Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-06-12

1AAiOuAie VI uOtilho.E IL tIS papers WGIS
to give the actual number of deaths
each day you would hear of fearful
panic here; as it is, the minute a per-
son gets sick he wonders if he is 60
ing to have the cholera; if an enlisted
man becomes sick for any reasons at
all and especially if he has the least
symptom of cramp, and the sur
geons find it out, off goes the man to
the isolation camp, or rather the iso-
lation hospital, so the men are very
cautious about going on the sick list
now. The surgeons say they meyer
knew time when so few men report
ed at sick call, and can't understand
why 1t is, as this is really the most
unhealthy time of the year, SO hot and
no rain at all; if these surgeons
would dress as an enlisted man and
mingle with the men for a few days
they could easily understand why
they do not report on sick report. 1t
is generally understood that the chol-
era will continue to run until good
heavy rain of several days duration
comes and then they think it will
abate; at present l should judge that
there were on an average, eighty
deaths a day in the islands and the
average mortality is 80 per cent of all
cases. Two cases have occurred on
board the U. s. A. rs. one on the Bu-
ford and one on the Hancock, wheth-
er or not these We're fatal have not
heard.
Sorry to hear that Armstrong had
pulled away from Company G as he
was a good man at the head of it and
will be hard to replace Wish he was
over here, think he might get pull
enough to get lieutenancy in the
Philippine Scouts Appointments are
being made every day.
Well, mother, this is no doubt all
old news to you that have been
writing SO will write little about the
islands in general as far as l have
found out by inquiry and converse
| ton with those who are in position
to know the conditions.
Americans Enter Field.
When the senate of the United
States ratified the treaty of Paris ano
the retention of the Philippines by
the government of the United States
| had become an assured fact, the
thoughts of large class of American
| citizens were directed towards the
new possessions as field wherein
the rivalry among those engaged in
the commercial industries was not as
keen nor the competition as close as
| in their own native land.
The resources of the islands were,as
far as practicable, closely scrutinized,
| but owing to the continuation of the
war. there were but few firms or in
dividuals who ventured to invest their
capital and compete with those who
had, long before the commencement
of hostilities, established their bust
closely followed on the heels of the
American community of interest
idea that when the pioneer importers
of American manufactured goods en-
tered the field they found that the ma
tive and European firms and the in
dustries of the islands practically di
vided between them. What was moi
undertaken by the Europeans and ma
1 tives was done by the Chinese.
For three years now there have been
| branches of the American importin.
houses established in the islands, ant
/ during that perod they have encroach
| ed nightly on the preserves hereto
4 fore tacitly considerd as belonging tt
the Europeans and few of the more
influential natives, and the foreign
firms.
Transportation by Water.
The Americans have engaged in lit
tie except importation until a yer.
short time ago, and the products o.
the islands have been left undisturb
ed in the hands of few natives and
the foreign firms.
AS in every country where the crud,
! products are exported and the manu-
! featured articles imported, shipping
is the principal industry in the Philip
pine Archipelago. The scarcity o
railroads, wagon roads and other high
ways worthy of the name renders en-
A couragement of the coastwise trans
4 portation and water traffic an inpera
tive necessity in the interest of com
merce and the prosperity of the is
lands. and almost every native is en-
gagged in the operations of some kint
of floating vessel, should they liv
where, at any season of the year
4 enough water collects to make boa
necessity.
4 The thousands of cascoes in the ba.
of Manila and in the Pasig river Civ
employment to many times their mum
/ Der of natives, and the majority if no
all of these boats are the homes o
I the families of those who work OF
them. Hundreds of natives in an'
around the Province of Rial and con
tiguous provinces depend upon tn,
products of their small plots of groun
4 as means of a livelihood and hur
dreds of bancos can be seen daily ur
on the waters of the Pasig river an,
the bay bringing their goods to tn
market of Manila Their products
. consist chiefly of rice, fruit, few
vegetables and grass. The cascoe'
and launches bring rock copra ant
large quantities of fruit, firewood ant
charcoal from all parts of Laguna de
Bay, while the coastwise vessel
bring to the city copra and other pro
ducts from the southern islands.
Natives Cultivate Hemp.
! Hemp and copra, depending, as the
do, less upon the element of manua
labor than any other products of tn
islands, are the chief industries Ell
, gagged in by the natives who reside i