Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-12-11

Washington. Dec. lin his annual
report, just published, Brigadier-Gen.
eral Frank II. Mcintyre, chief of the
bureau of insular affairs, tells of prog
ress and prosperity in Porto Rico and
the Philippines.
An important feature of the report
deals with the effect upon the insular
possessions of the new tariff act. The
Underwood law removes the limita-
ton upon the quantity of sugar and
tobacco that may be exported duty
free from the Philippines to the
United States. Another important
measure of relief to business in the
islands is the removal of export duties
from Philippine products such as
hemp. The income tax provisions of
the new tariff act were extended to
the Philippines, but with the proviso
that il should be collected by Philip
pine officers and belong to the Philip
pine government.
General Mcintyre regrets the fail
ure of congress to enact a law per-
hitting the use of foreign material to
the amount of per cent in Philip
pine products entitled to free admis-
sion to the United States. He says
this would have given much desired
stimulus to the embroidery and lace
industry in the islands, which is being
developed through the schools.
Exports to the United States last
year amounted to S19,S4S,SS5, and were
81 per cent of the total. as compared
with As per cent in 1912. Sugar ship
ments, which were the leading factor
in this decline, show a falling off ap-
proximately s5,0OO.OOO in value.
Steady and encouraging progress
was made during the year in educa-
ton; especially in the higher standard
of instruction in English; in the bet
ter school buildings and grounds; in
the sounder basis on which industrial
instruction has been organized, in the
further and very marked improvement
in the American and Filipino person
mel of the bureau; in the efficiency of
the administrative side of the work
and in the physical training of the pu-
pills.
Teachers from the United States
have been almost, without exception,
Of excellent preparation and with the
improvement in the quality of Amer
lean teachers that of the Filipino
teachers has kept pace. The latter
nave been assigned 10 positions of
greater responsibility and lis are now
serving as supervising and assistant
teachers, which number
does not include q Filipino industrial
Porto Rican trade fell off last year
s6.026.411 in imports and S601,s4S in |
exports, out of a total trade OF $780, |
O03,627. Although the sugar shipments
we're 10000 tons greater than during |
the preceding year, reaching a total |
Of $4,000 tons, the average price re
less per ton-reduced the /
total value by 5000, 900. !
persons Of school age in Porto Rico at |
tended school, but even at that the
total enrolment was 161.7s5, COM
pared with 1851 at the close of the !
Spanish regime. In 1910 over SIS 4
per cent OF the total electorate were /
lliterate.
Great progress was made on the /
irrigation system during the year. and |
[ is indefinitely established that the 4
otal cost of the project viii not ex-
;eed s., 1000, 900.
The sixth year of the operation of
he American receivership of the /
Dominican customs shows the largest
eceipts of its history, the gross re-
.eipts being s4.112,7 35. This is said
o be more remarkable because of the