.C.A.'s., etc.
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THE HEALTH OF HONGKONG.
The return of communicable diseases in the Colony last week shows as follows:-Plague, 28 Chinese), and 27 deaths; cholera, 2 cases cases (2 Europeans, 2 Indian, 1 Japanese, 23 (Chinese), 2 deaths; enteric fever, (European).
cases and 435 deaths.
The year's plague figures are now:-
RAILWAYS IN SIAM.
CASO
-446
It rans
The U.S. Consul-General at Bangkok, in the course of a lengthy report on the above subject, writ-s-About 10 years ago, the first effort towards railway construction was made. This resulted in the Paknam Railroad, which was opened to traffic in the year 1893. between the capital city of Bangkok and Paknaw, a flourishing village at the mouth of the River Menam, at which all vessels stop on the way in and out of the port of Bangkok. The business of the road has been good from the first, and it is now paying about 7 per cent. on the investment In 1892, the Government began the construction of the Korat Railway, a line extending from Bangkok to Korat, a good-sized city north-east of the capital. This road was formally opened in December, 1909, at which time the work was completed the entire distance of 165 kilometres (102.5 miles) although traffic had been carried on over the western end of the route as the line was developed. This, the first experiment on the part of the Govern ment in railroad-building, has cost the country heavily in life and money.
On 11th June the silver lining back of the black clouds began to show through. The striking employees of McCullough & Co. returned to work at the old rate. Perhaps the fear of type-setting machines might have influenced them, perhaps also their bread-con- suming machines might have had some effect on the tenor of their opinions. MacCoudray von Buskirk saw old familiar faces back at the same old jobs and all the other firms were granted the privilege of placing old names on the same old pay-rolls at the same old rate. As full proof that it is a thing of the past, orators of the street corders are now coming to the front with full and detailed explanations of how it happened and why it happened. However, this is a siginficant sign of the times. The Filipino has found that he can cause a large amount of trouble in the business world, and although he has failed this time, the experience was not unpleasant, and he may wish to try it again. The next time he will have a better organisation and no doubt put up a better resistance. In Manila the supply of labourers, skilled and ordinary, is never equal to the demand, and positions cannot be filled as they may be in cities having a Chinese population to draw upon. With wages at the present high rate, a week's work will produce enough to support a family for a month provided the family lives beyond the crowded districts, in the outlying barrias where food is the only considerable item of expense. Again the Filipino is inordinately fond of clubs and unions and he will pay a few cents subscription, sign a list, wear a badge, smoke cigarettes, and live the life of an ideal law abiding striker until an empty stomach drives him to work, and this is an unusual condition in a country where nature provides so | bountifully.
The American Chamber of Commerce on this day announced that it would soon hold E meeting to deal with the subject. In an interview Isabelo was noticed to have marked symptoms of stage fright, his attitude having changed considerably, evidently brught about by the sight of the harm he had done, and he vigorously expressed a wish to arbitrate. To show that he would make a very bizarre martyr, it is only necessary to read between the lines of his following speech made at the Centro de Bellas Artes. After tendering h ́s resignation as president of the union, he proclaimed himself in unmistakable terms as one unafraid of the somewhat disconcerting process of shuffling off the mortal coil. "I do not care if the Americans shoot me for what I have done for my dear workmen. The govern- ment is watching every movement of this union. I do not care for myself, but what I do care for is the welfare of my dear workmen." (Insert "dear workmen." ad libitum for fifteen minutes.) not say I cannot be substituted; to say that w uld be an offence against our nation and myself, for ̧ it would imply that there are no other Filipinos worthy of taking my place and would not Another correspondent writes: The bring the union to a successful issue, We Manila digar trade is at present brought want American capital and at the same
to a complete stand-still in view of the general time we want our workmen paid enough strike of the cigar-makers ordered by their to enable them to live decently. Our Labour Union. It seems that the operatives union comprises eight branches-a fact of demand nearly fifty per cent. increase in the which I am pardonably proud-lithographers' wages, which the factories are unable to concede,
"Do
THE CIGAR TRADE:
From the Korat line, 92 kilometres (57.1 miles) north-east from Bangkok, another line branches to the north, known at present as the Lopburi-rd. The line. at present completed some 42 kilometres (26.1 miles), the city of Lopburi, will be extended to Chiengmai, a distance of 60). kilometres (372:8 miles:) The department expects that in two and a half years the road will be in running order as far as Paknampo, an important station on the river, 100 kilometres (62.1 miles) north of Lopburi. The preliminary survey has been done, and the permanent survey is now being prosecuted as far as Chiengmai. As a political measure the road will no doubt prove a wise investment, and will do much for the commercial develop- ment of the country as well. The supplies are on hand, the surveys completed, and the construction is being rushed on a narrow- gauge road that will ran from Bangkek south- west to Pechaburee, a distance of 152 kilometres (94.4 miles). This is also under Government control. The preliminary surveys are also being made on another Government line, which it is propos d to run east and Bouth from Bangkok through Patrisew and Bangplasor to Srimaharachs, on the coast, about 140 kilome- tres (86.9 miles) distant. This road will in part, perhaps for 90 kilometres (55.9 miles), drain a rich and well-populated region.
Besides these Government lines, there have been two private concessions for railroads recent ly granted to Siamese. One of these lines will extend from Taurua, a station on the Lopburi line, to Prabat, a distance of about 17 kilometres (10.5 miles). The other line, beginning_at Bangkok, will extend south-west through one of the richest and most thickly-populated sections of Siam and find its terminus at the mouth of
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