THE PHILIPPINES OF TO-DAY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7237, 25 October 1901, Page 2

THE PHILIPPINES OF TO-DAY.

IN A TRANSITIONAL STATE. I (Special correspondent of the "Tall Mall Gazette.") MANILA, July 16. After a .stay here of less than a fortnight it would be as impossible as unfair for me to attempt to give an exact description of affairs in the Philippines tinder the new regime. But as, even during my short visit. I have met all the heads of the United States Government, bath military and civil, many of the native leaders of the Federal Filipino party, and the principal commercial men. it is veil within my province to convey to your readers — many of whom are interested in this part of the world — the impressions produced upon my mind by what I have seen and heard, as well as the views of those presumably best qualifkd to judge as to the future prospects of thesa islands. THE XEW ORDER OF THINGS. Jusfc at present it may be reasonably said that the whole country is in its second or transitional state, owing to the division of the civil and military authority, which occurred, as the cable will have already advised you, on July 4. Up to that date the whole country had been, more or less, in a state of war, and every portion of it was entirely under military rule ; but, as a first result'of the Taft Commission's work and report, civil authority, both provincial and municipal, has now superseded thnt of the military, and an honest attempt is being made to give the Filipinos a share in the management of their own local affairs. Each province, city, town and village, as it is considered fit for enfranchisement, is to be given its own local government, under rules and regulations — broad ar.d liberal enough, it seems to me— in which the leading natives who have proved their loyalty to the new regime will have a chance of taking a prominent part. The military forces, or army of occupation, will now be utilised entirely in pacifying those outlying portions in many of the smaller islands of the Philippine group hitherto unable to be reached ; in hunting down the numerous bands of outlaws, or ladrones, which have at all times preyed upon the proper provincial inhabitants ; and in garrisoning the main posts throughout the archipelago. This new system, will allow of some reduction in the near future in the number of regular forces to be kept in the islands, especially as an insular force of police is now being formed for purely police duties in each provincial centre, town, or village ; and will also permit of greater concentration at the most strategical points. GENERAL CHAFFEFS COURTESY. In General Chaffee, who has succeeded General MA rt-hut in the command of the United States troops here, and who wa.? '' so well known in China as Chief of the American forces there, public confidence is very strong, and justly so. He is a born soldier, of great experience and decision, and his stay in China, during which he was brought into clcie contact with troops 06 other European n-ationalities, under actual conditions of warfare, has given him some valuable hint? and lessons. General Chaffte Sias already taken several round trips to the south, north and €ast> visiting the itnpoitant centres and posts, so. as to judge for himself what is necessary to b; done under the new order cf things'. Through the General's courtesy I have been able to meet and chat with most of/his divisicr.al and brigade commanders, including Generals Wheaton and "Wade (North and South Luzon) and Brigadier-Generals Summer, Smith, Bell and Funston,* as well as gaining an insight into the organisation 0! the various departments. j When the Americans took over the islands from the- Spanish, there were only some few hundred miles of telegraphs, in bad order, and quite lacking any maintenance. Since that period, up to the present time, the Army Signal Corps has laid down 750 miles of inttr-insuW cable?, another 600 miles just being operated with, and 60C0 miles of telegraph and telephone lines erected outside Manila. There are 600 stations all over the islands, from the «x---trem? north of Luzon to Jolo in the south, operating and bringing into touch with headquarters 4CO towns and villages and some 200 outlying military posts. MAPPING THE ISLANDS. Th« Military Information Bureau, or, as we should call it, the Intelligence Department, has completed a large general map of the iilands, from the old Spanish maps (which were,*, however, found very incorrect) nnd surveys undertaken by epecial service officers during the two- a-nd a lhalo years' occupation, and the office has now in hand two large-scale maps of Luzon and Mindanao, the two largest islands of the group, of one inch to the mile find three inches to the mile ; while the necessary wcik is bring done to bring cut similar maps of all the othei ; Hand? 1 , as their entire pacification occurs. Following this very necessary preliminary work, roads and railways will be undertaken later on, ra order to open up the interic-r. and brine: th» centres of coffee, hemp, tobacco, nnd sugar-growing into closer touch and more regular communication with tie numerous fine coast ports, now being very little utilised. ~ CAPTURES. SURRKXDKKS AND SEIZURES. Since thp capture of Aguinaldo. and the surrender last month of General Cailles, with a lai*iio staff and 500 men, it is an undoubted fact that the rebellion, per se, is scotched, there bring absolutely no insurrectionary government existing any more in any portion of the whole group, and only three minor insurrectionary chiefs yet in arms ; these arc Generals Lopez. Malvar and Lukbaan, but they have only very Bmall following, and the general opinion is that they would be very glad to surrender and willingly come in if it were not for the fact that they are responsible for many cold-blooded murders of harmless Filipinos, whose only crime was that they remained quiet in their villages and recognised the -American occupation. But, as I have already pointed out, the release of the military authorities from any participation in the civil government of the islands will leave General Chnffee's hands so much more free, and will enable him to concentrate a larger number of troops round the lnst two rebel leaders, whose capture, therefore, is only a matter of a very short time now. Up to date, from the latest returns, kindly jjivnn iv.c by Colonel Russell. Chief of the Ordnance Department. I find that the. total number of arms surrendered, captured and purchased is as follows: — Rifles and carbines, 12.350 (for which 15tlol earh was paid for those not captured) : revolvers. 1046 ; cannon, 122 : and 312 shot-guns, together wilh a mixed lot of swords and ammunition. TRUSTING THE " FRIENDLY ' NATIVE. Public- opinion, -however, is nothing like so united about the prospects of the inauguration of civil government iv the provinces, and the prophets 6f evil ore many and loud in their denunciation of the pcOioy of trusting the so-called Filipino amigo, or friendly native, with the reins of local administration. Many are of opinion — and there is undoubtedly a. great deal to be said in favour of their view*- — that the bstttr-class Filipinos might possibly make good wider-officials ami act as magistrates in local courts : but to giv«> thtm executive positions and powers as provisional governors and local mayors is placing too much temptation in their way to work ami plot •.ii>;ni!K{ Ihe .American iiovernment ; while to many also of this class Ihe temptation to "squeeze" their fellow-countrymen vr;>uKl be almost inrs-istible. So far goneially. In the city of Manila,

