The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-03-09
"The manufacture Of %acoan oil

Chinaman shows his shrewdness. After
the c%oaconuts have been dried and
macerated and a crude oil expressed,
the Chinaman simply buys up all that
may be made, and retails 1t to the other
merchants at his own figure. Great
quantities Of this oil are used, the na.
tives using it for lighting purposes in
their homes. A glass half full of water
and half full Of coa oil. with Il
slender wick held in position in the
center, constitutes the primitive method
Of house lighting among the poorer
CLASSES, and in a single night a glass
full Of this oil is consumed. Take this
among probably 200. 600 natives and
you may get some slight conception as
to the profits made by the middle men.
namely the Chinaman. He is shrewd
along other lines as we'll, We saw
HIM making chocolate. One chocolate
and probably ten peanut beans ae
mixed very carefully together III Il large
ealthern dish, and IN case you want
him to make fresh chocolate for you,
he brings a large basket in which is
contained the ingredients, and another
basket that has a large plate Of iron
aud an iron roller. Ho will set up his
shop either in your parlor II your
Kitchen, and then and there proceed to
grind ont the chocolate and the peanuts.
Chocolate being very oily and the pea.
nut being raw, he soon has a nice COM
pound, and when he has about the
quantity that will satisfy you he puts
it in a mold about the size Of a quarter,
molds you the numb Der Of cakes con.
tanned in the mass, and sells them to
you for about one.half cent n cake,
cleans up his basket and goes to the
next house.
"1!he making Of sugar il quite IN ex-
tensive thing also. Just out Of the
gates Of this last city that we speak Of,
Tondo, tho cane is ground up; the juice
from the M gathered III large watts
oval at the bottom, and holding prob.
ably $50 or 800 pounds Of this liquid.
These are earthern pots about the same
thickness as the flower pots that we
have in the United States. Immense
warehouses; or sugar houses are used to
hold these vessels, they being placed
upon q smaller vessel that will con-.
tain the drippings or sache that perco.
lates through the bottom, aud is saved
for feeding horses. Let me say that
the native way Of feeding the horses ia
entirely different from the American
way. Rice that has not been hulled il
mixed with this sache, and Ia eaten
with great pleasure by the animal.
Paddy, or grass, similar to that which
grows in the United States in the early
spring, is likewise fed to them, and the
ponies are almost invariably sleek and
tat. When the sugar is dried it is
sacked and sent over ia Hong Kong,
where it il refined and sold.
I'm Bonondo WI also found the shops
Of the Chinese. It has been understood.
that there il quite q difference in the
work of Chinese and natives. That is,
the work Is entirely separate, Of an Il
tirely different kind. For instance, the
Filipino will make all manner OF sill.
verware, and is All englaver; will
manufacture jewelry, clothing, cigars
and various other small things; while
the Chinaman makes furniture, shoes.
sugar and various and sundry other
commodities that the Filipino will not
make. The furniture made by the
Cinnamon is without doubt fine.
Whether it shall be Of plated bamboo
or rattan, or whether II shall be Of
plain lumber, it il Of q superior work
manship, carefully made and wonder
ously cheap. 1t is only necessary TO
show the Cinnamon what you wait
Made aud how, and he will duplicate
anything that can be made ont Of wood.
For instance, | had endeavored 10 oh.
tain a medical fold desk, needful upon
tho field. found that the government
had not enough to supply the demand.
and hence could give me nothing better
than an ordinary field desk, given to
! did not care FOR this be.
cause it was bulky and not fitted mp in
a manner that would be suitable for my
uso. | went to one Of these Chinese
carpenters, told him that | wanted n
desk similar to the medical desk thi &
was in our quarters, aud wanted it in
the next three days. Without tapeline
or measurement OF any kind, he simply
looked at it, went away and at the
time spoken of, had an exact counter
part of tho dssk referred to. My desk
was then taken to II large carriage fac
tory, the proprietor Of which I had be.
.friended, whom ! asked to put a suit.
able inscription on the outside in paint
ing. ! gave him my initials, and said
nothing to him at all as to the colors to
be used. Imagine my qualification
when, viewing the finished work. to
find that patriotism had prompted him
make the first letter of my name red,
the second white and the third blue,
and Thesis in a blended monogram that
could not possibly be improved upon
by any artist in the city, In proof OF
this the desk il on exhibition at any
to any Que that may care to see
IL, in my study. need not speak about |