New-York tribune., 1903-06-09
TAFT REPLIES TO NILES.
THE PHILIPPINE FAMINE.
Surprisingly Small Amount of Real
Suffering. the GoUernOr Says.

washington. June S-The War Department
4o-dav made public a report received from Gov
ernor Taft replying 10 statements mace %
Lieutenant General Miles after his visit TO tiie
islands last year. The report is dated at De"
guet, April is, and says;
lam In receipt by reference from the @ chlel @t =.
she F3,real, of Insular Affairs AND the au -
senerai of the army Of excerpt from @ 'Ie =
-. ~ the neutenant general of the army re-
iating TO the conditions OF agrlc ~ -
archipelago and the means OF aVolaihS " Mhop M
able famine. and in accordance Win tie s noalsa
rson I'm the reference I have the honor 10 iildhe
the following comment; .,ss ,f the
That there is L shortage in the isianos 1L o. A
,,s-,el food slpply is undoubtedly true %.
re been surprised to find thus far now @ hltle
r.al famine or hunger there has neeh sn @
not received single call from slileiS ett ~ q,
cial governor for rice for tree olstf ~ r,
sbe entire archipelago. In the Province 0L Do Do
rsnras Captain Boughton, in managing oIt ,;t
called war famine fund, the history VI W., -
s.s hea, already officially reported TO you hdS
made a very small gratuitous dlstfl oullon .;. -
rica not exceeding l should think IN qud@lieI,' @
,-,ore than 81 600 worth The action OF lie
,,,tssion IN directing a proclamation by the ClNiI
Governor calling upon the people ever VIZ WI "a ~
plant corn. camotes tsweet potatoe9,s, "a a cry
ofner quickly growing food prooucts had :. -
vide influence in stirring up the peopIe 70 @ ~
vide against the coming Of famine II = !, L. "
tbat on llnexampled drouth In the lslanos has
,,-e,,ented this planting from being as producIIEe
e !. ot,aryxise would have been. and thai tle
Iocusfe too have interfered with some OF tlIV
hF1r D1
prised TO find the suffering so inuCh IesS stn,.
We expected ii to he. 1t may he that III NO
Tnna and July we shall have calls Tor ana, pu'
] think that we shall he able pIoIlpeaSS ~ oo9 600
erond 10 them especially now that A3ocVV'V
has been appropriated for the purpose l..
The most serious feature OF the slIua;ton m t -
the loss OF cattle from rinderpesr II 70 . NJ
fes sthle 10 bring cattle into the isaros
making sure that they will not eaten ihe ~ ~.Iiiu.
rest after coming here and die from the alseasS
The fields of the islands are injected W.T. s
-inderpest so that cattle from the other lslaIuS @
brought here are almost sure 10 hate IN catt1a
ease. II necessary, therefore, I1at s-o.- on :
l,ro,,pht here shall be inmunized by having d
serum injected into their veins whlch VIII IeI',
der them immune for three or four mohths, I aiIu
- ,ha ea,,oa time by being inoculated with the
Yin6errest virus. which renders them immune a |
least for five years and propapiE . IoiISe -. tan
ba.a made a contract for the delivery OF Ten
thousand caraboa in the islands with the per
.nanert in1munization. These are 10 pe brousIlI
from the Yangtse valley, in China Our III
suIar purchasing agent together WIN d S; caltIe
expert of the Agricultural Bureau. is now Hls- Wis
t1ing the Variou ports Of the orient WIN d VIC"
10 making further contracts
DOES NOT WANT TRANSPORTS.
lam unable to see that the government trans
,o-te could he made useful TO US either in the
transportation Of rice or the trahspoI l5'!oh @ W
cattle We can charter steamers adapted 70 out
PURPOSES at perhaps one-fourth or ohe-IlLtn Vi
~ cost of operting the transports. as pro-
rosed bv the lieutenant general OF the dIlhs
We have some twelve or fourteen coast guar u
vessels which can transport rice gulchIE 70 aiIs
r,art of the archipelago and we can purchase
rice i'm the Orient at much cheaper price ti!dlI INC
ze can bring corn or wheat from lhe thl'eu "a
states The rice which can thus bffhg 10
save the people from starvation is the food
,alhi.h tbeI are used TO eating, whereas they
would have to he taught TO eat wheat
II is exceedingly important that we shah not
reuperizc the people of these islands by un-
,oecassarv gratllitous distribution OF rice. IN
anticipation Of n corner in rice We mace d Pui
chase of rice involving the expenditure OF apout
SSo0ooo gold We succeeded IN hreaklns .lI s tns
corner and keeping down the price or rice anu
should the price of rice advance again we may
have 20 DO the same thing. We have SOLD the
,ice IN various parts of the ar ar,hipelago nearly
at cost whenever the merchants in that nelgh-
horhood insisted forcing the price beSohd
what was reasonable. We have on hand now
.oroa 7ftv Thousand piculs 13112 pounds TO the
r,icuIl of Bangkok rice which is the best in the
market and have recently disposed or one
hundred thousand piculs OF what is caieo al Ca
cltta superior famine rice, 10 be sold throughout
the archipelago at moderate price, which was
fixed in the contract Of sale If more than the rice
we have hand is needed for the purpose OF
feeding starving people. shall be able 10 buy il
sn the market and distribute II without the use
~ tba government transports The purchase
of cattle and the landing of them in the ISLANDS
are attended with the greatest difficulty, Tor the
reasons have stated. We cannot hope to brins
into the islands as many cattle as have died
We can only hope to bring in a suffclent nufnper
10 keen agriculture going. The price at which
we have contracted for the purchase of the hrs'
ten thousand is SSS Mexican, delivered IN Ma
Mia COMPLETELY irnmunized. We hope TO be able
10 make purchases Of our own at somewhat
lower price. though hardly less than $50 Mex
fcan. II we are able TO sell the carabao in tht
provinces at 500 Mexican, it will be a grea'
boon 10 the people, especially if We do not re
uuire q deposit of more than 20 per cent of tn
, cost price and allow credit of six months TO
the payment OF the balance.
think generally the statement of facts II
the report OF the lieutenant general is correct
SC far. at least, the dreadful depression II
agriculture by reason Of the loss of the catt
is concerned. The remedy which he suggest
hy the use of the governments transports, how
ever. / do not concur in. The danger from fam
inc has not been so great as supposed it was
= and as the lieutenant general justified il
supposing it was from the reports which h
heard In any event, with the funds provided
by Congress now. I fee. confident that tn
Philippine Government is in position to NEE
any emergency Of this kind which may arise