| Show e fum x I rn p w American Plow With Philippine Motive Power e Prepared by the Ibe National GeographiC Society Washington D. D C. C at status statue of the TUB TilE Islands crops up afresh with th the writing of a new tariff bill This Island group miles from rom the Pacific coast of ot North America furnishes at once the great great- greatest est st stake and the most difficult ad nd administrative problem of ot the United States In the Pacific This Is no tiny Island territory like some ionic of ot those that fly the Stars and Stripes In mid but a 8 country if ot nearly square mlles miles miles miles-a a greater greuter area than th that t of New York New Jersey Delaware and Maryland combined or among the he Islands greater grealer than the three large arge southern islands Islands Islands' ot of Japan upon which the life lite of ot that nation centered while It grew to Imperial stature This far-away far territory of ot the United States s Is la Inhabited d b by nearly people of ot ninny many races and different religions less than a quarter the he present population of ot the three most Important Japanese islands But nut Buthe the he tropical Philippines with their ampie ample ample am am- pie rainfall and luxuriant vegetation ore ire capable In spite of ot their mountainous mountainous moun moun- character of ot supporting a much larger population than at present Since pacifying the Islands the United States has given ghen the Filipinos steadily Increasing political control of hell affairs The appointive commission commission commis commis- sion slon which ruled over o the Islands at first under the American regime has haa now given place to an en elective h house use and e enate and five of the seven members mem- mem members memo mem bers of ot the cabinet are Filipinos The governor general and vice governor are still appointed b by the President of ot i the United States Education has been the center tenter of ot the American policy In the Islands A Aver very small percentage of ot the natives natives na na- tives were literate In 1808 Numerous Ill languages and dialects were In 10 use and only a minority understood Span Span- ish It was determined to make English English Eng Eng- lish the common language and to open the necessary public schools to torell rell reach h the great grent mass of children By Oy 1017 1917 more than primary schools s were In operation In charge chorse of ot 13 13 Filipino and American teach teach- ers About half holt the estimated total of ot the children of ot the islands islands were were enrolled In that year ear By ny 1 1020 1920 the enrollment had reached J. J and It has steadily Increased since loce until now approximately one and a quarter million pupils are enrolled Trade Grows Grow Rapidly The trade of the Philippines has hils Increased tremendously since 1800 In that year the combined total l of exports exports ex ex- exports ports and ond Imports was by 1917 1911 the total was andin andIn and lind lindIn In 1028 1925 It had reached Nearly every man In the world who uses a rope pays tribute to the Philip Philippines pines s for Manila hemp bemp Is one of ot the best rope materials known It Is harvested har hare harvested vested from rom rota a n species of banana tree Nearly worth of It was shipped In 1 19 27 7 Coconut products meat and oil oil come come second Much of ot Americas America's butter substitute Is ts made mad e from Philippine eo coconut oil Shipments Ship ments in 1027 1927 amounted to more than As a producer of ot SIl sugar lIr the three Philippines cannot yet et be com compared pared with the famous sugar Isles Cuba and Java but Its production production- more Inore than r worth In Id 1927 Identities 1 entitles entities the group to be classed cI wit with h Hawaii Porto Rico HIM and Formosa among the worlds world's sweeteners Probably the most significant detail In an on Inventory In of ot the state stole of ot th the e Philippines s Is the decrease In the aura nuru her of ot white residents The census o ot f 1003 1903 showed white people nos most t If f them American while the last au census 1018 1918 showed 12 Meantime the population of ot th the e whole archipelago had bud Increased b by y Straws In the wind are probably y more important than the tablets of ot 25 years of pro progress ress in the Philippines Philippine These are some SOUle of ot the straws Plans Plan e are under way wa for tor planting X Para Iara rubber seedlings during the cu current cur cur- r rent year rear A new profitable export t has been discovered In or