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WHAT HAS BEEN DONE IN THE PHILIPPINES.

The civil-service law, offering an immediate reward for ability to pass examination, has had a direct effect in inciting the Filipinos to acquire practical knowledge. At the time American occupation was established there were not more than one or two Filipinos in the islands with ability to run a typewriter; there are now hundreds who are so qualified. Typewriting is being taught in some of the schools. It may be said that the entire governmental structure erected in the islands is itself a school, as in each office will be found Filipinos in a position to observe and learn American methods of government.

Under a recent enactment of the Commission, provision is made for bringing to the United States not less than 100 Filipinos each year, who are to remain in this country for a period of four years, in different schools and colleges, for advanced instruction, and also for a thorough learning of English and American methods, and who upon their return are obligated to submit to a competitive civil-service examination, and if appointed to enter service under the government for at least the length of time spent by them in the United States. There are now in this country 100 Filipinos being educated under this law, and steps have already been taken to arrange for the bringing over of others within the next few months. The return of these people to the islands and the dissemination of information by them will have a most beneficial and far-reaching effect.

There have been established in four different cities in the islands telegraph schools, with a view to fitting Filipinos to replace, as rapidly as possible, the Americans now engaged as operators in the telegraph service of the islands, which is in harmony with the general policy of utilizing Filipinos for all positions in the insular service for which they can qualify.

In the last fiscal year the Bureau of Education expended 2,438,185 pesos, in addition to the sums raised by the various municipalities and provinces, for school purposes. The Schurman Commission stated the Spanish expenditures in 1894 for education at 404,731 pesos.

In the instructions of the President, the Commission was enjoined to give especial attention to offering full opportunity to the people of the islands to acquire the use of the English language. The Filipinos are eager to acquire a knowledge of our language. The native languages are numerous and so unlike that no one of them can be employed as the common medium of communication. During the Spanish régime no effort was made to give the great body of the people an opportunity for learning Spanish, and but a small proportion of the total population has a knowledge of that language. To have based the education of the population upon the native language would have confined them to the horizon of their immediate surroundings, whereas the adoption of English as the language of the schools will ultimately result in a common language throughout the islands and will open up to the population the literature of the world. English has been adopted as the base of instructions and results already accomplished fully justify this action.

THE MONETARY SYSTEM.

Under congressional authority there has been inaugurated a complete currency system, which affords a fixed medium of exchange and thereby does away with the fluctuation in value which was such a menace to trade in the old days.

The coinage of the islands is distinctive, showing that it is a coin of the Philippine Islands, and also showing such islands to be under the sovereignty of the United States. The silver coinage is based upon the decimal system, ranging in value from the ten-centavo piece to the one-peso piece. There is also a nickel coin of 5 centavos, and bronze coins of one and also one-half centavos. These coins have a fixed convertible value to the United States currency in the ratio of 2 to 1. A gold reserve is maintained for the purpose of preserving this parity. The islands have also a distinctive paper money, showing that it is an issue of the Philippine government under the sovereignty of the United States. These silver certificates are issued in the denomination of 2, 5, and 10 pesos and bear the vignettes, respectively, of José Rizal, a Filipino, McKinley, and Washington.

Merchants in the islands can buy exchange on New York by depositing with the insular government Philippine currency by the payment of a premium of three-fourths of 1 per cent for demand drafts and of 1 per cent for telegraphic transfers. During the Spanish régime, as well as during the first years of American occupation, the currency of the Philippines was subject to the fluctuations of the silver-bullion market, and the trade of those islands was at the mercy of an everchanging currency as well as an ever-changing rate of exchange. This great obstacle to commercial development and stability has been removed by the establishment of a fixed standard of value.

BANKS.

In addition to the banks existing prior to American occupation, branch banks have been established in Manila by the Guaranty Trust Company of New York and the International Banking Corporation, and one private American bank has been established.

The inauguration of these banks is a great step forward in connecting the trade and financial affairs of the Philippines with those of the United States.

PHILIPPINES CONSTABULARY.

