Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-21
Senuine-Syrup Of Figs

ard untitled for sugar, and the south one
third Is tmpenetrable forest, impossible TO
clear In many years. Pampanga has much
swamp land in 1t unsuitable for sugar. The
truth Ia that hemp. copra and even rice are
more profitable crops and involve much
less outlay than sugar. even with the pro-
posed improvement under the present bill
Hemp forms IS per cent Of the exports of
the islands. and copIa Is next. 1t is the
height of absurdity to suppose that even
free trade In sugar with the United States
would mean more than a merely gradual
growth in sugar land and sugar produc-
ton In the Philippines.
The most serious Limitation upon the pro-
duction Of sugar and Its Increase Is the
limited supply of labor and the necessarily
rapid increase in the cost OF labor IL there
is any considerable increase in sugar rails
ing. Today, even with the small crops.
sugar planters have to bring to Negroes
from the distant island of Bohol, from An
tiaue and from Capiz. .one-half their labor
supply for the cutting season.
No Tobacco Exports From Philippines.
When we pass from sugar to tobacco we
find lively imagination equally necessary
to understand why the tobacco men and
the cigar makers should be anxious to
prevent this measure of justice to the Phil
ippines. In the first place, no tobacco OF
any kind Is now exported commercially
from the Philippine Islands to the United
States. No tobacco is raised In the Phil
ippines except leaf adapted for wrappers
or filters or for smoking tobacco. Six hun
dred million pounds of tobacco is raised
In the United States, of which 100000
IL exported. One hundred and sixty-four
million pounds Of leaf for cigars is con-
sumed in the United States. Not more
than 5oO0O,oO0 pounds of tobacco is pro-
duced in the Philippines, and of this but
1900, 600 pounds is exported.
OF these exports very small amount.
say 10 per cent, is wrapper leaf, and the
remainder is filler leaf and smoking to-
bacco.~ The price for wrapper leaf in Ma
Mia, per pound, is 80 cents. The duty per
pound is 25 per cent OF the Dingley rate.
which would be 46 cents, making the cost
In New York. without freight or insura noe,
76 cents a pound, price considerably
greater than Connecticut wrapper leaf.
wrapper leaf The price for filler leaf in
Manila is 10 cents pound. The duty would
be cents, or the filler tobacco from the
Philippines of the best quality would be
IS cents. price several cents higher than
filler from Ohio or Pennsylvania or other
states.
Comparison of Cigars.
The same cigar made in this country of
Sumatra wrapper and Cuban filler, by
American hand work. is worth $40 a thous-
and, and the labor is SIT a thousand. The
Philippine .'Perfecto" laid down in New
York is worth about SIG, and the labor is
SO. The Philippine cigar. of course, cannot
compete with the Cubar cigar and is not in
the same class any more than American
made Cuban cigars are in the same class
as Cuban-made Cuban cigars. But what Is
very evident is that. by reason of a duty
OF Sl.125 a pound on the Philippine cigars
and 81 per cent ad valorem, 1t would be
possible for American cigar makers to
make cigars out of Philippine tobacco at
SIT thousand of II pounds and undersell
cigars of the same aterial made in Ma
Mia, and this is true of all the kinds Of
Observation-Disclosures. High Life" 'Pana-
tela" or "Londres' to be imported
from the Philippines into this country.
Third. the Philippines export only 10o-
100000 cigars to all countries. whereas
America alone manufactures 100000. 600
cigars. The suggestion that the export
from the Philippines could seriously affect
the American market is absurd.