Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-25
AMENDMENTS WANTED
Root, Lodge and Burrows Wish
Amendments to the Present
Philippine Laws
CONDITIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES
Special Commissioner j. w. jerks,
Sent Out by War Department, Says
There is Great Scarcity of Labor
in the Philippines Since Their occu-
patton by the Americans.
to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Washington, D. c., Nov. 25.-Pros-
poets for other legislation than that
Immediately connected with the nec-
essary appropriations at the coming
short session of congress do not appear
very bright Just at present, but Sec
rotary of War Root and Senators
Lodge and Burrows are anxious, II
! on the part OF the opposition, the work
of getting some amendments to the
present Philippine laws passed at an
early date, and Secretary Root re-
NAMED with the president some time
after the cabinet meeting on FRIDAY
to discuss this subject With reference
to possible recommendation on the
part of Mr. Roosevelt in his forth :
coming message.
Governor Taft has recommended IN
recent letter to Secretary Root that
discretion as to the admission of chi
nese laborers into the islands ought to
be allowed to the commission under
certain restrictions as he feels that
this is almost an absolute necessity to
the Improvement of agricultural con-
ditions in the islands and therefore
to their general prosperity
Special Commissioner J. W. jerks
sent out by the war department ITO
make a comparative study OF the con-
ditions in the Philippines and in the
British and Dutch dependencies In The
far east where agricultural labor is
performed almost entirely by Chinese.
saws that there is a great scarcity of
labor in the Philippines now. Since
the occupation of the islands by the
Americans, wages for domestic servants.
coachmen, and clerks as well as Tor
common unskilled laborers, have
doubled and trebled, and in many cases
it is simply impossible to get the work
done at any price. 1t is common
experience in Manila to wait hours be-
fore one can secure public carriage
OF any description, good, bad or in
different to go from one part of the
city to another; and similar expert
ences meet one in connection with
house servants and workmen of all
descriptions.
Speaking generally of the unskilied
Filipino laborer, Mr.. jerks says that
while intelligent he is careless and
thriftless. He in most cases wishes
to take two or three days week on
the average to celebrate as feast days.
In individual cases, when his wages
have been increased, he has been
known to lessen correspoadingiy his
of working days per month.
His income being sufficient to satisfy
his modest needs he could see no rea-
son why he should toll longer than
necessary to earn his income. s
A government employer of labor at
the wharves recently had to employ
about twelve hundred men, pay item
good wages, and discharse from time
TO time those that were no rood until
he had obtained the necessary 200 that
he needed. This appears to Americans
rather an expensive and nerve trying
labor employment bureau, and even
with this method, there are not enough
Filipinos who can be secured in the
city or in the provinces to do anything
like the amount of work required to de-
velop the resources of the islands as
rapidly as possible. Moreover wages
at the present time in certain lines of.
industry are SO high that 1t would be
to compete in a common
market with Hong Kong, Singapore or
other cities, with whose products the
Philippines must enter into COMPETE
ton. What Is desirable, Mr.. jerks
thinks, is to secure enough labor at
rates high enough to enable the labor
ers to improve decidedly their custom
airy methods of living, and at the same
time not so high that the Philippines
will be shut out from successful COM
petition with other oriental countries
and decidedly impeded in their normal
development.
ITO bring about these results" says
Mr. jerks, ut seems to be necessary to
admit under careful restrictions GER
tain number of Chinese laborers. Such
IL one may judge from the
experience of the other orietnal coun-
tries, will result in a benefit to the ma
tive F'ilipinos as well as to the Ameri-
cans and Europeans who send their
capital thither for investment"
-
Secretary Wilson, altho not entirely |
from the effects of his recent
illness, is much pleased with the report I
Of the national board of trade commit
tee on the controversy between the sta
tistical division of his department and /
the census bureau as to the accuracy
Of their respective crop reports. The |
committee finds the agricultural de-
partment report so superior that it rec
Mr.. Wilson to make the di- 7
vision "big bureau"
FRANK. J. STILLMAN.
CLASH OF MONEY KINGS.