Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-23
A MATTER OF LABOR.
Most Serious Of Philippine
Problems.
GOV. WRIGHT'S VIEWS
AMERICAN INDUSTRIES WILL
NOT BE MENACED.
Work of Years Will Be Required to
Produce Enough Sugar to Hurt
Home Production.

Gov. Luke c. Wright does not believe that
menace to any legitimate industry In the
United States. even II there IL absolute free
trade declared between this country and
the islands. He Is In this country on a long
furlough after three years OF hard work in
the archipelago. and has been attending the
sessions Of the ways and means committee
Of the House, which has been hearing wit
nesses for and against the reduction Of the
tariff.
Labor. he says, Is the root of the several
problems in the islands. There Is big
population. but 1t is only effective about in
the proportion OF one to three, as compared
with American labor. It will not be any
more effective for long time It's improve
ment will depend on raising the standard of
living of the people, feeding them better
and making better people Of them physical
ly. Even then they probably win not reach
the standard of American labor, so that It
will not mean throwing population of
100000 people into competition with the
labor market Of the United States. AS to
outside labor, there Is no chance Of getting
It. The Chinese are barred from the islands
by the exclusion act and the Japanese by
the contract labor law, SO there Is no
chance Of flooding this country with the
products of cheap coolie labor. AS to the
Chinese in the islands, Gov. Wright made
what to many people will be a surprising
statement, and that is that there are not
more than 40 DOC Chinese in the whole group
OF Islands. OF these, about 210OO are in
Manila, where most of the white people
spend their time, SO that the Chinese popu-
lation looks larger to the outsider than it
really Is.
The Tariff Question.
Referring to the question of sugar and
the tariff. Gov. Wright said
There has been more awant nonsense
talked on this subject that I have ever
heard before. The statement has been
made that the exports Of sugar from the
islands would be 100000 tons in excess of
the whole consumption Of the United States,
Now, this Is unbelievable folly. The ex-
ports OF sugar have practically never been
over 100000 tons at the height OF the indus,
trys prosperity Sugar ts looking I'D, and
In the past year, owing to higher prices that
ruled after the Brussels convention most of
the planters have made money But II the
exports reach 10000 long tons in the next
neither the land nor the labor to support a
very big crop for years to come Take the
Island of Negroes and q part OF Panay-and
they are about the only sugar islands in the
full for lack Of labor. The sugar laborer
does not make as much as the man who
works In hemp or tobacco, and you are NOT
going to get la'borers to quit a more profit
able employment for one less So"
Gov. Wright was asked IL there were not
good sugar land in Mindanao, and he re-
Piled: ,-- ~
eyes, there is. But there, again, the
question OF labor comes in. There is no one
to work 1t, and there will not be for MANY
years to come. The sugar production of the
Islands will grow with time, with the intro
auction OF improved machinery and the ply
steal Improvement of the population. But
II the Islands are exporting 100000 tons Of
be doing well. Now, this will be a very
small drop In the 1.s5G, 600 tons consumed In
the United States. Besides, the United
STATES Is increasing rapidly In population,
and II the Philippines In five or ten years
could begin to increase their export pro-
duction of sugar at the rate of 100 600 tons
q year. which Is very doubtful, they would
not more than keep UP with the increasing
demand in this country
Should Have Open Market.
mo. there is not the slightest danger that
the Philippines will ever swamp this conn
try with sugar. But they ought to be given
a good, steady open market, and this wor,d
help the industry.
great deal of misinformatton about
sugar that has been disseminated from tho
ISLANDS was put out by the people who
wanted to make out a case against the
philippines. I know one man who went
r , ior mat purpose and who told the
people down in Negros that the people he
represented had s5000,0O to invest in sugar
lands. Well! did those guileless people give
MN nm some roseate stories about the possi-
piities OF sugar production / guess thew
didl They had lands to SELL You send q
man with 100000 into any country In
the United States and let him tell the pes,-
PIE ne mas come to buy UP their lands, and
! suspect they will give him some sur
pris!ng figures as to the fertility and value
Of the soil, too
AS to the tobacco situation Gov. Wright
says there Is even less likelihood Of its In
lnring the trade IN the United States than
there is of sugar doing the same thing.
People do not seem to realize" SAID he.
=, that there are only two provinces In the
Philippines that raise tobacco to amount To
anything. They are Cagayan and isabella
up In the northern part Of Luzon. Even
there there is little tobacco that would
stand a serious show In the American
market. Most OF the tobacco that is grown
In the Philippines is for home consurnp-
ton Nearly everybody there above the