Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-04-15

l
males are almost entirely persons of
school aee, more than half being be-
tween the ages OF 10 ana ~ OF the
total number of children of school age
S15 attended school
Males Of voting 3 form nearly
one fourth OF the total Christian no
pulation, and OF this number only
about ouc-third are lilerale, Ninety
seven per cent OF the males of voting !
age are Of Filipino citizenship The
most litorate tribe Is the pamansan,
nearly half of whose males OF voting
age arc able 70 read ana write.
As wa To be expected, the census
returns show that there was q wide
range In lileracy among the various
PROVINCES,
OCCUPATIONS OF the People.
\ majority Of the Fllpinos farm
! small tracts OF land. and those living
near the coast alternate this occupa-
ton with fishing. The women divide
their time between duties of house
keeping and the weaving OF hats, mats
and cloths, and are. therefore, includ.
ed among those engaged In gainful
occupations, This fact accounts for
the excessive proportion Of wage'earn'
crs in the Philippines which is prpor.
tionately double that OF the United
states and three times that of Porto
Rico and Cuba. or the female wage
earners. nearly 20 per cent are re.
turned as manufacturers. and the
proportions engaged in agriculture
and domestic service is much less
than the corresponding proportions
for the United States, or the male
wage-earners, more than half are EN-.
ployed In agricultural pursuits, and SO
few are returned as manufacturers
hat the proportion of women employ
in those persuits is SO large as TO
show that it is practically a line Of
feminine employment.
Farmers and farm laborers consti-
tute more than two-fifths of all who
are engaged in gainful occupations.
A much smaller proportion are engaged
in manufacturing and mechanical pur-
suits. while the number in profession.
al service Is exceedingly small, form
ing less than | per cent OF the entire
number gainfully employed.
Among the Flipinos themselves
there are 1896 physicians, 676 priests.
and 727 lawyers. Nearly one-half OF
the Chinese wage-earners are merch-
ants or statesmen. of the foreign or
white population a small proportion
are engaged in agriculture. but most
are found in the trades and profess
sions.
GO per cent of the population OF the
city of Manila are employed in gain
full occupations. This rather remark
able proportion appears to be due to
The fact that the foreign element is
very large and the proportion ~ofyoung
children, small. The figure, however,
il much greater than for any consider
able section Of the United States, the
closes approach being in the state of
Wyoming, where the proportion OF
: persons gainfully occupied was ATS
per cent.
Vital Statistics.
Volume III of the reports is devoted
to vital statistics, the defective class
; education, and families and dwellings
: The statistics of mortality were OBJ
tanned from official records kept by
. the municipal governments. The cen
sus year, however, could not be con
! sidered a normal one as the preva
> lence of cholera resulted In a high
, death rate. Therefore the returns fol
. the subsequent year are included In
: discussion of this subject.
! The number Of deaths was 442 ,05I
in 1902. and 329,671 in the following
u year. Thus the everage death raj,
: for 1902 was 1913 per thousand. rang
: ing from % in Paragua to 1873 in Bat
angas. In 1903 the death rate dimtn
= ished TO i7.2. a rate still clearly cxcea
-
sive, and a study Of the earlier sta'ist
, les of mortality suggests that the aver
! age normal death rate Ii about g
! which Is much greater than that 0
. the United States, and exceeds tha
of any European country whose deaf
rate Is known. although it IL less tina
that Of most Of the provinces in Brl'
ish India. The average birth rate !
the Philippines, rs obtained from sta
tistics covering a period Of 10 years
Is IS per thousand. The excess c
birth over deaths in normal years I
greater ,hant that of nearly all othe
countries, although slightly less tha
that of the United States.
/; The difference in The death rate !
/. the interior and upon the coas -
: and 81 per thousand, respectively sus
: gests that as a place of residence II
1 coast Is more healthy than The n
; terror, or else that conditions. sic
!. as public tranquility and medical a