Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-10-02
SERVANTS IN MANILA.
Native Laborers Learning to Work Nor
Steadily.

One frequently hears American and
foreign residents of the Philippine is
lands, especially in Manila, inyeigh upon
the ignorance and carelessness of native
servants and employees as examples cf
general Filipino incompetency. But one
hears similar animadversions anent the
servant problem in the United States,
yet no one familiar with our country
would think of concluding therefrOm
that Americans are inferior in industrial
capacity.
SO to get at the real industrial capa-
billty of the Filipinos it is necessary TO
inquire of persons who have employed
them on large scale through a consid-
cradle period Of time, and who are able
from previous experience with labor in
other countries to compare actual re-
SUITS. The most extensive experience
with native unskilled labor in the is
lands has been that of the large con-
tracing companies. This experience
has not been free from disagreeable in
cldents. Notwithstanding that these
companies had at their command the
came to these islands fortified with am
pie experience in great undertakings
elsewhere, they have found it necessary
TO gradually adapt their former methods
TO suit conditions. This decision was
reached only after the men on the job
had tried to follow their customary ways
with unsatisfactory results. Their ex-
perience has been process of expert
ments IN trying to get the best results
out of native labor, and succession of
compromises between so-ealled American
methods and conditions peculiar to this
country and people. With results rather
than method always in mind, they are
evolving system which imposes upon
the Filipino as much of American meth
| DDS as he can assimilate and employ to
advantage.
Upon this treatment the native labor
er is undergoing an evolution. The man
who formerly worked an average of per-
haps three days in a week now will
work FIVE or six days Where he used
he now let's most of them pass and sticks
to his job. This change of disposition
| is significant, for it is an indication that
habits which have in the past been SO
detrimental to industrial progress are
not SO deeply incrusted as was feared.
but will yield to tactful application OF
the same forces that elsewhere stimulate
humanity to new efforts. In the early
days of American experiments with Fill
pino labor, if workman quit in the
middle of a week. his wages would be
locked and he was refused employment
when he applied again. This system
is practicable where it is understood,
out the nlpIuO uUeS not now under
stand it. and its application caused such
| dissatisfaction that it was necessary
to modify it.
In railway work the men are paid by
the day and are paid in full whether
| they work six days or one day in a
week. If Pedro wants to attend fiesta
or 90 fishing he does so, and when he
again reports at the dump he is put to
work without comment if there is a va
cancy, and his desertion is not scored
against him so far as he can tell But
Jose is Pedro's neighbor, and Jose is of
a more industrious habit and works reg
ularly. In time Joes's wife has a BET
ter gown than Pedro's wife; his children
have some little luxuries which Pedro
children cannot afford.-New York
| Times.