Evening star., 1941-11-23

81.
Filipino artillerymen, sho,on
above in ndneuUerS near Manila,
hare been, called into United
States Army service for defense
of the Philippines.
At right are President Quezon
Gett OF the Philippine Common
Uealth and 1t. Gen. Douglas A.
Macarthur, commanding United
States Army forces in the Far
East.
Wide World and A. p. Photos.
A S THE Commonwealth Of the Philip
n pines begins the seventh year of its
l0-year preparatory period for complete
independence from the United States.
the country is feverishly engaged in
gigantic national defense activities that
were not, dreamed of when the present
| autonomous governmental setup was IN
| augurated.
| Under the independence program the
, Commonwealth government should now
be devoting its full time to measures
| calculated to cushion the economic i'm
| pacts the Philippines would suffer when
| independence came in 1916 and the
Islands were cut off the free American
markets. Instead, the Commonwealth
is devoting its entire energy and re-
| sources for all-out defense against posi-
! BILE invasion. The economic plans to
| make the Philippines reasonably self
sufficient have been pigeonholed for the
| duration of World War II.
| Because the Philippines has become
Americas most vital Far Eastern outpost
IN the A-B-C.-D. american. British,
Chinese, Dutch encircling front against
Japan. the United States has taken
| over Philippine defenses and placed
| them under the command of 1t. Gen.
| Douglas Macarthur, chief of the United
| States Army in the Far East. Until
| Macarthur was called into active service
| last summer. he was military adviser to
! the Philippine Commonwealth and field
marshal of the Philippine Army, COM
posed of 10000 men in active duty and
| about 10000 reserves. The Common
wealth is still responsible for civilian de-
! ltIlSt dIltl pdI tldi4s icA oiiN AoAiAAiAe "a
recruits who will eventually be taken
over by the United States Army. Since
! September, Macarthur has been incor-
| porating Philippine reservlsts into United
States armed forces proper as fast as
! they can be properly equipped.
As early as 1885, when he was first
employed by the Commonwealth to build
an army Macarthur believed that the
| Philippines could build an army strong
enough to make invasion too costly to
be of practical benefit to the invader.
Macarthur not only believes that the
Philippines can be defended now, but
can be used as a base of operations
against Japan.
Large Sums Spent on Defense.
The United States air force now sta
toned in the Philippines is regarded as
a main factor deterring Japan from any
further southwark move. The huge con-
centration of American bombers and
| fighting planes in the Philippines has
enabled the United States Navy to trans
fer considerable strength from the Pacific
to the Atlantic patrol and convoy service
The Philippines has been spending
large amounts, originally intended for
purely economic projects. for civilian
defense. Millions of pesos have been
used for the purchase of medical sup
plies, surgical instruments, air raid shell
tiers. maintenance of communications
and organization of volunteer guards
Government corporations to promote
economic independence, like the Ma
tional Rice and Corn Corp, National
Trading Corp, National Food Products
Corp. and National Development Co.
have been placed under the Civil Emer-
gency Administration.
The Philippines is following closely de-
fense methods adopted by the United
States. The National Assembly passed
alien registration and antl-flfth column
laws. Population centers have hac
hlackout and evacuation exercises
The commonwealth government has
gone so far as to ask Congress to per-
nit the transfer of certain Philippine
funds in the United States Treasury to
the War Department to be used in build
ing up phases of Philippine defense
not covered by ordinary Army appro-
4 priations. These funds include sum.
authorized but still unappropriated by
Congress in favor Of the Commonwealth
namely, the Philippine share of the dol
lar-devaluation profits tabout $4,000.
000) and the accumulated excise take.
on Philippine sugar collected by the
| T-oo S,1ry tS2d nm mn,
Alarmed by the possibility that tn,
independence program might be ruinee
by such diversion of funds originally
intended to build up Philippine econ
omy, the Senate mutilated the bill in.
spired by President Manuel Quezon. I
not only refused to transfer the sugal
money but repealed the original &C
crediting the Philippines with the dol
r-devalua ton amount However. i
indicated its approval of strengthenin,
Philippine defense with United State
funds, thus leaving Philippine funds un
encum'ered r. economic nd'0'ndsn'