itself the employment of leading members of the Federal party has been successful in subordinate official positions, and a valuable addition to the very fine body of municipal police, formed entirely of American ex-Volunteers, consists of a useful lot of Filipinos, of the native race called lagans, who inhabit the whole of Luzon, and are by far the most advanced of all the native races throughout the islands. These men will also, doubtless, be employed as police in the other islands, as it would be quite too risky an experiment at present to try to utilise either Iggorotes, Negritos or Moros, or in fact any of the other native tribes, for such a purpose. BENEFITS OF THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION. During the American occupation, a good deal has been done to improve the city, port, and the Pasig River, which divides the old walled city from the business portion to the north of the river, which is termed Binondo, and the authorities . are, still working away at improvements, for which there is lots of room. A sum of 3,000,000d0l (Mexican) is available for the new harbour, for which tenders are now being ca,lled, but the labour question here, as elsewhere, is one of great difficulty and hampers every bit of progress. The natives will not work, especially since the advent of the Americans, who have flooded. Mamula. ■with their money, which they scatter with profuse ostentation. The European cannot work in this climate, and the United States authorities will not permit any importation of Asiatic or outside native labourers. So everything is at a standstill. REFORMS NEEDED. At present; we haive a fairly good water supply in the city, from old Spanish <3aj? j a useful railway line (owned by a. British company), scm-e 200 miles long, running from Maii/ila northward to Dagupir. ; an execrable local tramway service traversing the city, run wioh wretched little ponies; a bad telephone system, B.eveor in order ; o.nd tire river frontages and adjoining inland canals in a shocking state of insufficiency, and awful insanitary condiition, the result of the deposit in- them for centuries of the city sewage. The moats round the Trailed' city are half full of the vilest muddy Water, perfect hotbeds of disease, and the favourite breeding place of that terrible and universal adjunct of tropical life, the ever-present mosquito. The commercial community, which is a most energetic one, can-. easily be divided into four classes, the leading firms, both in exports and imports, being British; then there area few American firms, or rather corporations, doing business only with Americans in supplies, the lower-class Americans -tunning bars, saloons and stalls. Next arei the stare keepers', of which about half are Spanish or Mestizos ; and the lower invariably Chinese, who also do most of the shopkeeping in the provinces. A foreign Chamber of Commerce has just been started. There are three banks?, two English and 1 one Spanish, but all are doing a very resfcrioTedl business, and offer few facilities for extending trade ; neither de- they at present advance on properties, the titles of which are all in- a state of cbao?, awaiting inspection and registration at the hands of the' United: States authorities. Xh^re is undoubtedly a very uneasy feeling in commercial circles as to the coui-ge of business here in the near future under the many restrictions and heavy taxation of the" New Government, and the general belief s4ems to be that, with am influx of American cap.tal and "the establishment of an American bank, the Government will increasa its protective jn&taures against foreign business firms of other nationalities, and do everything in its power to keep the 'trade of the Philippines in its own hands. .