The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-09-14

dtSl tIS 4IItsAS WIZ COA40oSo ChS A4' ~
and coasting trade
Scientific farming offers much to
mer who love the soil The ordinary
steel plcv is unknown to nine-tepths Of
the Philippines. So are the mower,
harvester, cultivator, horse rake an6
even the. seythe. The only good farm
Ing is 6one by few Chinese and half
castles, but even here it is on small
scale.
The iron industry will be remunera-
tive. In land of typhoons and earth
quakes iron and steel house construc-
tion will in the course Of time supersede
all others. The Malays take kindly t
the forge and foundry, and where these
exist prove able and faithful workmen.
In textiles there ought to be good
trade with Uncle Sam. What there is
today is largely Spanish through heavy
discriminating duties. Of the foreign
goods imported the largest part is made
from American cotton and comes from
England. Next come the German goods,
which are also made of American cot
tons, then come japanese goods, and
last the goods of the United States.
With free, open market and our own
business men on hand we certainly
would soon have controlling voice in
the trade.
Excellent investments, it is believed
by the sanguine, will be sugar refneries,
ropewalks, fruit cannerles, jelly and
preserve factories, ice plants, rug, car
pet and mating works, craving docks,
boiler shops, steam marble works and
steam or electric sawmills. Millions of
pounds of raw sugar are exported an
nuale.y to hongkong, Shanghai, Tien-
tsin, Nagasaki, Kobe, Osaka and Yol1o-
hama, and there refined, when the lat
ter work could be done near the planta-
tions. At Hongkong there are the Luzon
Sugar Refining company and the China
Sugar Refining company, two million
aire institutions. They pay handsome
dividends and numerous large salaries
yet all of this cones out Of the Philip
pine sugar which they use. With a just
government the refneries would be in
the Philippines, where they would pay
a higher profit.
The same state of affairs marks the
hemp and cordage industry. The Span
iards themselves, much moro SO the
foreigners, do not dare to go into cord
age making on large scale for fear Of
the officials. The hemp goes to Hong
kong, Australia, Europe and America
and is theres made into rope, twine and
incidentally paper The packing, COM
pressing, freight, insurance and double
handling are so expensive chat they
make possible wide margin of profit
to toamanufacturer doing business or the
islands.
In canning nothing has been done,
yet there is as good an opportunity
there as at home. Game and venison
are plentiful and sell for one-6fth Of
what they do here. Fish, prawns, tnr-
ties and edible lizards may be purchased
as low as a cent a pound. Tropical
fruits abound and are almost given
away. Above all is the king of fruits,
the Manila mango, which if timed
would find a ready market in every part
of the world. The Chinese and japanese
have learned to can foods in the last dec
ade, and are now reaping rich profit.
Money may be made in cheap and
serviceable kerosene lamps, Ansonia
clocks, Waterbury watches, electric an
nunciators, hand sewing machines,
cheap fowling pieces, low priced spec
tacles and eyeglasses, barbed wire, the
distillation OF essential oils and in all
preparations which will kill vermin,
rats and mice.
Business men should bear in mind,
however, that our fashions and tastes
are not those of the islanders. Ours
may be better and generally are better,
but that does not alter the case. They