Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-10
.FAM|NES ARE Problem
BEFORE PHILIPPINES
Question of Supplying Rice,
Chief Food of Islands, I'm
portant One.

Last year. in obviating q threatened
race famine in the Philippines by author
izing the government to purchase rice
for sale at cost price, the insular legisla-
ture directed the governor general to
recommend to it measures Of a permanent
supply Of foodstuffs.
While a solution has not yet been
reached that would prevent q recurrence
Of the very serious shortage Of the mairl
food staple, rice. much interest attaches
to the active efforts that are being made
| III this direction. A campaign of educa-s
ton has been carried on by the bureau
of education to generalize the use of In
dian corn or maize as a food substitute
| for rice. Heretofore such use Of maize
has been limited to but four or five prov
inces Inasmuch as a crop Of corn may
be planted and matured in shorter
period of time than any Of the ordinary
varieties Of rice, and has greater resist
ance to drought. it's advantages In these
regards over rice as the staple cereal are
| important, particularly in years of
drought or rice crop shortage for otner
reasons.
Extent Itdt4O0s
The annual importation Of rice into the
Philippines, according to the experience
! of the past thirteen years. may be de-
pended upon to be from 100000 to 10000
| tons. To produce this quantity in the is
lands it will be necessary to increase the
area planted to rice by about 6OOOW
acres, or secure an improvement in the
present methods of: cultivation which
<yiN. q
production. -
| But even If the islands produced all the
| rice required for consumption at home,
there must be anticipated years in which
by reason of crop failures In some dis
| tricts whose inha1tants. owing to their
complete dependence upon one single
| crop, be 1t sugar, tobacco, copra, or rice.
and on account of other existing econom-
| ic conditions, would be without money
with which to buy rice from those dis
tricts of the islands where an excess pro-
ductfon would be had. This very situa-
| ton has existed repeatedly in the history
peat itself until a remedy is discovered
and applied.
Forced to Leave Fields.
| Perhaps the most lasting harm caused
by the conditions just mentioned is that
the people, owing to the failure OF their
own crop and having no other resources,
are forced to leave their fields and homes
and seek employment elsewhere to secure
| food. The natural movement under these
conditions is to the large centers OF popu-
| latfon where employment may be had
While families make this change intend
| ing 1t to be a mere temporary arrange
ment. a considerable percentage remain in
the cities and are permanently lost to az
riculture; the fields formerly cultivated
by them are abandoned and the danger of
fnn
threatens.
A review of the experience of other
countries. particularly in Europe and
Asia, seems to indicate that the general
ization of cottage or household Industries
offers q solution in part, at least. of this
Philippine problem.
While the public schools are devoting
much time to the instruction of children
in these industries, 1t seemed apparent
that for immediate and large results 1t
would be necessary to provide for the in
struction of adults in large numbers. The
director of education drafted bill which
was passed by the Philippine assembly
appropriating $50.o0O to establish in Ma
Mia school of household industries,
which will train about 300 women from
various parts Of the islands who are to
return to their home communities to
teach adults the various handicrafts now
taught to the children in the intermediate
schools.
Rice the Chief Problem.
While the development Of household in
dustries increases the incomes Of individ-
ual workers, it is relatively subordinate
phase of relief. the main problem being
the increase in the production of rice to
meet fully the Philippine demand.
There are in the Philippines in the
great valleys of Luzon. of Mindoro, Of
Mindanao and of the smaller islands,
ample areas of public land easily devel-
oped into rice plantations of the first
class, with excellent water transportation
facilities. and so free from forest growth
as to be Immediately available for rice
planting There are in the Ilocos prov
inces. in the southern part of the Island
of Cebu, in a portion of the Island Of b.
hOl, and to lesser extent in other por-
lions OF the archipelago congested popula-
tions which. with great difficulty, are
striving to produce enough food for their
own consumption by the cultivation of
exhausted fields and rocky hillsides. II
$1,000 families could be induced to aban-
don their present homes in the districts
just mentioned and locate under govern
ment supervision on the public lands de-
scribed above the Philippine Islands will
cease to SEND some ten million dollars an
nually to French Indo-China and British
Burma. neither of which countries an
nually purchases more than a few thou
sand dollars worth of Philippine prod