Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1912-02-22
.A(,R OSS
Tie, POND
]. G, Carpenter, Former ater-
town Citizen Writes of
Philippine Roads.
NOTES ON ROAD BUILDING
Tie People, as a Rule, Simple and
Ignorant With Very Little
Thought for the Future.

Thought for the Future. &
|sBy J. c. Carpenter, Assistant Ensl.
neer B. r. w.
The Philippine Islands are populated
by Ia race as varied in4their abilities
as the people Of any other country
covering a similar latitude. In the
Islands, thirty different dialects are
known to be spoken and a correspond
ingly varied lot Of people is found.
One mans experience with Tagalogs
may be entirely favorable and with
Macabebes unfavorable, while another
man may have an exactly opposite ex-
periance. However few general re-
marks will apply to the majority of the
people of the Islands. They are as a
rule. simple and ignorant people, with
very little thought for the future. AS
long as the ordinary "tau" has his
shack and enough rice to eat he Is
content to let the rest of the world
sniff for itself. The sufferings Of a
severe winter would do much TO ele-
Vate the natives, for, as long as they
can climb a tree and get food or find
shelter growing ready to use in the
inipa swamps, what need is there of
'bestirring themselves to get more.
American ideas and teachings have
instilled a few ambitions and desires
into the younger generation, but, the
old saying that "a little learning ID a
dangerous thing" seems to hold good.
Were the ordinary Philippine sup
Piled with food and left in the shade
he would undoubtedly eat all he could
hold, go ofsleep, and sleep until hun
ger awakened him when the same pro-
cedure would be repeated. If the
food supply and isolation were per-
petual the native would sleep his
whole life away.
This trait characterizes the class Of
labor which must be used for public
works. AS a rule they are shiftless,
Indifferent, and have no public spirit
or pride Of anything outside Of their
own interests. or course, these re-
marks do not apply to the whole popu-
lation, but are true Of the majority of
the working class. Labor in the states
DIS Comparatively an easy problem
where the source Of supply is the pro-
fessional "hohoe" or the local inter
ested party. Wages in the States are
about seven times higher than here,
but the amount of work accomplished
is considerably more than seven times
as great. In the recent catastrophy
at Taal Volcano, the sufferers were
offered sixty centavos per day (the
local wage) to put a road thru the
stricken country, but struck for eigh-
ty centavos and could be induced to
work only by the threat Of with
drawal Of the relief funds. In many
cases laborers have to be imported
from outside Provinces in order to
carry on work at a reasonable figure.
Politics play an important part Ia
the cost Of the work also. The change
from Spanish to American rule has
put new toy into the hands of the
childlike people, and their crude antic
would be amusing to the skilled poll
tician of the States. The same antics
lcut quite a figure in the cost of public
/ works.
The Island of Sanlar is the third
largest in the Archipelago. Its popu
lation, according to the last census
| is 26,2S7 while it's area is 5,278 square
miles About seven-eighths ofthe pop
ulation is scattered along the terri
tory within a mile of the coast and
nearly all Ct the remainder is on some
watercourse. Very few people are te
be found more than one mile from
water. nayigable for barotos. III /.
4 The whole Island of salnar is very
tthickly wooded and very rough topo
graphically. It Is said that when the
/ world was made samar came last, 4
was dark and the foreman said, Dunn
your carts, boys We won't stop to leve
/ It out. There are no nigh attitudes
and no extensive flats. The trails ii
1.-THE interior rise three Or fcnr hundred
feet and then drop almost to- Sci