The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-10
CENSUS OF The PHILIPPINES.
NINETY PER CENT. or THE
PEOPLE CIVILIZED.

Inc oblGGl OF TINS tbnshh "eo
10 secure statistics Of population and a
general knowledge Of social conditions
az a basis for the establishment Of a Philip
pine Legislature. The law directs that
this Legislature shall convene two years
after the publication Of the re ports Of the
census.
The Legislature Is 10 consist Of two
houses-the Philippine Commission and
the Philippine Assembly. The census
enumeration was made in the Spanish
language. and the schedules have resulted
In statistics Of the civilized population,
wild peoples, agriculture, manufactures,
schools, railroads, fishing, mining. tele-
graphs. commerce. transportation, in
surance and banking. The work and its
results are described a. follows in a general
summary given out by the Census Bureau
yesterday:
The total population Of the archipelago
as returned from s42 independent islands il
7,635, 40 OF this number almost seven
millions are more or less civilized. The wild
tribes form about 0 per cent. Of the entire
population. The civilized tribes are prac-
tically all adherents Of the Catholic Church.
The Moros are MohAmmedans and the OF Ter
wild peoples have no recognized religious
beliefs.
The total population, according 20 the
most reliable authorities. ia a little more
than four times as great as it was 100 YEARS
ago. During the same period that Of the
United States multiplied almost fifteen
times. The excess Of birth rate over death
rate in the Philippines has been large, in
spite Of sudden and great losses "a a result
Of epidemios Of various diseases.
The de nsity Of population in the Philip
pines u siIty-seven per square mile. In
continental Unit d States it Is twenty-six
per square mile. The inhabitants are usu-
ally found on or near the coast, except in
the Island CT LuBon, where about half OF the
people live in the two rich valleys in the In
terror Only one eventh Of the CIVILIZED
population live inland but the wild pcopl
are confined almost entirely TO the interior.
Inspection Of the statistics Of nativity
show that over % per cent Of the civilized
the Archipelago. The fCrignors number
about so 600. o. whom nearly three-fOurths
are Chinese.
In the Philippine census literacy was de-
fined as ability TO " ad and write in any
language, sucn as English, Spanish, OF
Malay dialeCt. The aiding Of spanish
was disco uraged from the earliest times
by the friars, who felt that it would result
in a dirrinution of thu ir authority. There
fore the maj Ority q those n ported a. literatc
can N ad and write only in thai native Ian
guage More than half q the popuation
can n ither read nor write in any language,
and II the AS pr O. mt. able % n al l-ss
than one half can write while the numbar
able TO both n Rd and write crnstitutrs
only one-fifth a the pC pulatiUn at J. ast ~
years Of ags. Only is pr cent have re-
ceivI d a superb education.
A majority Of the Hlipinos farm small
tracts Of land, and those living near the
coast alternate this occupation With fish
ing. The women divide their time between
duties Of housekeeping and the weaving
Of hats mats and cloths, and are. therefore,
included among those engaged in gatnful
occupations. This fact accounts for the
excessive proportion OF wage earners.
who form no less than ass per cent. OF the
civilized population. The number Of female
wage eaTners in the Philippines "a proper
tionately double that Of the Cnited States
and three times that Of Porto Rico and
Cuba.
Sixty per cent. OF the population OF the
city Of Manila are employed In gatnful
occupations. This rather remarkable pro
portion appears TO be due to the fact that
the foreign element is very large and the
proportion OF young children small,
Although the study Of English has met
with some opposition, this - diminishing.
E.even per cent. Of the pupils throughout
standing the language, and this may be
regarded as very satisfactory progress
for the short space Of two years. In Mani a
there are twenty-one night schools with an
enrolment Of more than 400 adults who
are engaged in acquiring the English Ian
glage During the fiscal year ending
June go 1898. about 81 500 900 we're eI-
pended for educational purposes.
Isolated tarmhOuses are Unknown in the
Philippines. the Inhabitants living in COM
munities and cultiyating small tracts IN
the vicinity q their homes; Consequently
very small, being but IS acres, or one
seventeenth the size Of the average Ameri-
can farm. The tracts OF land returned as
farms number SIS ,4SS, with 45.s per cent.
OF their area under cultivation; 1876 per cent
Of this area is forest lands OF the total
area Of the Islands, s.5 per cent. is agr-
cultural
The total value Of domestic animals and
poultry in the islands exceeded y 600 coo
pesos OF this amount the value Of caTabto
represented os per cent; and that OF horses
10 per cent Swine, the most numerous
OF all domestic animals, are found in every
province and island Of the archipelago.
The production Of sugar, although really
an AGRICULTURAL industry has been Included
under manufactures. The numt or Of estab-
lishments whose products amounted in
value 70 at least 900 pesos each was / O7S,
and the total value OF the product was
6 0Oa COS pesos There were In addition
MANY hundred small sugar mills that pro-
duced low grade sugar and were too prlmi-
tive and unimportAnt 90 be included in the
census schedules; the aggregate Of such
establishments. however would be con-
siderable The value of sugar exported
in lSO7 was -, 342, 47s. or u per cent. Of the
value Of all exports. Including sugar.
the total number Of manufacturing plants
in the archipelago Ia $3.50, and the total
value Of products Il Al 200 fi5 pesos.
The reports estimate the value Of real
estate In the islands at go ,527, O5s pesos.
and the personal property at 1872 us ,06l
pesos. The amount Of taxes collected,
exclusive Of customs duties, was S,oS7 ,46l
pesos.
In 1902 there were forty-ons newspapers,
twelve In English, twenty-four In Spanish.
four in native dialects and one in Chinese.
OF the total number twenty were dailies,
and the total circulation Of all publications
was os, go.
There arc twelve public libraries, con-
tanning a total Of t,Ole books, morn than
one-hSlf Of which are in Spanish and more
than one-fourth in English.
There are seventy public hospitals, which
In 1900 treated II SIS patients. Hospitals
are not freely patroniDed by the natives,
who much prefer TO care Tor their sick
1t tn FIR homes.