The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-17
"A TEACHER
IN PANAY
What a Honolulu
Educator
Writes.
COST OF LIVING
DISCUSSED
Possibility That an Outbreak May
Occur in the Next Three
Years.
Pototan, Panay Island.
Philippines, Sept. IA, 1901.

Mr.. c. F. True, Honolulu, H. T
My Dear Mr.. True-I arrived at this
place-rny station-two days ago. after
a voyage without unpleasant events.
and stay of two weeks in Manila. I
| have looked over the ground here, and
| expect to commence work next Mon
day, with day and evening classes. we
| have no schoolhouse, but shall begin
work with any rude accommodations
that may be secured. 4 stable or
| building used for that purpose by
American soldiers-a house having
fStone walls, thatch or grass roof no
floor at all, and rude benches-will
probably be chosen. The worst of il
Is that on this island the municipali-
| ties are so poor, having been thor
oughly punished by the soldiers, their
carabaos killed and lands devastated,
that 1t is really difficult to provide the
simple bamboo house and seats that
we wish. A company of soldiers is
stationed here, and they have appro-
priated the best buildings of the town
the convent and half dozen of the
best reSidences-for headquarters, hos
pital, etc. The three Filipino teachers.
two male and one female, are at pres
CHI lIltiE NOEk III rooms lit
for pigs, more than half of their 200
scholars being seated on the floor. The
best buildings of this town are of fine
hardwood boards, whip sawed with I,
floors of some beautiful wood plenty
good enough for piano boxes if polish
ed with wide window spaces closed by |
shutters only-no glass-with corrugat- !
ed iron roofs, or sometimes grass The !
families nearly always live on the up !
floor and r.,
tioor over to the pig and the Caribao !
for wallow
The church is fine stone building. ,
bigger and finer than any of the old !
missions of California, and the convent !
by it is a beautiful structure of wood .
and stone. with wide halls, large ,
rooms, Veranda etc. There is no
drainage in the town, no sewer system. !
of course; no earth closets or vaults, /
all refuse being left on the surface
OF the ground i'll the rear of the house
Tor pigs and chickens to clean up. And
Stlll there is no pestilence, and this is
called one of the best towns on the
island of Panay for health In fact
iloilo has no better system of caring
for waste matters than we have. ana
Manila has no sewer system. In all
this country the water stands within
four to eight feet of the surface at .
least during the rainy season (Which |,
is now on hand), and people avoid
water poisoning by drinking rain water
ana boiled water. ] have not drunk a
drop of unsterilized water. to my
knowledge, since l struck the country. |
and hope l shall not have to, though
the soldiers on the march are obliged
TO, and many never have a sick day.
Every military post has a plant for
either distflling or boiling water, and
furnishes the product gratis to Ameri-
an RESIDENTS, Natives are proof
against water germs.
My town is said to contain O0O Moo
pie within the town proper and with :
is outlying districts, called barrios. y,
Considered part of the pueblo, about !
1900 people. You would not think ii
% look around, but investigation :
Would snow that each house swarrns :
WITH people Pototan is eighteen miles
rom IIollo, almost due north, connect ,
ID by good road in the dry season. bur
almost impossible a present a sol
iers wagon train brought us out from !
lollo and we rely on them to carry /
nut our supplies. l say we, for q young l
nan was assigned here with me. and a
We are going to keep house together: q
lave already engaged a house at SO
'er month, and are looking for a good l
erFant. whom We shall probably get '
or ~ or $40 gold You are aware, no a
ouDt' mat the army authorities have II
eprlVed all civilians of the commits q
airy privilege, thus increasing the cost I
I living by nearly 100 per cent. This IL
ountry produces, in prosperous time. Il
men war and locusts come not. &
oundance of rice. cocoanuts. bananas. G
ugar considerable tobacco maize q
oaca or hemp, and some cacao. 1t is
rich country in possibilities and in
respects but at present very poor d
he events incident to the change of Il
lVereignty have invaTdated or render "
u insecure most land titles, so that II
o property can be sold at present. and >
hen l ask the price of good land. no II
ody knows 7
The country is inst rieipe, f,,,,,, q aat h
ITO rolling hills at this point eve are e
ght miles from the seal, so we have q
me EreeZe. we miss the heat Of m