Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-08-10
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
NEWS FROM
OUR COLONIES.
CcOCNocOcOCNOcOc

Adulteration of indigo by the natives
Of the Philippines has almost ruined the
export market for this product Of the
archipelago, and has cut the price in half.
According to reports received at the War
Department, years ago indigo was one
of the important products Of the islands.
In quality the Philippine article com
pared favorably with the best grade Of
the Guatemalan product. 1t used to
bring from 81 to 65 cents per pound, but
in 1875 the price fell to % cents. At
present it fuctuates between 80 and 30
cents. The decline in price was brought
about by the deterioration in the quality,
that resulted in a greatly lessened de-
mand. The cause Of this deterioration is
explained by the fact that years ago the
native growers knew and practiced only
the most primitive methods of preparing
indigo, but with the arrival of large num-
bers Of Chinese in the Philippines, the
original process was abandoned and the
natives began to initiate the Chinese
practice Of adulteration. 1t was found
that by the admixture of a small quanti-
ty Of lime with the indigo the cOloring
matter could be precipitated and the pro-
duct prepared for the market in much
shorter period. While the more rapid
process provided source of temporary
profit, the effect upon the quality of the
indigo was soon discovered by the pur~
chaser, and the Philippine product, owing
to it's extensive use Of lime, fell into
discredit in foreign markets.
-
During a long talk on affairs in the
island of Guam, Gov. Tilley recently gave
President Mckinley some valuable and
interesting information. One Of the Gu
rious facts brought out was that civil
ization had introduced tuberculosis on
the islands. Before the advent of the
trousers, shirt and coat the native did
not suffer from colds and coughs. When
it rained he or she smeared the body
with oil of cocoa and the rain had no
effect. The native, however, has not
learned how to handle the wet shirt or
trousers emergency and the American
clad native is therefore contracting the
diseases consequent on wet clothes dried
on the body. The native mothers, it is
said, were wofully ignorant about how to
rear babies. The diet never changed
when the children were sick. If thew had
cholera infantum they were dosed with
bananas, cocoanuts or raw sweet pickles,
whichever happened to be in stock. But
for all this Gov. Tilley declared people
Of Guam are a manly, vigorous race,
tractable and anxious to become good citi-
zens. Gov. Tilley impressed on the Pres
ident that there were great needs for the
islanders for industrial and agricultural
education. Their ideas were as vet very
crude, but they were making progress
-
Cuba has a population of about 1,5OO,-
900, of whom 100000 are native whites,
$4,000 foreign whites, 234,OO pure-
blood negroes, $4,000 mulattoes or half
breeds and $4,000 Chinese. More than
40 per cent are unable to read or write
and having always been subject to tyran-
ny, do not possess the slightest comnre-
hension Of the principles of self-goyern
ment.
The 1nsular government at Manila has
saved $250,O0O by the passage Of an act
virtually declaring the stone quarries at
Mariveles, in the Bataan province. public
domain and authorizing the use of the
stone in the harbor improvement. A
Spanish company is alleged to have es.
tablished title to the quarries.
Copper deposits in the province of Tie.
panto, near Mount Data, P. l., have been
worked by the Igorrotes since before the
Spanish discovery Of the archipelago.
These barbarians, who are heathens. ly-
ing in squalor, have developed Industrial
ly to a surprisingly high point, and the
skill they exhibit in the extraction and
working of metals is extraordinary. They
turn out copper kettles no less than three
and half feet in diameter, and they
also make numerous kinds of Implements
and ornaments out of the same metal.
Patronize those who advertise.