Evening star., 1902-03-17

ana terms or the contracts which were
| freely entered into between owners and en-
| treprenehrs on the one hand and the labor
| ers on the other.
Labor in the Philippines.
The condition of labor in the Philippine
| Islands is quite peculiar. 1t is we'll known
that In these islands the native races pre-
dominate to the extent of constituting al
most the entire population, the number of
Spaniards and their descendants reaching
hardly 1900. The number Of racial groups
is quite considerab ble but they may be all
grouped In three large classes. The first is
FORMED by a relatively small number of
beings called Negritos' or "Buquiles," a
very low race, and akin to that of the Fue-
guinos. the inha abitants of the island of
Fuegos, and the races inha biting the islands
of Polynesia and Australia. There is good
reason to believe that they were the aborig-
inal inhabitants of the Philippine archi-
pelago
The race improperly called Malayan is
more widely spread and more numerous: it
shows stronger constitution and capacity
of higher intellectual development: there
are strong indications that 1t arrived in the
country by immigration for 1t must be
classed among the Asatic races of more
or less yellowish color.
The last who arrived in these islands by
way of invasion and conquest are the peo-
pie generally known as '.Moros." who in
habit Cola and the, interior of the Min
of the Rio Grandei and the Laguna de
Lanao, where their number amounts to
about 100000.
The Negritos or Bnaules live almos. all
classed as belonging to .the lowest and
most rudimentary stage, of civilization.
They feed on natural products, and have
hardly any other pursuitsfthan fishing and
hunting using their bows and arrows with
wonderful skill.
The Moros are in a state Of continuous
warfare with the Spanish and other Iatiye
groups, Whom they keep in a state Of the
rudest slavery, using them as laborers on
the land the Moros themselves being given
exclusively to the art of war. They live
on the product of the labor Of their slaves
and exchange what they cannot usa them
selves for goods which are delivered to
them by the Chinese, the only ones WHO
succeeded In establishing themselves among
the Moros for the purpose Of engaging in
commerce, for which they show such SPEC
fal ability.
Engaged in Agriculture.
1t must be owned that Notwithstanding
the state of submission the race as a whole
is not devoid Of energy Still, owing to
the influence of the Spanish and partjcu-
larly to the religious orders the people Of
this race have engaged considerably in
agricultural pursuits. The chief articles
produced are hemp, coffee. tobacco and su-
gar, and large estates are found which are
devoted entirely to the production of these
articles
AS regards the production Of tobacco It
was free In some provinces, but in others
the government used coercive measures iE
order to prevent the Indians from engag-
ing in this pursuit. and it was only by the
royal decree of June % 1881, that the pro-
hibitfve enactments in this matter were
abolished, and that the cultivation OF this
article became entirely free like that Of
the other articles.
The work In the fields Is performed on
large estates by laborers. who discuss and
f1x with their employers the character and
amount of their wages. the latter as
general rule being quite low: but the larger
part OF the Indians cultivate on their Cwn
account the land of which they are the
owners. The unOccupi.d land IS Of large
extent, and the Spanish government at
d1frerent epOchs enacted measures which
were to enable the natives to acquire own-
ersh1p of the land in order to develop their
activity and to enhance the productivity
of the rich soil.
All these enactments were embodied in
the royal decree dated February 13. 1894
and enacted with the advice Of the Phil-
fppine council.
From what has been said just now II
may be seen that the labor problem in this
important colony presents the same fea-
lures as in the other colonies The num-
ber of laborers is relatively small as COM
pared with the population, which, accord
ing to the last incomplete census reaches
the number of about 6JOO. .OoO people, own
ing the soil which they cultivate