The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-03-03
PHILIPPINES ARE PROSPEROUS
fRy Aaseslated Pres J

the Philippines have no war MUM
tions factories and no vast plants for
the supply of belligerent Europe with
its needs. the year 1916 saw an era
of remarkable prosperity in the is
lands There were several causes
but chief of them was agricultural
prosperity coupled with a good de-
mand for insular products at high
prices subordinate cause was
the fact that the threatened exodus
of Americans, due to greater Filipino
control, did not materialize. or at
least. materalized to a very slight
degree. Many Americans. taking adj
vantage of the provisions Of the re-
| tirement law, have given way in the
government to Filipinos. but some
proportion of them have elected to
iremain in the islands and the places
of many of those who have said
goodbye to the islands. have been
F.! filed by new arrivals establishing
/ tutnotlNto DuolHtSo utIc.
In agriculture, bumper crops are
| reported. Rice, the staple food of
| the Filipino is abundant All the
rice-growing sections. favored by
good weather. have produced almost
record crops The dearth of work
animals produced by the ravages of
rinderpest and the government quar-
antine, has been a handicap but has
only made the harvest slightly less
abundant. There will be need this
year of rice importations from
| Saigon and Japan as there always is,
/ but there will be a big decrease in
the usual amount of rice imports and
the money thus saved will add to the
/ prosperity of the Islands.
The hemp producers who. in 1915.
suffered under the combined cloud of
decreased demand because of the
war. and decreased crop, because of
heavy storms the year before. have
been. during 1916, extended to their
limit to supply the world demand at
high prices. The output has not
been the best on record but 1t has
been excellent and it has secured rec
ord prices. In the hemp provinces, II
is no uncommon sight to see a lowly
peasant hemp-grower walk into a
store. make his pick of goods he
wants and give twenty peso bills to
Fay for his purchase. A twenty peso
was more a matter of hearsay than
a tangible reality.
short crops for two years in the
tobacco regions were followed the
past year by crop little below nor.
NAL Foreign and local demand for
Philippine tobacco has never been so
insistent and prices broke all records
A quasicorner in Philippine leaf to-
bacco helped the upward trend OF
prices but the growers shared in the
prosperity the high prices betokened
The Manila cigar, heretofore. ex
ported almost as much to Europe as
to the United States, faced dismal
future when the war cut off the Eu-
ropean demand But that future
changed its aspect very materially
during 1916 Europe was still not in
| hn arlyn o. l.,,t
purchaser 114.0O0.O0O Manila cigars
an increase of 20 per cent over the
! previous year, and more than 80 per
cent more than in 1914. The govern
ment collected in the internal reve
nue. on these cigars 100000, just 1OO
per cent more than the year 1915
This increase in the cigar exporta
tons was reflected in increased pros
perity for the cigar manufacturer
some instances.
The average price obtained fol
Philippine cigars in the United States
was lower than in 1915. Manufactur
ers of the finer grades of CIGARS here
have viewed the increased export
with grave alarm. They declare thai
it means that the Philippine cigai
has been definitely established in the
American market as a cheap smoke
Some of them have ceased advertising
their cigars in the States as Philip
pine" for this reason. and are usins
only their standard factory names
A plan is afoot now to secure a com
bination of factories to prevent tn,
cheapening of the better grades o
Philippine cigars in the American
| market.
| Last year saw also a fine crop II
| the sugar provinces of the Island
and excellent prices for the product
| The Philippine sugar industry is still
in a primitive state because of tn
lack of modern sugar plants. Man,