New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-02-25

The Philippines lie between Japan
and Java. They are warmer than
Japan and their soil is more produc-
tive. They are undoubtedly able to
maintain q denSer population and 10
produce richer hsryests than the Em-
pire of the Rising Sun. They are sufii-
GENTLY temperate in climate to produce
anything that Japan produces, and they
are sufficiently tropical 10 produce
many important things which Japan
cannot. They arc little further north
of the equator than Java is south Of IT,
but they arc near enough 70 il to be able
10 produce anything that Java can. In
deed, their climate is superior 70 that
of Java, as a tropical climate, as that
Of countries north of the equator gen.
orally Is to that Of those south OF that
line. They are quite capable Of main
tanning a population as dense as that
Of Java.
Now. the area Of the Philippines is
1883 square miles, and their populs-
ton is 100000, making about sixty TO
the square mile. The area Of Japan is
1855 square miles, and its population
is $1,000, 900. or 31S TO the square mile
more than five times as dense as that
Of the Philippines. Let us suppose
that the population of the Philippines
should increase until it was as dense as
that of Japan. That would mean a
total Of 100000 inhabitants of our
islands. II they then purchased goods
from US at the same rate as at present,
or s3.15 head, they would be taking
s126,000,000 worth Of goods every year,
or more than any country in the world
save four in the year before the out
break Of the war.
Even more striking is a similar com
parison with Java. That big Dutch
island has an area Of 50,554 square
miles, and population OF 10000, 900, or
no fewer than 593 to the square mile.
There is 10 natural reason why the
Philippines should not be as densely
inhabited. II they were they would
have population Of about 5000
900, and their purchases from US at
the present rate would amount 70 the
enormous total of S236,000,000 a year,
or more than any country IN the world
in 1913, save only Great Britain, Ger
many and Canada.
Nor are such figures in any respect
fantastic or visionary. They are
practical forecast of reasonable proba-
blities Il may not be that the popu
lation will so greatly increase, though
the simply nestimable work which we
have done there for sanitation and
hygiene will powerfully conduce 20 that
end. There is practically certain TO be
considerable increase in the per cap
TIA amount Of purchases. This will he
for two major reasons. One Is the
advance of civilization. The more
highly civilized people are the greater
are their needs, and the progress which
the islands are now making assures
very considerable increase in imports
OF an increasing -mber of kinds. The
other reason is more complex and has
TO do with the character of the islands
products and with the balance of trade
between them and the United States.
There is not a single important
product of those islands which is not
needed in the United States. and which,
II not capable of being raised here, is
rot imported from some source. We
import every year something more
than $3.50 900 900 Of tropical products.
Il would be rash to say that the Philip
pines could furnish them all. But
there is not one important item on the
list that cannot be produced in the
Philippines. and it is only the plainest
kind Of business common sense that
we should purchase those things from
the Philippines 10 the full extent OF
their capacity to supply US, in prefer
ence to going to any other market for
them. That is not merely because Of
the altruistic reason that we ought to
patronize and thus aid our own pos
sessions and wards, though that is in
itself a perfectly good reason. 1t Is
also because it is more profitable to
purchase from those who purchase
from US i'm return than from those who
sell to US, but buy from others.
II is on this point that the balance