The Seattle Republican. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1???-1915, 1911-02-10
FRIDAY, February 10, 1911
PHILIPPINE COTTAGE INDUSTRY

Cne never FULLY demand the naCS ana the
fact that the materials from which they made
widely distributed throughout the islands, the prac
tce of the industry has been curously concentrated
According to the investigators who have studied the
subject this concentration only be accounted for
by a certain immobity and certain indifference to
the introduction of anything and unfamiliar, and
is perhaps of the greatest difficulties that must be
met in spreading the household industries the
Philippines and in imsroving the methods in vogue.
To overcome this Indifference and spread throughout
the islands cottage industry that employs thcus
ands of persons in the fabrication Of hats mats text
lies and embroideres, and is capable of supporting
thousands more is one object of the director of the
public schools in which the weaving taught
The industry is carried under a system resembl-
ing very closely that followed in England and the
Continent of Europe the eighteenth century before
the introduction of machinery The market for hats
is never over supplied. In the islands themselves,
here and in Europe demand regularly exceeds the
supply. In instances the concentration of the
industry traceabe to the proximity to of the
raw material in the of making of cloth from
obaka in Albay, Batangas, and Ioo. of Bamboo hats
in Balwag, and of sabutan hats in Laguna. But
Hugo M Miller of the Philippine School of Commerce
in an interesting monograph published in bulletin of
the bureau of education points out that:
The growth of material will hardly account
for the fact that the making of hats from the
midrb of the unopened buri palm leaf carried on in
the town of Kalasao in Pangasnan and Pototan and
neghborng towns in llolo, and the weaving of bun
tai hats in Lukban and adjacent towns of Tayabas and
Laguna from fiber obtained from the leaf stem of the
burr PALM is practically limited to those towns only
although the burr palm in great and even
greater numbers in other localities throughout the
chipelago.
Nor will it account for Abay being almost alone in
the manufacture of pinolpog from beaten abaka, IL
Ola in that of Powered snamay and Batangas and in
L. - Jc of
tian can perhaps best be in the of Kaasaio
where the raw hat materials come from other towns
some distance away and where although the burr
palm grows in abundance throughout Pangasinan, the
industry has spread but little to any of the surround
ing towns not to Dagupan, ofwhich Kalasiao is
geographically almost part.
Already the schools have INTRODUCED new industry
into Mahayhay, Lagunar For years pandan hats were
woven there In 1904 brought from
Iukban to teach the weaving of bunta hats. After
period of Encouragement class of twelve girls was
formed one of whom eventually succeeded her teach
err in the capacity of instructor. Soon the women of
the town became interested, and bunta hats are
an article of export from Mahayhay. Later burr hat
making was introduced in the way and with
equal success.
Leaving out of consideration such peculiar hats as
those of the Igorots the sun hats of the Batan island
ers ard the headgear of certain wild tribes, Mr.. Mil
Ter SAYS that there two classes of commercial hats
in the islands, the salakots stiff hats worn by agr
culturists and aborers for protection from and
rain. and the blocked hats Salakots are made in
nearly every town. and the trade in them is almost
exclusively local. They made from leaves of ana
hao and nipa, and sheaths found over the nodes of
certain bamboos. Paper and cloth are used inthe
struction of some of them, are layers of bamboo
Salakots are losing their popularity and being repac
ed by woven hots. Formerly the welltodo and offic
ial classes were them, and many were ornamented
with silver Such hats not made now, and the
decorated survivors of the days of their popularity
much sought as curos. Most of these stiff hats
round like mushroom but there is wide latitude for
individual taste, and highly fantastic shapes
evolved. Mr. Miller gives two photographs of sala
kots that are decorated in good taste and show the
GREAT skill of their makers