A Revelation of the Filipinos 



The total annual consumption of fish 

 in the islands approximates half a mill- 

 ion long tons. In this industry there 

 are employed, during a part or all of 

 their time, the estimated number of 

 119,000 persons and 28,000 boats. 



PEARL FISHERIES 



Fishing for mother-of-pearl shells, 

 and incidentally for pearls, is carried 

 on to some extent in the waters of the 

 Sulu archipelago. The instruments 

 used in this industry are, for the most 

 part, crude and of small effectiveness, 

 though there are a few shell-fishing out- 

 fits equipped with modern diving appa- 

 ratus — helmet, waterproof suit, pump, 

 etc. The shells are plentiful and valu- 

 able, and pearls are frequently found, 

 sometimes very fine ones of high value. 

 The industry is said to be extremely 

 profitable, and is believed to be capable 

 of great enlargement. The investment 

 of comparatively small capital will, it is 

 said, yield large returns under intelli- 

 gent and businesslike management. 



Captain H. R. Hickock, United States 

 Army, the supervisor of census for the 

 district of Siassi, gives the following in- 

 teresting account of Moro fishing for 

 sharks, sea worms, shells, and pearls in 

 the southern seas : 



"All of the Moros are fishermen to a 

 greater or less extent. Shark fishing is 

 done by trolling in deep water with 

 about 40 or 50 feet of line. After a 

 shark is hooked he is first tired out and 

 then drawn up to the boat and killed 

 with a spear. The tails and fins are 

 then cut off and traded to the Chinos, 

 by whom they are then shipped to 

 China. 



' ' The tail and fins of a shark will aver- 

 age about 10 pounds in weight. The 

 Chino traders recognize two grades of 

 this article, for which they pay 45 and 

 125 pesos respectively per picul of 137 

 pounds. 



"Sea worms, which are muscular, 

 gelatinous animals, living attached to 



rocks at a depth of water of 6, 8, or 10 

 feet, are also secured by the Moros and 

 sold to the Chinos, who recognize ten 

 classes, for which they pay from 8 to 80 

 pesos per picul." 



PHILIPPINE TRADE 



Philippine trade was opened to the 

 world in 1834. The value of imports 

 for 1902 was $33,342,166, of exports 

 $28,671,904. Commerce with foreign 

 countries is carried on mostly in vessels 

 bearing the British and German flags. 

 The number of ports and subports open 

 to commerce has trebled since American 

 occupation began. 



OTHER NOTABLE FEATURES OF THE 

 CENSUS REPORT 



The preceding pages give a summary 

 of the more important geographic in- 

 formation contained in the Census Re- 

 port, being drawn principally from the 

 introduction by General Sanger, and 

 from the chapters on Geography, Pop- 

 ulation, and Mortality by Mr Henry 

 Gannett. 



The report contains two important 

 chapters describing the characteristics 

 of the civilized and non-civilized tribes. 

 Every supervisor was instructed to make 

 special note and record of the customs, 

 character, and life of the people with 

 whom he was brought in contact. The 

 principal parts of these reports are pub- 

 lished, supplemented by extracts from 

 the speeches of Governor Taf t and trav- 

 elers in the islands, so that for the first 

 time we have a very complete and com- 

 prehensive description of every tribe. 



The following chapters also are spe- 

 cially important : The History of the 

 Islands, by a member of the Philippine 

 Commission, T. H. Pardo de Tavera, 

 which is the first good history of the 

 Filipinos that has been written and 

 published in the English language by a 

 Filipino ; The Judiciary, by Chief Jus- 

 tice C. S. Arrelano and Assistant Justice 

 Torres ; Population, by David P. Bar- 



