The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-12-06
TRADE IN THE
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
Report Of the Chief of the lnsulaI
Bureau.
AMERICAS IRA1E is DECLINING
Capt. Mcintyre Urges the Adoption of
Law That Would Decrease the Rate
on Philippine Products as Necessary
to the Welfare of the Islands-Pro-
posed Agricultural Bank.

Washington Especially In his an
nual report as Acting Chief of the
Bureau of Insular Affairs, Capt.
Frank Mcintyre, U. S. A., says
For more than four years, or
ever since the official declaration OF
the termination of the instruction
against the United States in the
Philippine Islands, the Philippine
Commission, the Secretary of War
and the President have urged, as
most necessary to the welfare of the
people in the Philippine Islands and
to the successful government of those
islands, the passage of some Dill
which would concede lower rate Of
duty on products of the Philippine ISL
ands coming to the United States
than the tariff imposed on the prod =
ucts of foreign countries, and all Of
their efforts to carry out this pur-
pose have not as yet resulted in
final vote which would indicate their
approval or disapproval of the pro-
position.
at is. doubtful if at this time any
other officers of the government have
imposed on them so difficult task
as have the members of the Philip
pine Commission-that of successful
ly governing these far-away islands.
II would seem, having by law i'm
posed the most difficult task upon
the Philippine Commission, that their
hands should be upheld in carrying
out those policies which they deem
essential.
Reciprocal Trade Arrangement.
1 L.. afvI 10
during this entire period everyone
connected with the government of
the Philippines has been impressed
with the urgent need of some such
legislation as that proposed, to lift
The Filipino people out of the depth
of poverty into which they have fal-
len as the result of the wars, insur-
rections and pestilence with which
those islands have been cursed for
a period of 10 years. And not only
have they thus agreed to the i'm
portance of this legislation to the
islands, but they have been uniformly
of the opinion that such assistance
as would be given the depressed ag-
riculture of the Philippines by this
act could in no wise harm any in
terest in the United States.
"A survey of the pending legisla-
tion leads inevitably to the conclu
sion that it is by no means an altru-
istic measure, but one of distinct ad-
vantage to us, regardless of its ad-
vantage to the Filipinos. 1t may be
safely asserted that in no case have
we been able to obtain from any
country a reciprocal trade arrange
ment so favorable to us as that en-
bodied in this bill, which increases
our home market by over 1000, 900
people, producers exclusively, with
the exception of a relatively few
cigars and cigarettes, Of raw mater
ial, and, more important still, of raw
material rs per cent. of which COM
petes with no product of the United
States, though of great use in our
factories.
Agricultural Bank.
"There is pending another measure
in both the Senate and House of
Representative on which there has
yet been no legislative action and
which would be of benefit to all
classes of Filipinos. This is the bill
providing for the establishment of an
agricultural bank.
Heretofore the inhabitants of the
islands away from Manila have had
no place in which they could secure
their savings and no place from
which they could borrow on reason
able terms the money necessary in
their agricultural or other industries.
Where such loans can be obtained at
all the borrower is forced to pay
from l to 10 per cent a month, and
there was absolutely no place in
which money could be deposited with
safety"