JUSTICE OF THE PEACE COURTS.

The data is not at hand to be able to estimate the number of matters which have passed through the justices' courts in the different municipalities. It can be stated, however, that in the majority of cases irregularities and deficiencies are noted, owing to the inaptitude of the justices. This is not due to a lack of persons who have the necessary conditions and qualifications properly to discharge the duties of the office, but to the fact that the work and responsibility attached to it are not in proportion to the salary. This is the reason of the frequent resignations, especially of those persons who have some business interests to attend to, who are generally the ones chosen for the office because of their being better educated than their fellow-townsmen.

The reorganization of these courts is peremptorily demanded by the interests of the public. If a change is made the system of dividing up the present judicial districts into subdistricts could be adopted. These subdistricts should be established so as to include from forty to fifty thousand inhabitants, and classified according to first and second class in case that the presiding justice receives a fixed salary, but this will be unnecessary if the present system of fees is continued. In the classification of these districts the number of cases handled, or that are liable to occur in each subdistrict annually, should specially be taken into account, the estimate being based upon the statistics for former years, and also the cost of living in the towns included within each subdistrict.

Suspensions and dismissals.-During the time covered by this report but one justice of the peace, Señor Juan Villarosa, of the municipality of Cebu, was dismissed on account of irregularities committed in the exercise of his office.

PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.

MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS.

There has been a considerable advance made in all of the municipalities since January, 1903, in public education. The number of insular teachers at present in the province is insufficient, so much so that several municipalities are insistently soliciting that some of the said teachers be sent to them.

The total appropriations made by the municipalities in 1903 for educational purposes amounts to $45,804.70; that is to say 15.18 per cent of their total appropriations.

The municipalities which have estimated larger annual expenditures for education than any other item, with the exception of salaries and wages of officers and employees, are the following:

In proportion to their revenues these municipalities have not only reconstructed and repaired buildings for schools in the center of the town, but also have built and are continuing to build schoolhouses in the barrios in order that children living away from the town shall not lose the opportunity of obtaining an education.

The 5,000 piculs of rice given by the insular government for the building of schoolhouses has done a great amount of good to some of the pueblos that, in spite of all of their efforts, saw that it was impossible to build schoolhouses even in the most important of their barrios. The data obtained by the division superintendent of schools of this province show a steady annual increase in the number of pupils attending the public schools:

The municipality of Ginatilan has the largest number of children enrolled in proportion to its population in the public schools, 1,422. There are several municipalities that do not own their schoolhouses, and many that do find that they are in a bad state of repair, and that the amount of their revenues is insufficient to make any improvement upon them. However, in spite of these circumstances there has been no decrease in the enthusiasm felt by the young people for education.

With regard to school furniture and supplies, an equal deficiency is noted, but the municipalities are endeavoring to make an improvement in this regard in so far as their revenues will permit. One thousand American-made desks sent by the insular government have been distributed among some of the municipalities of this province.

In the city of Cebú the strides made by education have been remarkable. In June, 1903, the enrollment amounted to 758 students, while in March, 1904, this number was increased to 2,161.

There are at present the following schools established in this city: San Nicolas, Mambaling, El Pardo, Ermita, Cebu-Central, Cogon, Tejero, Mabolo, and a separate school for Chinese. All of these schools are under the charge of three American and 27 Filipino teachers.

NORMAL SCHOOL.

The normal school in this city was established with provincial funds. Since its founda- tion to date it has made considerable progress, as is demonstrated by the report of the division superintendent of schools given hereunder.

"The school occupies one of the best buildings in the city, for which the province pays 200 a month. The growth of this school during the past year may be seen from the following figures:

Manual for teachers. Arithmetic. General history. Physical geography. English. Botany. Latin.

64

We are now ready to commence manual-training work. The department of public instruction has furnished us with a practical teacher and an excellent collection of tools costing over $1,000. I have great hopes that this practice in connection with education, which has not been so greatly neglected up to the present time, will stimulate industry and improve the community.

"We also plan a commercial course as soon as the students are sufficiently advanced to be able to profit by this work.

"The province of Cebú has 100,000 school children. During the past year the American teachers have established and inspected many barrio schools, thus extending the rudiments of education to many who up to the present have not enjoyed this benefit. This work has been difficult on account of lack of facilities, of school teachers, of money, or school furniture.