The disturbed conditions resulting from and continuing after the insurrection made it obvious that considerable time must elapse before the civil police force of the municipalities of the archipelago would be able to maintain order. From time in.emorial the inhabitants of rural communities had been subjected to the incursions of ladrones, who preyed upon peaceable and industrious districts, and when pursued found refuge in the jungle and mountain fastnesses. It was deemed inconsistent with the idea of civil government that the military forces of the United States should exercise police powers even for the purpose of suppressing this evil; besides the expense involved in their use was very great, and the American soldier was ill-adapted by his training to perform the functions of a policeman. Therefore, to meet the requirements of the situation, the Philippines constabulary was organized. The past year has fully tested the constabulary organization and has demonstrated both its theoretical and practical advantages. The men have proved obedient, loyal, and brave. They have been almost constantly engaged in clearing the provinces of cattle thieves and highway robbers. The organization of this corps made possible the fur

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WHAT HAS BEEN DONE IN THE PHILIPPINES.

ther reduction of American troops in the archipelago, until now there are less than fifteen thousand American soldiers stationed in the Philippines.

The present enlisted force of the constabulary consists of about 7,000 men, all natives of the Philippine Islands. The constabulary is commanded principally by American officers, although a few of the officers of the lower grades are Filipinos. The chief and assistant chiefs are officers of the Regular Army detailed to the Philippines constabulary under the provisions of an act of Congress. To further promote the efficiency of the constabulary there have recently been mnade a number of appointments to the grade of lieutenant from among the graduates of military schools in the United States.

The constabulary is maintained from the revenues of the Philippine Islands

MEANS OF COMMUNICATION.

Postal and telegraph service.-Post-offices have been established throughout the entire archipelago, and mail matter is promptly forwarded from point to point with safety and reasonable regularity. The postal facilities include the issuance of money orders, which is an important factor, for commercial banks do not exist in the islands outside of Manila, Iloilo, and Cebu. Free-delivery service has been established for the city of Manila, the entire force of letter carriers being natives of the Philippine Islands. In the smaller towns of the archipelago, where the business does not justify the salary of a postmaster, teachers, officers of the constabulary, provincial and municipal officials, are appointed postmasters in addition to their other duties with slight extra compensation. At the present time there are established in the Philippine Islands more than two hundred postoffices. The rates of postage are the same as in the United States.

Telegraph lines.—During military operation it was found necessary to construct telegraph and telephone lines connecting Manila with nearly every municipality in the islands, and in this manner some 8,000 miles of overland telegraph lines and cable were constructed. The withdrawal of garrisons necessitated the abandonment of many of the stations by the military, and these stations are being taken over by the civil government as fast as skilled operators can be secured. At the present time the archipelago is gridironed with 8,000 miles of land and sea telegraph and cable lines, and commercial messages can be sent to practically all points throughout the archipelago at rates considerably less than prevail in the United States.

This is a great help to the commercial interests in the Philippines, which long suffered for want of adequate mail and telegraphic communication.

The new Pacific cable.-The opening of the new Pacific cable on July 4, 1904, furnishes a direct means of communication between the United States and the Philippine Islands, and reduces the cost of messages not only to the Government, but to private individuals, and is of vast importance both to the Government and to the commercial world.

Highways. The general subject of improved transportation has been given primary consideration, especially in so far as it relates to highways. Extensive repairs and improvements to existing highways have been carried on throughout the provinces. For the general

supervision of this work a bureau of engineering has been established and has for its representatives in the provinces the provincial supervisor. Although handicapped by losses of draft animals, the unsettled condition of labor, and remoteness from an adequate base of supplies, excellent progress has been made in the work of building new roads. This work has generally been performed under the direction of army engineers.

