Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-21
REPORT ON INSULAR AFFAIRS
Brigadier General Edwards Com
mends Work of Philippine Scouts.
BIG FACTOR IN EDUCATION
They Are Aiding In the Creation of
n Higher Standard of Living
Free Trade with United
states Favored.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20.-.The Philippine
scouts are highly commended, the bill to
amend the Philippine tariff act now pend
ing in the senate Is indorsed, encouraging
progress in the Philippines, and the main
tenance of peace and order in Cuba
throughout the year are announced in the
annual report of Brigadier- General Clar-
ence r. Edwards, chief of the bureau of
insular affairs, which was made public to-
night. General Edwards says the Philip
pine scouts are an important factor in the
education of the Filipino people and in the
creation of higher standard of living in
the islands as well as in the extension of
American influence. The report recounts
the settlement Of the Catholic church
claims, and refers to the bill which passed
the house at the last session but was still
pending in the senate before committee
when congress adjourned, to provide entry
Into the United States of Philippine prod
ucts and free entry of United States prod
ucts into the Philippine islands and free
trade between the United States and the
hilippines without exceptions after April
II, 1909 The report says the friends of
the measure are entirely agreeable to the
inclusion of a clause limiting Philippine
sugar to be admitted under its provision to
100000 tons annually.
Plan Meets Approval.
This the sugar people admit would be
sufficient to restore some of the former
prosperity to the sugar interests in the
islands A production of the present duties
on tobacco, the report suggests, would af-
ford the moral encouragement of which
producers in the islands now stand so serf-
ously in need. The other principal prod
ucts in the Philippine islands, hemp, copra
and rice, have the advantages over sugar
of not requiring such enormous capital for
development and of not entering into COM
petition with interests of this country.
The excess of insular expenditures over
revenues during the last fiscal year was
S570,524, and the excess Of receipts over
expenditures In the city of Manila was
$3S. 1867. The work of the Philippine stu
Cents in this country has been on an
average very good and in one or two cases
of an exceptionally high order The value
of the movement as a whole to the Philip
pine government and people, says General
Edwards. must still be left to the future
to disclose, but every sign points to its
immense Importance.
Expenses in Cuba.
The expenditures Of the Republic of Cuba
On dCCOuHl VI <AHlcIlSdh lhNtINGuklOl
October l. 1906, to June 80 last were 1851, ,S43
these expenditures being made from funds
allotted by the provisional government
from time to time for army expenditures
due directly to the army service in Cuba
The statement OF extraordinary expendi-
tures on account of the army of pacifica.
tion in Cuba which under congressional
legislation are TO be reimbursed from the
Cuban treasury, shows a total of S5,Sl1, ,S22
of which SS,376,785 was from October l. 1906,
to June 30, 1907, and the balance from then
until June 80 last.
The settlement of the Dominican debt
the steadily widening activities in the
Philippines and the administrative control
Of Cuba continuing to brirg up important
questions of law. making the demand upon
the law officer of the bureau, constant
and serious legislation for retirement OF
certain civil employees of the Philippine
government on part pay after ten or more
years of satisfactory service, are among
other matters discussed.