"The Filipino teachers have made great progress during the past year. Wherever there is an American teacher (we have now 37 in all) at least one hour a day is used to instruct municipal teachers. In addition to this, one month of each year is employed in the education of teachers. The last course, which commenced March 28 and ended April 22, 1904, was attended by 28 American teachers and 605 Filipino teachers and aspirants, and at least 150 were excluded because they could not be accommodated. The municipal teachers derived great benefit from this meeting, at the termination of which they received their appointments. The salaries assigned to native teachers were out of proportion to the municipal funds and the individual ability of each teacher. It can be

stated, however, that the salaries paid to the Filipino teachers are completely inadequate. For the current year we have 233 teachers and P33,614.33 for salaries, or an average of P12 a month only.

"This division also has seven Filipino insular teachers who have started in at salaries of $20 to $25 gold a month. For the present, owing to the scarcity of good material, only four of these positions are occupied.'

The estimate of revenues and expenses for school purposes made by the municipalities during the present year, 1904, is annexed hereto as Exhibit A.

This exhibit shows the following figures:

There are several private schools in the municipalities of this province, particularly in this city. Since the beginning of the year 1903 in the majority of the pueblos the "Centro Católico" has been organizing schools which are under the control of the parish priests and attended to by the several committees or branches of the said "Centro Católico." As these schools are maintained by the voluntary contributions of the Catholic residents in each municipality, their prosperity depends directly upon the financial condition of the same, so that at the present time these schools are not prospering as their founders would desire that they should, owing to the hard times.

Of those existing in this city the Colegio de San Carlos merits special mention because of its importance. This college is administered by the Paulist Fathers, and the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, managed by the Sisters of Charity, is another notable institution. San Carlos College in former years was exclusively a theological seminary, and it was only recently that a course of study similar to that of the secondary instruction given by the University of Santo Tomás was established in it.

The following table shows the number of scholars enrolled in this institution during the present year:

According to information furnished by the director of this college the total attendance this year is less than last, owing to the precarious financial condition of the islands. The College of the Immaculate Conception has the following number of students: Boarders...

Day scholars.

Scholars in Catholic school.

112

40

140

Total....

292

The establishment of trade schools is an imperious necessity to the development of industry in these islands. So long as these schools can not be established it is recommended that women attending the normal school should be taught to weave with modern looms, especially in cotton, and how to prepare the raw material for this purpose, instead of being taught purely ornamental work. All of the apparatus could be bought by the province. Sewing and cooking might also be profitably taught along with the art of weaving.

PUBLIC HEALTH.

The statistics of the provincial board of health show that 19,923 deaths in a population of 667,057 inhabitants occurred in this province between July 20, 1903, and May 31, 1904. This makes a monthly average of 1,992 deaths and an average of 30 per thousand.

The municipality of Aloguinsan has the smallest death rate, which is 9.29 per thousand, and that of Carcar the maximum of 102.86 per thousand.

The following table shows the civil status of the persons dying during the period mentioned:

The diseases which have caused the greatest mortality are the following: Cholera, 5,942 deaths; smallpox, 2,351; intermittent fevers, 814; tuberculosis, 572; beriberi, 364; dysentery, 260, and malarial fever, 266.

The reappearance of the cholera which occurred at the beginning of June, 1903, came in a much milder epidemic form than in the year 1902. It is supposed that the contagion was brought over from the neighboring province of Bohol.

Smallpox is now of an endemic character in this province and appearing in a more or less severe form has claimed a good many victims during the period covered by this report. There were a few cases of bubonic plague, mostly among Chinamen.

Leprosy, a disease as terrible as it is disgusting, is what is causing the greatest ravages in this province. The total number of lepers in the island is 1,011. Of this number there are 225 in the government hospital.

Opón is the municipality where the largest number of lepers is to be found, the figures being 128 out of 18,850 inhabitants. The pueblos of Bolhoon, Dumanjug, and Moalboal, with 7,347, 32,051, and 16,107 inhabitants, respectively, have only three lepers each.

The leper hospital, which is situated within the boundaries of this city, is very dangerous to the people of the town. Having no guards to watch the sick, they are wont to make their escape by night and quietly walk in among a lot of people gathered together for some reason or other. The lower classes, as a general rule, take no notice of this disease, nor do they endeavor to avoid contact, being incredulous as to the danger. This, perhaps, accounts for the rapid spread of this disease.

It is therefore very urgent that this hospital should be transferred to a more isolated place as soon as possible.

Births. During the same period 19,683 births, which is an average of 32.07 per thousand inhabitants, were registered. Compared with the number of deaths it shows à decrease in population of 240 inhabitants. However, the figures of births are probably inexact when it is taken into account that in the majority of the municipalities no registration of births is kept other than the parish books.

In none of the municipalities of this province, with the exception of that of Cebú, have there been municipal boards of health established, either because of the lack of doctors or of funds to maintain same.

AGRICULTURE.

KIND AND IMPORTANCE OF THE PRESENT AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.