Nearly $3,000,000 have been expended in the construction of what might be termed trunk line wagon roads which, primarily designed for military purposes, nevertheless are open to and afford facilities for the farmer and producer in civil life; $40,000 have been appropriated for a road from Vigan to Bangued, some 22 miles; $40,000 have been appropriated for another from Bacon to Bulasan, some 35 miles; and field surveying parties are at work on seven other roads which, when completed, will cost the government at least $50,000. There is in the course of construction at the present time what is known as the Benguet wagon road. It is estimated that this road when completed will cost over $1,000,000, and will cover a distance of 35 miles from Pozorrubio, in the province of Pangasinan, to Baguio, in the province of Benguet. This road is being constructed on comparatively easy grades and of proper width so that it may be used as an ordinary highway and also as the roadbed of an electric or steam road. It will furnish an easy and convenient passage to the highlands of Benguet, where the Commission has already constructed a sanitarium for invalid civil employees. It is the intention to ultimately make Benguet a recuperating station not only for the civil government, but for the military establishment as well, and it is thought that the beneficial results derived from a short stay in Benguet will obviate the necessity of returning so many employees and soldiers to the United States each year for recuperation in a colder climate, and will thus be a saving to the insular government as well as to the United States Government.

The above pertains to roads which have been and are being built and paid for by the Philippine central government, and is only a small proportion of the amount which has been expended by the provinces in the construction of new, and in the repair of old roads and bridges. During the last fiscal year one province expended almost $20,000 for this purpose, and the amount of work which has been done in this manner will be appreciated when it is considered that there are 39 provinces in the islands. The central government has also made loans to almost all of the provinces--in some instances to the amount of $25,000—for the construction of highways and the repair of roads and bridges, and the provincial governments have been authorized to expend provincial funds for the same purpose.

The demand has been for the construction of roads passable during the dry season, but this policy produces no permanent roads and requires extended and expensive repairs annually; therefore, attention is being directed to the construction annually of a number of miles of permanent roads in each of the provinces.

PUBLIC DOMAIN.

Public lands.-The total amount of land in the Philippines is approximated at 74,000,000 acres. Of this amount it is estimated that about 5,000,000 acres are owned by individuals, leaving in public lands about

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WHAT HAS BEEN DONE IN THE PHILIPPINES.

69,000,000. The land has never been surveyed and these amounts are estimates.

The military government which existed up to July 1, 1902, had no power to part with the public land belonging to the United States, as that power belonged to Congress,

In the Philippine government act of July 1, 1902, Congress conveyed to the government of the Philippine Islands all public property, including the public lands ceded to the United States under the treaty of Paris, and directed that government to classify according to its agricultural character and productiveness, and to immediately make rules and regulations for the lease, sale, or other disposition of the public lands other than timber and mineral lands, with the proviso, however, that such rules and regulations were not to go into effect or have the force of law until they should have received the approval of the President and submitted by him to Congress.

The bureau of public lands, with a competent personnel, was immediately established, charged with the duty of making the necessary preliminary investigation and drafting the rules and regulations, which have been enacted into law by the government, and are now before the Congress of the United States; and unless such law is disapproved or amended by Congress during the present session, they will at the close of the session have the force and effect of law in the Philippine Islands.

Forestry. This enactment of Congress also authorized the disposition of the timber, trees, forests, and forest products on lands leased or demised by the government of the Philippine Islands under such regulations as it might prescribe.

The forests of the Philippine Islands are enormously rich in hard woods and dyewoods, and in the great variety of trees yielding valuable gums and rubber and guita-percha.

Many valuable varieties of timber are without market value at the present time because their properties are unknown.

A well-equipped timber-testing laboratory has been established at Manila and important practical tests for the purpose of ascertaining the qualities of the different Philippine woods have already been made. There are a number of woods whose strength has been scientifically determined to be greater than the American pig-nut hickory, which is understood to withstand the greatest strain of any of the American woods.

A scientific study has been made of the best means of extracting gums, rubber, and gutta-percha from the standing trees, and every effort is being made to teach the natives of the islands how the produets may be secured and the output increased without permanent injury to the forests.

The public forests and forest reserves of the Philippine Islands are held and administered for the protection of the public interests, the utility and safety of the forests, and their perpetuation in productive condition.

This work of preservation and protection of the forests and forest products is performed under an organized branch of the insular government, with a corps of expert foresters and rangers throughout the islands. The regulations provide for a system of selection and numher of trees to be cut for timber purposes, and also a tax per cubic foot, based on the character of the timber.