ban bangkok bangkok bang bang- g kok straw hats which has leaped ii In n four years from the peg t to 10 o Fruits Fruit and Fiber The world Is waking up to an nn appetite appe cite tite for tor delicious tropical fruit and the Philippines are waking up to tn the tact fact that the Islands shands are eminently Fitted to grow Rush uch troll fruit The Filipinos Fill Fili pinos linos look lank with envious emlous eyes on nn the theof of ot lIo pineapple and aud claim hey can raise e e etea en en n better pineapples p J Mango hunon lanzon chi chin pom lo are strange j name am te p American housewife bat I ib they oJ not long remain so It the Ill I'll are successful In canning mj aN their fruit products I. I But nut If It the custom of PI PIa pia a atlon or a 8 dl district bj by lu Ip p. p pro o such uch ns as Illinois the Corn Cora r ClI Sao no In Paulo II 10 the Coffee t South the Land of ot Cotton b d I then the Philippines be e known as ns the Land nf or Flier mer j f in a banana plant Filipino P ably bly the strongest known plant l I p Manila hemp from froma the the he cane cone they IhlY produce sugar ugar the k b hairs on the husks of the i ia a half bait coconuts are now MW put pat to i m a uses the fiber of the maguey a s i iii a berof berot the amaryllis family ux an eI relative e of ot the century plant pint I k important export elport bin bill i imade made from the burl palm ud aed tl there here Is the wood and rattan fm rn forest orest Finally their embroider depends on 00 the Im Imported rte I it DI DIot ot of if silk cotton otton and eod flax naL The Philippines might be salt tali i ia to II IIa toa a jagged land both vertical vertically I horizontally They are ver very verj tau m. and their coasts are mm mat dented Though only about one I h y ty the area of at the United Ii exclusive ve of ot Alaska the ha have ve a coast Tine line twice as 81 peal grett Commercially Manila Maolla on OD i a c modi OtiS bay boy and with a good jond ti tims had bar has ms an nn excellent strategic IM Is s a sort of ot oriental center less lesi t thousand hi thousand housand miles from rom Important Ct ports orts and less than 1500 miler mile t 1 southern Japan southern I 10 o Singapore and the ports of or the Di D East Indies It Is estimated I within a n radius of ot mil mile Manila live three quarters of 01 a 1 11 Ill bil more inhabitants more than a s third of 01 total otal population of ot the earth We Lose LOle One Island laland Recently Uncle Sam lost one o tiniest Philippine Islands stands That Is Is for tor years fears he consider his tile but found later inter that the J e elands t lands ands also claimed It 11 as an 01 oath fragment of ot the Dutch Fast East I 10 The dispute was duly arbitrated arbitrate the arbitrator a Swiss decide favor ta of ot The Netherlands Few ew of ot the many Philippine I Iare are so Isolated as Palmas It lit miles off the nearest point o of 01 danao danno Cape San AugustIn Augustia an anthe and aDd the farthest southeastern hit c of claimed to be a part of the tle rl f. pines So neglected had the not nol H Hand been that man many maps do and most of at the gazetteers p pa name by palmas talmas It is s sometimes t i IIII little om over a Is only size of ot Central park In 10 M tie Net city being one and one third long by two-thirds two of ot a mile i W U mere speck in the sea SR lh when n It Iii tance from large land Ian hodits Is b nil It lies about 20 of the meridian laa leas east I tude which forms torm th the If boundary of ot the region ced ceded ft h by and Ind ai to the United States 4 di df miles north o of the parallel 45 minutes north Win I II forms torms the southern l therefore well within the tnt res JD rt S ln out by the treaty for tor ownership record of or a f th I There Is no S Stat of the any official Palmas on anti to the tho Philippines w when Leonard Wood then island of ot the adjacent Inspection trip b ti on nn an lets of ot his ails Province pro d tile Ue lit It Island To his surprise the 1 laad that put off orr from I esi elP carried a Dutch flag It II was to him that the native nathe IU the i Putt from on appointment b that for tor 15 J years ears e Do e ea to brin called once one a 8 7 year ear h hand be Four tov Foor and tate taSe away copra ter and fifty eight inhabitants Islet on OD the MA M t tA tt ttA made A report was duty dulf A I 0 of f parent alien occupation depart the State territory For Fat 11 Iel came interested 1 1111 under matter was one The N ot of diplomats foro and the United Stoles Stales settle ts 01 status ot of Palmas Iva |