The agricultural production of the province is represented by the following articles: Sugar, copra, tobacco, and hemp.

Sugar. Was formerly one of the most important products and the principal factor of trade and commerce in this province. Before the revolution the average annual production fluctuated between 250,000 and 300,000 piculs, while the crop of 1903 was only 110,259 piculs, and the present crop scarcely reached 15,000 piculs. It is thus seen that the last production compared to that of the year before shows a falling off of 95,259 piculs, and as compared to the average normal production during the years prior to the revolution it shows a decrease of 285,000 piculs.

So long as the causes which have occasioned its decay exist there can be no hope of a return to its former prosperous state, but on the contrary in a short time it will cease to be

cultivated by the farmers even though they are compelled to lose considerable capital invested in sugar mills.

Copra. In view of the fact that no cattle are necessary for its cultivation, copra is a product which has a good future before it. For this reason cocoanut plantations are becoming more extensive, all available land being gradually taken up. The production of this article in the year 1903 is estimated approximately at 10,400 piculs, and it is very probable that this year's crop will show an increase of one-third, taking into account the production up to date.

Tobacco. Although this plant requires careful and costly cultivation and is of rather uncertain yield, much depending upon the weather, its quick-growing qualities and its value compared to the area cultivated is the reason that many farmers, who have only small holdings which they cultivate themselves, prefer to cultivate it in rotation with corn to any other product. This explains why the production of tobacco and corn during the last three years has been steady though it is only about half what it used to be during normal years before the revolution. This year's crop will be about 10 per cent less than last year, when it amounted to 29,800 quintals; its quality is also inferior on account of the heavy and

abundant rains.

Hemp. The cultivation of hemp is increasing very slowly, owing to the fact that there is very little land in this province adapted for it. The plant does not grow so large here as in Leyte and other hemp-producing provinces. For that reason quite a large area of land is. required in order to give a profit to the planter. The falling off in this production for the present year is approximately 20 per cent as compared to last year, when the crop amounted to 10,730 piculs."

Products consumed in the interior are corn, rice, borona, mongos, cacao, coffee, potatoes, and tubers of several kinds.

Corn is at present the most important product of this province and that which maintains. the farmers through these precarious times. Though it is not an article of export, large quantities are shipped to adjacent provinces and the natives of Cebú use it as their principal article of food. The lack of draft cattle makes its cultivation very costly, but this is compensated by the high price it brings. The approximate crop for 1903 was 407,621 cavanes, and the prices brought from $4.50 to $5 a cavan. During the present year, to judge by the amount already gathered, it is estimated that there will be an increase of 30 per cent over last. The present price is from $3 to $3.50 a cavan.

Rice is gathered in such small quantities that it is scarcely sufficient for local consumption. The cultivation of this cereal prior to the revolution, when there was an abundance of cattle and wages were low, never amounted to much, as the land here is not well adapted to its cultivation. For that reason, sugar cane, tobacco, and other crops were preferred, because they required less attention and are less costly to raise and, moreover, do not require irrigated lands, which are very expensive in Cebú. It is very probable that with modern methods and tools which would reduce the cost of raising rice its cultivation might become more general and yield at least sufficient to satisfy the local demand.

With regard to other articles mentioned, such as borona, mongos, cacao, and coffee, they are raised on a very small scale and are scarcely sufficient to satisfy the needs of the province itself.

Potatoes are only raised in two pueblos of this province on an insignificant scale.

With regard to other tubers, especially the sweet potato, many have been planted, though not to so great an extent as to make the sweet potato of commercial importance. But each family of farmers has its own plot of ground set aside exclusively for the cultivation of this plant as a preventive measure against the danger of famine. It is due to this precaution that this province did not suffer much from the consequences of times of scarcity. Maguey or sisal.-I have not mentioned this product among the others, for the reason that I thought it more advisable to speak at length in regard to it in this report. This is a plant which until recently was only used to mark boundaries of lands or for the purpose of fencing and to extract the fibers from its leaves, which are used in the making of rope. However, the value acquired by these fibers in the market for exportation makes us hopethat within a short time its cultivation will become greatly developed.

Being confident that the cultivation of this plant might offer a good future for agriculture, I have suggested to the municipalities during my visits of inspection that they recommend planters to devote a portion of their lands to the cultivation of this plant, even if only as an experiment, as it might be that their future prosperity would depend upon this product, maguey being easy to cultivate on even the poorest land and not requiring the use of draft cattle even on the largest plantations.

At the beginning of this year a few crops had already been gathered, and it is estimated that the yield for 1904 will amount to 500 piculs. The fiber is now quoted at from $8 to $9 the picul.

WAR 1904-VOL 11-31