Arizona republican., 1917-03-02

HOLDS SWAY
IN PHILIPPINES
Republican A. p. Leased wlrel

t'SShohSdh ~ =. INN''SA fF'NJ
MANILA, p. I, Mar. Through the
Philippines have no war munitions fac
tories and no vast plants for the supply
of belligerent Europe with it's needs. the
year 1916 saw an era of remarkable
prosperity in the islands. There were
several causes, but chief of them was
agricultural prosperity coupled with
good demand for nsular products at
high prices A subordinate cause was
the fact that the threatened exodus
of Americans due to greater Filipino
control. did not materialize. or at least
materialiZed to very slight degree.
/ Many Americans. taking advantage of
the provisions of the retirement law,
have given way in the government to
Filipinos. but some proportion of them
have elected to remain in the islands
and the places of MANY of those who
I have said goodbye To TIE islands. have
been filled by new arrivals establish
inS themselves in business here.
In agriculture. bumper crops are re-
I ported Rice, the staple food of the
/ Filipino, is ABUNDANT. All the rice
growing sections, favored by good
4 weather, have produced almost record
1 crops. The dearth of work animals
/ produced by the ravages of rinderpest
! and the government quarantine has
! been handicap, but has only made the
/ harvest slightly less abundant There
will be need this year of rice importa
/ tions from Saigon and japan as there
i always is but there viii he a big de-
crease IN the usual amount of rice i'm
+ ports and the money thus saved Will
4 add TO the prosperity OF the islands
The hemp producers, who IN 1915.
suffered under the combined cloud Of
4 decreased demand bccause of the war
. and largass cod hffsasrca Of
| storms the year before have peen, dur.
ing 1916. extended 20 their limit TO sup
nlV the world demand at high prices.
/ The output has not been the best on
record. but il has been excellent and II
/ has secured record prices, In the hemp
I provinces. il is no uncommon sight to
see g lowly peasant hemr- grower walk
into a store. make his pick OF goods he
wants and give twenty peso bills to
pay for his purchase. a twenty peso
/ bin TO such a man in previous years
was more matter Of hearsay than 4
I targlble reality
T Short crops for two Years IN the to-
hacco regions were followed the past
year BY a crop little below normal
Foreign and local demand for Philip
pine tobacco has never been SO in
sistent and prices broke All records 4
quasi-correr IN Philippine leaf tobacco.
hclHed the upward trend Of prices but
the growers shared in rhe prosperity
the high prices betolserel.
Tho Manila cigar heretofore cx-
ported almost AZ much to Europe as to
the United States. faced o dismal future
when the war cut off the European
demand But TINT future changed its
aspect very materially during 1916
Hurope wa'y still not IN the market, but
the United States purchased ia. 600 00n
Manila cigars. an Increase Of 20 per
cont over the previous year. and more
that 90 per cent more than in 1914
The government collected in the in
ternal revenue or these cigars S11a. boo
JET 100 per cert more tlan "a the year
1915.
This increase in the cigar exporta
tons WIS reelected in increased pros
ucritv for the cigar manufacturer-ir
some instances.
The average price obulined for Phil
ippine cigars in the United states was
lower than in 1915. Manufacturers o.
the finer grades Of cigars here have
viewed the increased export with gray,
alarm. They declare that 1t means tina
the Philippine cigar has been dcfiniteI,
established IN the American marke
as a cheap SMOKE. Some of them hav,
ceased advertising their cigars in thu
states as Philippine" f3r this reason
End arr using Only their STANDARD
factory names \ plan is afoot now q
Secure a combination ~ factories {,
prevent the cheapening of the bette
GRADES OF Philippine cigars Ia th
American market.
Last year saw fine crop la th'
sugar provinces Of the islands and OK
cellent prices for The product. Tn
Philippine sugar Industry is still in
primitive state because OF the lack o
modern sugar plants. MANY plans ar
foot for the erection of centrals bu
f"w nave been brought to realization
There are no sugar rcilnories IN tn
inlands. The few planners who hav
the advantage of centrals and moder
machinery have had a wonderful yeai
Several companies. on the verge q
bankruptcy before have pulled them
solves out of the slough and will pa
dividends. reaching in Some cases to (
per cent.
Cocoanut planters with high price
for copra. have also made a notabl
financial success during the year, Bud
rot which he'd at one time seemed
menace To insular trees has been wipe
out and favorable weather aided III
planters as much * high prices. Their
ere only tfo plants of any size manu-
featuring cocoannt oil in the islard
but their initiative has been well re