284 The National Geographic Magazine 



interesting feature of that expansion 

 fair and furnish the opportunitv for a 

 large number of Filipinos to become 

 acquainted with the United States and 

 its institutions, as well as to furnish an 

 object lesson to millions of Americans 

 of the history and resources of the Phil- 

 ippines and their development under 

 American occupation, and give oppor- 

 tunity to become acquainted with the 

 Filipino people. 



A battalion of 400 native troops, paid 

 out of funds of the United States and 

 part of the Regular Army of the United 

 States; two companies of native constab- 

 ulary, whose maintenance is at the ex- 

 pense of insular revenues, and the official 

 constabulary band of some eighty pieces 

 will also be stationed at St Louis dur- 

 ing the term of the fair. About fifty 

 prominent Filipinos, selected from the 

 various provinces throughout the isl- 

 ands, will be present, and a few repre- 

 sentatives of the non-Christian tribes 

 will also be part of the exhibit. The 

 Bureau of Insular Affairs is charged 

 with this work in the United States. 



PHILIPPINE PRINTING PLANT 



Government printing in the Philip- 

 pine Islands during the past two years 

 has been done by the public printing 

 office of the Philippine Government. 

 This is as thoroughly well equipped 

 printing plant of its size as, I believe, 

 exists in the world today, and I am told 

 by experts that it is even more complete 

 in its accessories than the public print- 

 ing plant in this city. It is equipped 

 with the most up-to-date labor-saving 

 machinery that could be purchased, 

 among which is a full equipment of 

 linotypes. The purchase of all the ma- 

 chinery and supplies, as well as the 

 selection of the original employes, were 

 made by this Bureau. 



This printing office is part of the 

 educational system of the Philippines — 

 an industrial school, of which, with the 

 exception of the foremen instructors, 

 the students, or personnel, are made up 



of native Filipinos. Experts tell me 

 that the printing it turns out is equal 

 to anything done in the United States. 



PUBLIC DOCUMENTS 



In the past two years we have made 

 a collection of all official documents in 

 any way relating to our insular posses- 

 sions. This compilation embraces over 

 6,000 separate publications and has been 

 bound together in about 200 volumes. 

 That this voluminous compilation might 

 be consulted to advantage, an index is 

 now nearing completion which it has 

 taken some two years' work to prepare. 

 It will contain references, not alone to 

 the insular compilation, which is di- 

 rectly available only to those who pos- 

 sess the same, but also to the congres- 

 sional and other documents, by title, 

 number, and page. It is purposed to 

 print this index and thereby make this 

 terra incognita of public documents avail- 

 able to everyone. 



During the short life of the Bureau 

 some seventy-five congressional resolu- 

 tions of inquiry have been passed and re- 

 ferred to it, the response to some of which 

 required a large number of clerks for 

 many months. The answer to one reso- 

 lution alone resulted in five large printed 

 volumes. 



The Bureau has prepared many publi- 

 cations. I do not dare to even mention 

 them, so great is the present extent of 

 this paper. 



Association with this work of govern- 

 ment in our insular possessions becomes 

 absorption. It is dangerous to give 

 such a one a chance to talk about it. 

 The result, I am afraid you will find, 

 is prolixity. Still, when I think how 

 hard we ha\e tried and of the faithful 

 industry rendered by my various assist- 

 ants, many of whom have become ex- 

 perts in the novel work assigned them, 

 I cannot help but believe that I have 

 been modest in their representation in 

 failing to mention the many things the 

 Bureau has done and which an official 

 record migh-t properly contain. 



