Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-08
BETTER THAN CHINESE
Labor of the Filipino Consid-
cred.
VIEW 0FCAPT. A. W.BUTT
FINDS THE NATIVES HONEST,
FAITHFUL AND PAINSTAKING.
Admits That He Has Changed His
Opinions acknowledgements
to Commissions Report.
VIEW OFCAPT. A. W.BUTT

What is probably the most interesting
and exhaustive treatise on the Philippine
Islands ever compiled has been issued at
the War Department in the form of ap-
pendceS to the report of the Philippine
commission for the last fiscal year. There
is in these appe ndices a wealth of informa-
tion on every phase of the work of the COM
mission and the various bureaus and de-
partments under its direction. including the
executive bureau, the civil service board,
the insular purchasing agent the munich
pal board Of Manila the Philippine constab-
ulary, the bureau of posts, the engineer de-
partment and the board of public health.
Cholera statistics are given prominence in
the last-named report, together with n his
tory of the disease from the time of its
first appearance in Malolos, Bulacan prov
ince, to September /. 1902. The total num-
Der of recorded cases for that period was
81 536 of which 37.4I3 resulted fatally, the
mortality being II per cent
Included in the appendices is series Of
reports of officers of the quartermaster's
department regarding the Filipino as la
borer. These show that the Filipino has
proved himself capable of development
after comparatively short training into a
skilled laborer. An important feature OF
the work of this department has been the
abolition of the system of padrones, under
which the natives were required to pay at
least % per cent of their earnings each
month to foremen. Laborers are now en-
ployed by the officers direct. and are paid
by the month instead Of daily.
Capt. A. W. Butts View.
Capt A. w. Butt, in charge of lard trans
portation. discusses at length this question
of Philippine labor and confesses to a
change of mind as to the natives capabil-
ity.
I'm my report made to the chief quar-
termaster of the division in 1901 he says
In his report. Il expressed the opinion that
while the native laborerS were capable of
great proficiency, yet they would never be
able to handle the American animals. Since
then l have had occasion to change my
mind.
Upon receiving authority from the chief
ouartermaster i broke in number of ma
tives to drive the coal and sanitary carts.
They are not only honest and faithful in
the performance of this work. but remain
In the department after hours, so / am
told by the superintendent of the corral to
keep their harness creased and clean. their
animals curried and their carts washed"
Captain Butt states that his department
IN employing labor has been guided by the
conviction that the Filipinos were entitled
TO the labor of these islands as far as 1t
was possible to give it," and that he has
No Necessity for Chinese Labor.
Considerable Importance attaches to Cap
tain Butts contention that there is no
necessity for introducing Chinese labor into
the islands to meet the demands. He says
in that connection:
1T has been my experience that any labor
in these islands which can be performed
by Chinese can he performed equally well
by the Filipinos The latter, moreover. have
marked advantages over the Chinese. mas
much as they are more amendabe to disci-