The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-06-09
TAFT ANSWERS
GENERAL MILES
Fact of Shortags Of Food is
Freely Confessed.
ALSO THE FACT OF A DROUTH
WHAT WAS DONE TO PREVENT
STARVATION.
- a.-The -

/ III ASHINGTON, June S.-The war
/ w department today made public a
report received from Governor
General Taft replying to statements
made BY Lieutenant General Miles after
his visit 10 the islands last year. The
report is dated at Beuguet, April Is.
and says:
i am in receipt, by reference from
the chief of the bureau of insuIar af-
I fairs and the adjutant general of the
army, Of an excerpt from the report of
the lieutenant general of the army re-
lating TO the conditions of agriculture
in the archipelago. and the means OF
| avoiding a probable famine and in ac-
cOrdance with the direction in the refer
ence have the honor to make the fol-
lowing comment:
Shortage Acknowledged.
THAT there IS a shortage in the ISL
ands Of the usual supply is unquestion-
ably true. but have been surprised to
find thus far how little famine or hun
ger there is. ] have not received a sim
gle call from single provincial govern
or for rice for free distribution in the
| entire archipelago. In the province OF
| BatanSas Captain BrOughtOn, in man
! aging the SO-called war famine fund,
! the history of which has been already
officially reported to you. has made a
very small gratuitOUs distribution of
rice, not exceeding, / should think, in
quantity more than $4,000 worth The
action of the commission in directing
a proclamation by the civil governor
calling upon the people everywhere TO
plant corn. CamOJes or sweet potatoes.
rice and other quick-grOwing food prod
ucts, had very wide influence in stir
ring UP the people to provide against
| the coming famine
Drouth in the Islands.
1T is true that an unexampled drouth
IN the islands has prevented this plant
ing from being rs productive as it 9TH
| erwise would have been, and that the
Iocusts too, have been interfering with
some of the crops. but on the whole l.
have been greatly surprised TO find the
suffering so much less than we expected
it to be in May. June and July We
may have calls for aid, but we Will be
able to promptly respond to them, es-
pecialIy now that S3.0000 900 have been
appointed for them The most serious
feature Of the situatiO is the loss of the
cattle from Thinderpest- 1t is not teas-
able to bring cattle into the islands
without making sure that they viii not
catch this disease after coming here and
die from IL. The fields of the islands
are affected with rhindeFpest 50 that
cattle from other islands brought here
are almost sure to have It 1t IS neceS-
Sary therefore. that all cattle brought
here shall be iHmuniZed, having a
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 rhlnderpeSL
virus. which renders them immune at
least for five years and probably longer
Contract For CargOs.
Eve have made a contract for 10000
cara Dos III the island after the per
mareT- immuniZatiOn. These are 20
be brought from China Our lnsuIat
/ purchasing agent, together with a cat
tie expert Of the agricultural bureau.
is now visiting the various ports OF
| the orient with a view to making
! further contracts ] am unable To see
! that the government transports cOulL
be made useful to US either in the
, TRANSFORMATION of rice or the JranSpor-
/ ta+iOn of cattle We can charter
steamers ada pied to our purposes al
] perhaps One-fOuTSh or One-hfth OF the
I cost of operating transports as pro
/ posed by the acknowledgement we
/ have q number of cost guard vessels
| which can transport rice quickly 10
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
The rice which we can thus bring TO
save the people from starvation Is the
/ food which they are used to eating,
whereas they would have to be taught
| TO eat wheat. 1t is exceedingly i'm
portant that we shall not pauperize
/ the people Of these islands by unneces-
sary gratuitOUs distribution of rice
No Corner IN Rice.
In anticipation of a corner in rice
we made a purchase price Of rice. and
! should the price of rice advance again
| we may have TO do the same thing
| We nave sold the rice in various parts
of the archipelago nearly at cost when
ever the merchants in that neiShbOr-
, hood insisted on increasing the price
of rice beyond what was reaSOna 81 .
, We have on hand some $4,000 p;0uis Of
: Bangkok rice which is the best in the
; market and we recently disposed Of
2 100 600 piOuls Of what IS called Calcutta
superior family rice to be sold through
I I out the archipelago at a moderate
\ price which was fixed in the contract
: of sale If more than the rice we have
on hand is needed for the purpose Ct
feeding starving people we shall be able
to buy it in the market and distribute
it without the use Of government
transports
Purchase of Cattle.
Il
e landing of them on the islands arr
d / threatened with the greatest difficulty
for the reasons I have stated. We can
] not hope to bring into the islands as
Y many cattle as have died. We can only
d | hope to bring in a sufficient humber
a to keep agriculture going. The price
: at which we have contracted for the
> ! purchase of the first 10000 is SIS Mex
: | lean. delivered in Manila, completely
d ! immunized. We hope to he able to
4 | make purchases of our own at a some
7 | what lower price, though hardly less
I | than $50 Mexican If we are able "a
sell the cara DO in the pr1vIlces al
Mexican it VIII be a great boom II the
people. especially if we do not require
a deposit of more than 50 per cent
= | of the cost price and allow d credit OF
I six months for the payment of the
balance
It I think. generally stated. the facts
5 in the report of the lieutenant general
are correct. so at least as TO the dread
ful depression in agriculture by reason
+ of the loss of the cattle Is concerned
The remedy which he suggests by the
use of the government transports, how.
ever. I do not concur in The DANCE
IS ftom famine has not been as sigli
IS fcant as / supposed it was. In am
4