St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-09-07

permanently, Une THlIppiheS Will po "
better field for many enterprising Ameri-
cans than the United States. Even un-
der the crushing rule of Spain Ameri-
cans and English have been CONNER
cially successful in many instances An
American house introduced the tele-
phone and electric lighting system of
Manila. A British company has built
and operates short railway from
Manila toward Dagupan, the eventual
terminus of the route The China and
Manila Steamship company is British
CORPORATION, as are its two rivals, the
China Navigation Company, limited,
and the Red Funnel Tor Jardine, Math-
eson & Co. line.
American interests in the islands in
clude marine, fire and life insurance
companies, ropemaking, sugar refining
and tobacco-a practically insignificant
list One American mercantile house,
Warner, Blodgett G. Co., held leading
place in the far east, but it was impov-
erished and finally ruined by the exac-
tions and extortions of the officials.
American dentists frequently visit Ma
Mia and other Philippine cities and do
q lucrative business, but all the profit
is taken by the fees and imposts re-
quired by the government.
Other fields which Americans have
occupied successfully are rice milling,
iron construction, ice machinery, drugs
and chemicals, cotton goods, steam ma
chinery and electrical engineering. Few
of these are conducted on a large scale.
The entire business in these lines OF the
10000, 900 or IL, 600, 600 inhabitants Of
the islands is less than that of an active
city like Cleveland, Atlanta or Denver.
Under good government the open
ings are numberless. Mining engineers
prospectors, mine superintendent, mine
foremen, assayers and biologists may be
in large demand. The average Spaniard
knows little of these callings and cares
less. Even at home half of the rich
mines are under foreign control or su-
pervision. The attitude of the Spanish
mind toward practical science is well
shown in the curriculum of the Manila
college, where the course comprises
physics chemistry, metaphysics, theol-
ogy, rhetoric, poetry, arithmetic and
bookkeeping.
There is an ever increasing demand
for coal in the far east, and the coal
beds of Zebu and Mindanao are destined
to play an important part in future
commerce. They contain anthracite,
semibituminous and Ignite, and there
fore appeal to coal experts from eastern
Pennsylvania as we'll as those from the
larger coal basins of our land. Petro
leum experts, from producers and vel
drillers to refners and chemists, may
also find good employment At presen
the islands import their kerosene from
the United States, Russia and Sumatra
The trade is small, owing to the dut.
and other taxes but is steadily increas
ing. The natives use vegetable oils TO
their lamps, and the cheapest of thes
costs far more and gives less light thai
mineral oil. With the cheap labor o
the Philippines it should be easy to tur
out kerosene at a lower cost than
done in the United States. The marke
for kerosene in the extreme orient is a.
most unlimited, China and Japan usin
millions of gallons annually and II
creasing their consumption every yeal
There will be valuable opportunit
for steam or electrical transportation
the islands get good government. I'll
country is fabulously rich, but almo
nothing has been done by the admin
tration to facilitate the movement
crops and other products. There are
few good roads near Manila. All IL
rest are COW paths or trails Travel
done on horseback and goods are carrie
by buffalo carts or pack trains. The g
listing road shows what harvest the
is for good railways and trolley road
Since it started it has never paid
smaller dividend than 10 per Ger
Roughly speaking, the country is
series of long valleys separated by lin
of hills OR mountains. There are fe
marshes and enough forests to SUPP
ties for the entire road as it is &C
structed Labor is cheap, costing
cents day. A native cannot do
much work as an American, the ra
being one to two. 1t is clear that
cost Of railway construction will
small and that it will be possible
build and operate trolley roads at
profit when it could not be done
home There is fine field for ste
launches, river and lake steamers Q