Omaha daily bee., 1912-01-28
Reonznciaz Qlie5as of Icos eSur -1s7rSteea Zuzoa -

large printing establishment There Is ar
execution ward where the murderers are
hanged. The garrote has disappeared.
Our Penal Colony at IwshiE.
! One OF the most remarkable Of all pris-
ons is the penal colony at Iwahig. made
up OF life prisoners. murderers and others
who have been sent there as a reward
for good conduct at Blnb.d. This is on a
little island adjoining Palawan. II con-
sists Of a reservation Of 20 square miles
occupied by prisoners who are engaged
in manufacturing and farming. These
conviots govern themselves. The only
Americans connected with them are their
superintendent Mr., c, II. Lamb. and al
agricultural expert brought In to teach
them to farm. They elect their own Off
GERS and make their own laws. They have
jury trials In which the vote OF the ma
jority convicts, although the supcrintend-
ent has the right Of veto. Such OF the
convlcts as break the laws may be flogged
or sent back to BilibId. The convlcts can
marry II they wish and they may bring
their wives and families TO live with them
There are now forty-two women In the
colony. and six marriages have occurred
this last year
Each Of these convict Farmers has his
own separate holding. He does his work
on the shares, half Of the crop going TO
the prison and the other half to hm. The
colonlsts raise their own meat. They have
beef cattle, consisting OF crosses between
native cows and Indian bulls. They have
also a fishery.
The colony Is now going into cocoanui
raising and II has already set out sou
trees. This win not only render II self
supporting, but will enable II TO turn In
great deal OF money TO the support OF
other prisons on the islands.
General Edwards tells me Of a visit he
paid last year TO Iwahig. He was rowed
from his ship to the shore by a murderer.
and he found a couple OF murderers act.
ing as the family servants Of the gov
ernor. Mrs. Lamb is the only American
woman on the island and she has two
little children. Her cook is a convict.
The Health of . Nation.
A great deal Of Uncle Sans work has
had 70 do with the health Of the Philip
pines. The Islands are being cleaned up
and the cities worked over. Manila has
new sewers, which cost about 10000
ana II has a water supply brought in
from the head waters Of the Marigulna
river. which are held back by a dam sixty
feet high. The reservoir there contains
hundreds OF millions Of gallons. and 1t Is
fed by a wild mountainous region where
the water is pure.
The mosquitoes are being cleaned out
Of Manila and otherwhere. The canals
have been dredged and the moats filled
up. and parks have taken their places.
New hospitals have been built, and this
is so in most OF the cities. not only for
the Christians. but for the wild men as
we'll. We have doctors connected with
the leading tribes. and the sayages, In
stead OF making sacrifices TO pactfy the
spirits OF disease. are now coming In for
castor oil, liver pills and surgical treat
ment.
A Campaign Of Health Education.
A campaign Of health instruction has
been undertaken and doctors are going
about with lantern slide lectures showing
the dangers Of disease and how 10 pre-
vent it. Hygiene is taught in the public
schools. There are training schools for
nurses and a hospital for the insane
which now has 90 inmates.
There has been a great fight against
cholera and the rats have been siaugh-
tered to wipe out the bubonic plague.
The bone piles Of the cemeteries have
been taken away and the dead are now
buried according TO Law.
The islands have an anti-tuberculosiS
society. which IS wasing a war against
consumption. This institution has the
aid Of the government and il viii estzb-
lIsh tuberculosis camps and will teach
the people how to take care Of such pa
tients. The bureau Of agriculture on the
Islands proposes 10 Kill all animals which
have tuberculosis, and quarantine has
been Instituted against the importation Of
diseased cattle from Australia.
A great deal has been said about the
health % Americans In the Philippines
Uncle Sam Is keeping track Of that mat
ter and the death rate Is now less than
six to the thousand. which Is not one
half as high as that OF our best Araey- |
lean cities.
FRANK q. CARPENTER