Evening star., 1926-04-11
f|L|P|NOS LOSING
LAND To JAPANESE
Island Natives Leave Farms
for ToWnS-0rientaIS
Hold Much Land.
BY WALTER ROBB.
Correspondence of The Star and the Chicag
haIlv

Correspondence Of The star and the Chicago
Daily News.
MANILA, p. Economic laws are
seriously interfering with Philippine
politics opposed to letting agricultural
corporations have more than $500
acres each for either pineapples or
rubber, or for sugar, coconutS or
hemp. which prevents the incoming
OF farm capital and the opening and
developing of the vast stretches of
primeval jungle. now the habitat of
nomadic savages.
A study of the situation has been
made by the American Chamber of
Commerce. gathering data from its
own Investigations and those of the
Government bureaus. These data
show that the peasantry is leaving
the rural districts and migrating TO
the cities Men whose ancestors have
from immemorial times been small
but independent freeholders, move to
town and become dependent wage
earners in the few industries that
have been successfully established.
Population Increased.
Under natural circumstances these
men would prefer farming to any
other occupation. and they all de-
sire to own land. which the Philippine
vents.
In essence the problem is a very
simple one. Better sanitation through
out the Philippines has resulted in
rapidly increa sed population in all the
rural districts. In the old neighbor-
hoods labor has become too abundant:
and in the case of free holdings of
families have become too large to
warrant further division of the fields,
already small. When peasants inherit
they inherit so little that they leave
II in the communal family property.
They go off to the nearest port, there
to take jobs as longshoremen or at
whatever offers. Thousands go to
Hawaii, where they can save enough
from wages to return to the Philip
pines in four or five years and buy a
piece of land of their own. but this is
the only genuine opportunity open to
them to remain farmers, as virtually
no new plantations are being opened
in. the islands.
Without money and left wholly de-
pendent on themselves, they cannot.
of course. tackle the jungle where if
hover on the verge of starvation until
encouragement drove them away
from their homeSteads. One very
great discouragemen is that the
Jungle is largely unsurveyed. and
titles of homSteaders have to be
proved in court. BY honest or dis
honest methods the peasant may lose
his holding after clearing it and plant
ing it during several years This he
knows only too we'll
No Roads in Jungle.
There are no roads in the jungle.
An t,yx xxrilI ~, I- Il
equally wild men. Going there pen
niless. the peasant cannot build roads:
and when he has luck enough even
10 produce a small crop he cannot sell
IL because he cannot get 1t out TO
market. On the other hand, he is sue
cessful in homsteadinG near planta-
ions The plantation builds roads or
has launch service on the rivers.
Ii has a store. where supplies may be
bought with or without money. and
products may be sold. 1t has guards
il these are necessary: at any rate. IL
has a settled community Whlch the
nomad fears and respects.
But there are not enough of such
communities to protect more than a
small fraction of the number of young
peasants who must find the means or
livelihood. so population flows away
year independence for q larger and
larger number of families ends. Once
he peasants are away from the land
theil inclination is To sell 1t. The deVel-
upment of middle class engaging in in
Each wear independence for a larger
number of families ends. once the
peasants are away from the land their
inclination is to sell 1t. The develop
ment of middle class engaging in in
dustries, financed by stock and bond
investments, is measured of course By
he prior development of agriculture.
AS this is practically static. 50 is in
dustry. The surplus Of wealth in the
occasional family here and there does
not therefore find investment in stocks
and bonds, as il would in country
where normal conditions prevailed; so
it is turned into land-the land the
peasants have abandoned because the
sons went off TO town. In this way
arge estates accumulate. and present
~ agrarian troubles arise.
Demand for Products.
Meantime there is a great demand
all over the world for Philippine prod
ucts and other products that might be
grown here. Manila hemp. coconuts
perhaps the best farm crop in the
worldl tobacco. sugar. coffee. spices,
gums and resins from the forests,
rubber pineapples and baGanas and
citrus fruits. Even silk can be
S1own-more advantageOusly than in
china or Japan.
Japanese and Chinese take full ad-
vantage of the situation. a study of
Immigration and migration shows.
Feudal administration is not tunfam-
liar to the japanese. Though one of
their companies can get no more land
than an American or native company,
they hold much larger estates by trust
agreements among themselves. They
already dominate agriculture in one
rich region, the Davao Province. They
are learning how profitable Philippine
agriculture is. and they employ on
their plantations their own people,
not Filipinos to any considerable ex-
tent. BY these devious ways in which
economic laws are working In spite of
political opposition. the Filipino is los
ing his country. A chapter like one
in the history. of ancient Egypt is
being written. -
Copyright. 1926. by Chicago Daily Sews)