Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-02-21

weeks IL! the month. The men had
certain lack OF energy, due. according
! 10 some specialists, TO the fact tina,
their diet consisted largely OF polished
rice. with too little meat. Three dav.
! 4 week was u good average for them
According to American ideas that
would never do When a man tried
such tricks II. was discharged FOR
good. But losing job is not the
tragedy To the Filipino that II Is 10
the inhabtant OF less favored climcs.
where the battle for existence is more
fierce. When the native lost his Job
! ne philosophc driftcd away. and
/ soon ther" was - shortage OF labor
| The Americans did some hard think
ing. With Yankee adaptability, they
revised the sacred code OF hustle TO
| meet local conditions. II a laborcr
took n week off. he was received on
his return as though nothin:; had hap
pcned. and II his job were OPEN II was
chccrfully given back 10 him. In or
der TO discourage irrcSularity, every
effort was made TO keep the force ut
fun strength. so that the erring brother
might find his place taken when he
came back, but there was no malice
about it. sorry, hut We can't use
! YOU" said the company. Stick around
a week or two. and maybe there Will
] be an opening"
! bonus PInn SuccessfuI.
/ so Jose stuck around watching
! Icin"nlle no" ms more i3ltnlul com
| radcs continued 10 draw their pay and
prosper, while he and his family played
tag with the wolf at the door. He
meditated on the virtues OF steady en-
! ployment. and the next time he got
that job he was likely to hold II a
long time. Also, the companies au-
thoriZed bonuses for men who worke ed
more than twenty-five or twenty-four
days in the month. To-day those
bonuses are nearly part OF the reg
ular pay roll. The big employers now
are expressing the greatest satisfac-
ton with Filipino labor.
So we have fertile archipelago ly
| ing in one OF the most productive
! cl!mcs on earth--its latitude CORE
| spends with that of Central America
and the Canal Zone-waiting for do
vclopmcHt Only about a quarter Of
the area Is under cultivation. The la
Dor is there. and it is capable. The
| question is only one Of arousinE en-
! thusiasm over agriculture as 1t has
| been aroused over some forms of con-
struction and Industrial work. This ac-
complishcd. there will be a big con-
| tribution made Il the wealth OF ma
| tons.
Various other elements are involved
in the agricultural problem. but It is
primarily n labor problem. The island
| planter has TO contend with drought
/ and with plaques OF locusts which
! s"ttp over "Eoie NlStTlClS. 1Sut Win
moro general cultivation the country
will be able to afford emergency irri-
cation systems. and such cultivation
Will clean out many of the breeding
places OF the locust The only thing
that cannot be guarded against is the
occas ional typhoon.
Trouble From Rinderpest.
! In the past n cattle disease known
as ''rinderpest" has hampered agri-
| cultural development Allowed to run
unchecked in the days OF instruction.
1t killed so many animals that farm
work was held back or stopped en-
tirely. The agricultural bureau has
spent more money and had more
trouble fighting rinderpest than in all
Its other troubles put together. Now
! the malady is well under control, and
any one who sees the numbers OF the
carabao must realize that tho lack Of
work animals is no longer Interfering
with agricultural progress.
or late there have been very en-
couraging signs of a new and intelli-
gent interest in the Agricultural re-
sources Of the islands. The first aEri-
cultural congress in the history OF the
philippines was recently held in Man
ia. over GOO delegates attended from
| every part OF the archipelago, and tho
spirit they showed indicates that the
real significance OF the question is be-
| ing realized by the people at large.
when we consider the richness, tho
productiVencSs. the heavy and pros
porous populations supported by such
regions as Porto Rico and Hawaii:
! when we see what Il part they play in
! world commerce, and when we COM
pare their area with the immense
stretches Of Philippine soil, we get a
new conception OF the potentialitics OF
| inns tropic archipelago The agricul-
tural future OF the Philippines ia one
| that can only no estimated It pre-
sents great problems. but their solu-
ton Will be rewarded n hundrcdfold.