Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-03-29
COINS OF THE FILIPINOS
CIRCULATING MEDIUM OF THE
ARCHIPELAGO.
The Spanish Peso and Mexican Dollar,
the Salapi and It's Sub
divisions.

the subject of circulating medium in the
Philippine Islands, the division Of insular
affairs. Department of War, has prepared
the following interesting account of the
existing coins in our Asiatic archipelago.
The proposition is to provide silver coin
for the Philippines to take the place of the
Mexican peso, which for years has had an
exclusive hold as the coin of account In the
current trade and traffic transactions of
the mainland and archipelago of eastern
Asia.
The chief medium of exchange in the
Philippine Islands is the Mexican silver
dollar (peso of 416 grains of silver Of the
fineness of 9O2. 1000
In 1897 the Spanish government issued a
distinctive Filipino peso which has circu-
lated side by side with the Mexican silver
dollar. This Filipino peso, containing less
pure silver than the Mexican dollar, Is still
in circulation, but constitutes only a small
percentage of the amount of silver in use
in the islands.
The exchange value of the Mexican dol
uar fixed by the Philippine commission was
formerly 80 cents, and is now at the rate
of 81 10 for 81 gold.
The coins in current circulation in the
Philippines are:
(a) Spanish Filipino silver peso.
(b) Mexican dollar.
(c) Filipino silver half dollar
I'D Filipino silver peseta, % cents
(e) Filipino silver half peseta. 10 cents.
CD Filipino copper CuartoS and centavOS.
centavo is cent and cuarto 1-160 of a
dollar: / cuarto is 0.01 % Of dollar; ~
cuartos are 1 real Cor 121z eents) reals. or
100 centavos, or 100 cuartos are 1 peso or
duro
Foreign Coins Circulated.
The value of foreign coins in occasional
use. not including rates Of exchange, fol-
1902 sO6S United States; 1 Rupee (silver),
India, 80 2.4 United States; 1 Yen. Japan.
s949.S United States. The British dollar
has the same legal value as the Mexican
dollar in Hong Kong. the Straits Settle
ments and Laubuan.
The sovereign Is the standard coin in In
dia, but the rupee is the money of account.
In Japan the gold standard was adopted
October 1, 1897.
The Netherlands form In the Dutch In
dies Java, etc., fiuctuated up to the year
1880. when it became fixed at 1912 cents.
United States.
Subdivisions Of the Salapi.
A local silver coin in use in the Philippine
Islands, and still familiar to the people, is
the salapi (broadly meaning money!. the
Tagalog word for a $3.50 Spanis, coin
The local names in trade for subdivisions
of the Salapi are:
TatIong bahague so. 81 of Mexican dollar
Cahati .............. 0.25 of Mexican dollar
Sicapat Oh of Mexican dollar
Sicolo. 0.06 of Mexican dollar
The unit of the above Is the Spanish
cuarto "copper" or cualta in Tagaleg-Mexi-
can, Dol %, or 80 cuartos form of Mexican
dollar.
The gold coins of the United States and
the United States silver dollar have gen.
orally passed current in the cities since the
American occupation at the rate OF two To-
cal dollars for one dollar Of the United
States.
The paper currency of the Philippines Is
now limited to the issues of the Spanish
Filipino Bank and American paper money.
Proposed Philippine Dollar.
As stated by The Star yesterday the re-
publican members of the Senate committee
on the Philippines have agreed on, the prop
osition that there shall be coined Philip
pine dollar of the same. weight and fineness
as the Mexican dollar and the British dol
lar 1t is to be bullion dollar, but the vol
ume is to be limited only by the demands
of business. - ~. ~
The coin will carry an American device on
one side and an oriental design on the other.
The dollar provided is made a legal tender
in the Philippines and not in the United
States.
Provision is also made for subsidiary
coinage sufficient to meet the wants of the
Philippine people. The Philippine currency
will be coined in the Philippines as soon
as the facilities are provided, but that in
the meantime It may be coined in the
United States mint at San Francisco.