The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-08-20
MANILA
WILL BOOM
.SoSaysZiegenfu
Who Returned
on Gaelic.
KICKS AT UNITED
STATES INACTIVITY
Cholera Is Now Raging Fiercely.
Free Trade and Some Other
Things Needed.

Mr.. c. o. Ziegenfuss, formerly of Ho-
nolulu, but now one of the owners of a
Manila newspaper, arrived in Honolulu
yesterday on his way to the Coast in
the Gaelic. He has been i'll for four
months and was ordered to leave
cholera infected Manila by his doctor.
He expects to return to Manila shortly.
Mr.. Zeigenfuss has a lot to say of the
Philippines.
What we need in the Philippines to-
day." he says, 'is for America to say
| that she will hold the islands and make
American territory of them, that she
will give us land and mining laws, will
| build railways and canals, and give us
all the American laws that would fit
local conditions. If that were done the
Philippines would soon become the
most prosperous of Americas possess
sions.''
1--WE want free trade with America"
continued Mr.. Ziegenfuss. 1.-THE war
has now completely subsidized and there
are only some fourteen or fifteen thou
sand American troops remaining in the
islands. There is no reason why the
country should not make enormous
strides in a commercial way if America
would adopt some settled policy regard
ing their future We have great re-
sources to develop. Hemp and tobacco
will be our main interest and the coal
and timber trade of the islands is like
ly to be extensive. There is a great
deal of valuable wood there. 1 have
seen specimens of over eighty kinds of
fine hardwood. Our rubber interests
are large and the copra trade will al
ways be a large one.
Manila is now lively in a trade way
but her business interests have been
reduced some twenty-five per cent by
Americas inaction and the cholera
The latter was raging when 1 left and
the natives and Orientals seem in
different to all sanitary measures to
check it's ravages. Because of the
cholera a five days quarantine has now
been placed on all vessels engaged in
the inter-island trade and this has OF
course given business a severe set
back.
Manila now contains some three
hundred thousand people. OF this
number there are probably some ten
thousand Americans, not including
those in the army. Among the lead
ing business firms of Manila there are
twelve large American establishments,
six big English firms, a number of
German, three large Swiss concerns
and a large number of French, Russian,
and Spanish business houses, with the
Spaniards largely controlling the to-
bacco tradss There are several Amer1-
can banking concerns but more are
needed. We need more American bust
ness men there and they would come
along quickly if the United States Con-
gress would define clearly the position
that the country will be placed in.
America cannot afford to lose the
| islands. I consider that their acquisi-
ton has already been of enormous ad-
vantage to America. Our prestige with
| foreign nations has been increased and
| their possession places us in position
to fairly control the larger part of the
destines of the Orient
| Mr.. Ziegenfuss says that his paper
| is booming. He will make arrange
ments while in America for a new
press and other needed improvements
in his office. He expects to spend a
| couple of weeks in Honolulu on his
! return from the Coast.