The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-09
BIG MONEY IN MANILA
Enormous Fortunes Will Reward
Perseverance,.
IS WONDERFULLY RICH
Glowing Accounts OF the Possibilities
and Resources lent Home by the
Montana Boys In the
Philippines

Some Of the Butte soldiers ut Manila
are writing glowing accounts Of that
country and the great possibilities OF
the islands so far as they could gather
from their limited observations.
some enormous fortunes are going
90 be made in the islands during the
next generation said one Of the Butte
officers at Manila
There are many people in this city
who are watching the course of events
in that far of country and who have
announced their intentions Of going TO
the islands as soon as their fate is es-
tablished and they are brought under
the Stars and Stripes. Every one who
IS contemplating an investment In the
Philippines will be interested in the fol-
lowing interview with a gentleman
who recently returned from Manila,
and who Is familiar with the
and possibilities of the islands:
People do not realize yet how large
h Philippine archipelago IL. There
are about Lsoo islands in all. Luzon
itself is the size OF Illinois. and has a
population of 5000. 900. Mindanao has
an area of "a. 900 u miles and a
population of 1000, 900. About 5000. 900
more people are scattered among the
other 1.S00-odd islands. some of which
are only half an acre i'm area and have
only a few families of living
on them. The tropical archipelago
reaches within four degrees OF the
equator on the south. and is I'm the
same latitude as Venezuela. Some 200
of the islands. varying In area from
30 20 500 uare miles, have never been
explored. and contain the %fercest and
most barbarous races on this globe.
A dozen distinct and different tongues
are spoken in the Philippines. Spain
has never tried to govern any OF the
group Of lands outside of Luzon. Min
danoa. Sulu. Samar and Negros. I'm
Gle Sam will have an even more seri-
Gus task in bringing all the Philippines
under the sway of his up-to-date gov
than England had in her
early conquest and civilization OF In
dia.
Hemp is the greatest article OF TX
port i'm the Philippines, and the official
documents in Manila show hat in the
last decade about 40 per cent of all the
hemp grown on the islands has been
sent TO the United States. One firm
in Boston paid an average of ? cents
a pound in Manila for 10000 tons of
hemp in the 10 years previous to last
January. During the same period the
total quantity of hemp exported from
the Philippines amounted to exactly
?14. 100 tons. For "a dozen years the
III VI ~ nv w ,AAAA'A
States from the Philippines have aver
aged 2.400.O 900 a year. There are i'm
mense possibilities in hemp culture in
the Philippines. now that the grip of
Spain on every legitimate industry has
been shaker of.
Then there are some great POSSIBLE
titles also in the line Of fortune making
in the sugar industry in the Philip
pines. The annual imports OF raw SUI
gar into the United States from the
Philippines during the last few years
have averaged 81. $50. 900. The total an
nual exports of raw sugar from the
Philippines have averaged si.5O0. 900 for
some time. Sugar cane grows like
magic in the well watered valleys of
the five chief islands OF the group. The
decomposed lava soil from the extinct
volcanoes that run north and south
through the larger Philippine islands.
ride by side with the active earthquake
making volcanoes. has exactly the
qualities for growing cane. The
ane comes TO maturity from seed In
one year. The plantations o N Samar
hold the worlds record for high pro-
duction OF rich ane to the acre. l
have known Spanish planters on Samar
and Luzon 10 make clear profit OF $500
an acre in one year. The Negritos la
borers get from s cents TO 10 cents a
day for cultivation. Nature does the
rest. With American invention and en-
ergy nan a man car become a mill
iionaire i'm sugar growing in the Phil
ippines. All n agricultural methods
I'm the Philippines are 900 years ehind
the times. OK carts are used for trans
portation. and oxen for blowing. l
have seen planters using a bent stick
or a prod with an iron point for a
pillow. In crushing the cane and eX-
tracing the s~accharin juice. methods
800 years old are still employed.
Indigo plants grow in incredible lux
uriance throughout the Philippines. |
The soil is so fertile that the least la
Dor gives surprising results. Indigo
plants yield double the capital used. |
Many of h richest families in Manila
people who live in Madrid and Paris
about one-third Of the time and keep
up royal establishments-have made
their wealth in the indigo trade. The
Alvarado family owns an indigo plan
tation OF about $4,000 acres and an indi- |
go works on Samar. and IL derives a
revenue OF fully $4,000 a year. An |
American with half an eye can see
many improvements and economies, |
but he would not he thanked for sug-
costing them TO any Philippine or
Spaniard.
"Cocoanut trees are a bigger resource
than n might suppose. The fruit Is
demanded in the markets OF the world
as much as ranges and lemons. Ev-
cry part OF the tree Is useful. Tho
juices make oil n wine. the fiber OF
the plant Is woven into cloth. and the
husks Of the nuts are shipped by the
boat load 20 England for doormats and
other household articles. Profits OF
$3.50 an acre from a grove of cocoanuts
are common. but in this land Of siestas
and representation the people are SO
thriftless that they never rise 20 meet
the market by extensive paintings OF
cocoanu trees. To the native the co.
oanut tree IL a veritable stan Of life.
IL will furnish his food. intoxicant. oil.
vinegar. vessels. brushes. fish lines.
ropes. fuel and water. A cocoanut pro-
duces fruit when six years old in the
Philippines. i know a young English
man who spent about s. 1000 in starting
"A grove Il miles from CaVite.
on Luzon. The Spanish were so afraid
he would induce other enterprising