Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-04-05
Downright, 1902, by Frank G.. carpen-
teri

Philippine lsldHus' Most VI theih ~
from young men who wish to try thei
fortunes and not few are from small
capltalIsts with money to invest. L
seems to me the time is ripe for sucl
men. Until now there has been llttlt
chance to go about from place to plac'
without soldiers, but the islands ar,
gradually settling down, and within {
year prospectors should be abl'
TO travel anywhere. Within thu
past month a big syndicate
has been formed TO deyeoI
Mlndanao The syndicate Is com
posed Of millionaires living at New
York and San Francisco, and it's plan Is
TO COLOMBO the island and open II up tC
settlement IL has an authorized cap
ltal OF 100000, with the possibility OF
increasing ii indefinitely.
AN UNDEyELOPED EMPIRE.
MIndanao Is one Of the least developed
OF our Islands. 1t is as big rs the state
OF ohio, and its soil Is as rich as that OF
Java. II will raise coffee, cinchona and
rubber and excellent cattle. ! saw fine
stock at Zamboanga and about Gotta
bato Near Dayao, IN the eastern end
Of the island, visited enormous hemp
plantations. and in the west saw ba-
nanas and coffee luxuriantly growing.
The country IL susceptible of great ag-
ricutura development The most of II
Is covered with forests Of the finest
hard woods, and II Is 30 watered that
the timber can be easily iloated down
A ha In as $40
cleared they VIII make good sugar plan
tations. We have government farm
at Zamboanga where sugar Is grown,
which has at times brought in as much
as $4,000 per year TO the Spanlards.
THE TIMBER OF THE PHILIP
PINES.
This new syndicate will open up the
timber lands. These belong 20 the gov.
eminent, for II practically controls the
forests Of the Philippines. II has, 1t is
estimated. about fifty million acres of
virgin timber, including trees from one
to two hundred feet high and over four
feet In diameter. In Manila / frequent
ly saw tables whose tops were made of
a single board of nara or Filipino ma
hogany which measured four and five
feet In diameter. The floors Of the prin-
Clp9l buildings were of this same wood
laid in boards IA foot and n half wide
and 20 or more feet long. / asked where
the lumber yards were, and was shown
one on the banks Of the Pasig river. 1t
was operated by Chinese. the logs be.
Ing sawed into boards by hand with
crosscut saws l understand that there
are but two steam saw mills in all the
Islands, and that 80 far the forests are
practically untouched. Some timber
has been cut out by Indians under the
superintendence of Germans and Eng
lish and shipped TO Hongkong and
Shanghai, but as a rule the Spanish gov
eminent objected to such exploita ton
and levied taxes which prevented IL.
One OF the troubles the timber mer-
chants complain Of Is that they cannot
get the Indians TO work without ad-
vancing about years wages, and this
capital Is sunk In the business. After
the first advance the workmen will la
Dor to pay II out then expect more, but
they always keep from $50 to 500 In
debt. One timber man OF Manila saws
that his wood cutters now owe him Sll =
600, and that he never expects to get Il
back.
MONEY IN MINES.
should like to see our geological sur.
Ney send out prospectors TO the differ
ont parts OF the Philippines. Nearly
every island has great mineral wealth.
There are deposits Of iron. coal, lead,
copper, silver and gold In northern
huzon there are copper mines which |
were worked before Magellan discov- |
cred the Philippines and the natives are |
getting copper out Of them today. There
2re lead deposits IN Cebu and silver |
on the Island Of Marinduque / was
told OF an iron mountain which exists |
not far from Maaila. and one of our
army officers, civil engineer, described |
10 me gold deposit which he dis
covered near San Mateo. within 10 |
mues OF the city limits. He had been
making a Typographical survey when
re came upon a strip Of country filed |
WIN Jumps OF what he thought was
writes He filled his bag with the
Jumps and took them 10 one of the war.
thlps' and had them assayed. They
ran from u 10 IA ounces Of gold TO the
t'n. He says the Jumps were picked
ron a STRIP about three miles wide
ana 10 miles long, lie told me that he
Iad staked out claims for himself and
trends upon IL, and that he eventually
expected to raise capital and develop
'ne property. n he Is correct that re-
zion may turn out TO be gold camp
similar TO Mercur, south OF Salt Lake
mere are also rich gold mines in
lindanao. was shown gold grains
bout the size Of wheat during my stay
W western Luzon. and there Is no
loubt OF gold existing in the northern
mountains. There are number Of
allfornians and Colorado men who
IRE now prospecting in Mlndanao. and
come OF these claim TO have made
money.
SUGAR PLANTATIONS.
believe that greater fortunes can be
made out Of lands and especially sugar
'hds. During my stay In the sand
, zen Islands and Java visited some OF
me Dig sugar estates. They are oper.
'ted with enormous capital and have
,llls costing hundreds OF thousands OF
iolars. The land is fertilized and
u,oroughly titled, and with these meth
wy me Plantations are profitable. The
uEet lands or the Philippines are also
lo'ltable, hui they are managed In the
'ost Wastefll manner. visited one
ll,i near Poec, the motive power OF
men was a great water wheel 80 In
.aneter. The cane was hauled i'm from
ne nelds In rude carts with water
.uHaloes and water ground II. The
llee was boiled IA great iron Kettles
men rested on 4 furnace or llue dug
ut OF the ground. The molasses was
zen drained on and the water allowed
sranulate IN clay Jars. There was
as,e everywhere, and notwithstsnd-
vi ms the lrofts were great. with
lDuetn machinery they should be In
essed at least four-fold.
! met planter near Angeles who is
,sAihg Nz5,OoJ worth OF sugar every
eaf' lie made $500 out Of his rice
LLop and all HIS farming Is done on
e snsres' the laborers receiving half
y 'old me that he found this was the
III, Eay 10 get good work. and that al
sous, ne could hire men for s25 per
ear u paid him better 10 let them
OK on the shares.
~ was on that estate that saw them
,ahtlng sugar Two men were plow-
Is win carabaos, and behind them
me crowd OF women and girls