The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-06-09
TAFT REPLIES TO MILES.
ACKNOWLEDGES 4 SHORTAGE IN
 PHILIPPINE FOOD SUPPLY.
Surprised, However, to Find How Little Real Famine and Hunger Exist-An UnexampIed Drouth-The Most seri- ous Feature of the situation is the Loss of Cattle by Rhinderpesf.

Washington, June S.-The war de- partment to-day made public report received from Governor Taft, replying to statements made by Lieutenant Gen. eral Miles after his visit to the islands last year. Tine report is dated at Ben guest, April IS, and says:
 That there is shortage in the isl- ands of the usual supply is undoubtedly true but have. been surprised to find thus far how little real famine or hun ger there has been. have not received a single call from a single provincial governor for rice for free distribution in the entire archipelago. The action of the commission in directing proc lamation by the civil governor calling upon the people everywhere to plant quickly growing food products. had very wide influence in stirring up the people to provide against the coming of famine. It is true that an unexampled drought in the islands has prevented this planting from being as productive as it otherwise would have been, and that the locusts, too, have interfered with some of the crops, but on the whole I have been greatly surprised to find the suffering so much less than we expected it to be. The most serious feature of the situation is the loss Of cattle from Rhinderpest. The fields Of the islands are infected with Rhinder- pest, so that cattle from other islands brought here are almost sure to have the disease. It is necessary, therefore, that all cattle brought here shall be immunized by having serum injected into their veins which will render them immune for three or four months, and at the same time by being inoculated with the Rhinderpest virus which rem ders them immune at least for five years and probably longer. We have made a contract for the delivery of 1O,- 900 carabao in the islands with the per manent immunization. I am unable to see that the government transports could be made useful to us either in the transportation of rice or the transpor- tation of cattle. We can charter steamers adapted to our purpose at per- haps one-fourth or one-fifth of the cost of operating the transports as proposed by the lieutenant general of the army. We have some twelve or fourteen coast guard vessels which can transport rice quickly to any part of the archipelago, and we can purchase rice in the Orient at a much cheaper price than we can bring corn or wheat from the United States. It is exceedingly important that we shall not pauperize the people of these islands by unnecessary gratui- tous distribution of rice. In anticipa- tion of corner in rice, we made a pur- chase of rice involving the expenditure of about $800,0o0 gold. We succeeded in breaking the corner and keeping down the price of rice. We have sold the rice in various parts of the archi- pelago nearly at cost whenever the merchants in that neighborhood insist ed on, forcing the price beyond what was reasonable. The purchase of cat tie and thes landing Of them in the islands rae attended with the greatest :, difficulty, for the reasons I have stat ed. The prices at which we have con- tracted for the purchase of the first ten thousand is eighty dollars Mexican delivered in Manila completely inmun ized. a-
 T think generally the statement of. facts in the, report of the lieutenant general is correct, so far at least as the dreadful depression in agriculture by reason of the loss of the cattle is concerned. The danger from famine has not been as great as supposed it was, and the lieutenant general was Justified in supposing it was from the report which he heard"