A Critical Analysis of Philippine National Economy with Special Reference to Labor Problems

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A dissertation submitted to partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Becmonica* to the Graduate College of the State University of Iowa July, 1942

ProQuest Number: 10831767

All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is d e p e n d e n t upon the quality of the copy subm itted. In the unlikely e v e n t that the a u thor did not send a c o m p le te m anuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if m aterial had to be rem oved, a n o te will ind ica te the deletion.

uest ProQuest 10831767 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). C opyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C o d e M icroform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 4 8 1 0 6 - 1346

AKHQ^KmMEST Grateful appreciation is duo Professor Walter Burkin and Professor Howard Bowen of the College Of Coamera©* State tfniveraity of Iowa* and Professor Horaoio ls&&9 a former colleague at the Collage of Business Administration, University of the fblllppl&es, for many valuable suggestions and criticisms.

CQHTKHTS Chapter PART I THE BACSQRQITHD X, XHTRODHCTIOH

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IX* MTIOH&L B&OOTf— AGRICULTURE... ■»».... . Agrieultumi KWlopsaeat 2. Fri&rism ami Tenancy S. Usury and Related Practices 4+ Ownership and Concentration of Land 5* Reasons for Backward Agriculture

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2# Industrial Control and Ownership 5# The Industrialisation ttoveosent PART XI THE LABOR SOTAT10K

m& &m cqhpitioks* Population and Labor Sup ,iy Woiuan and Child Labor Hours of Work Accidents end Sickness

iv, labor probl

1* 2* 5* 4*

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V»LABQR PROBLEMS m> CONDITIONS (ConU)«»... 1* tfeenioli^Bent ' 2* Levels of Living 5. Industrial Wage Levels 4. Agricultural Wage Levels PART III LABOR AND GQVERSrr.^T VI. THE LABOR M O W i f --...... 1* Plight of the Rural Masses 2* Agrarian Unrest and Trouble $• Industrial Unrest and Conflict 4* Labor Strategy and Tactics VII* THE LABOR ItOVEMEy (cont.) ....... 1. "'Kvelopssant of* Organised Labor 2* Labor Organisation 5* Labor Partisanship 4* Labor Perspective

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(cont.)

.mcwmzQ s ig im m asp to g re s s . , * ,

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1* Some Proposals and Experiment® Zm The Cooperative Itovosiont 5* The wSoolal Justice* Progra® of the Governme»t XX*

SgMBARg Affi) COSCtffStOS*

Bibllograpfcgr*

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3.76 3.86

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PAHT I Tim BACKGROTD

Chapter I INTRODUCTION The Philippines or the Com&onweaiih of the Philippines Is a country larger-than Italy and a little smaller then ib© British Isles.

It is variously spoken of as "the Pearl of the

Orient,n “the Cuba of the Far East,” and “the outpost of American democracy in the Far East.*

Whs.tevsr its designation, the

Philippines is the only Oriental country that combine© Western and Qriont&l civilisations so admirably, "a nation coming to birth under Occidental auspices in an Orient©! setting."

It

exceeds the combined areas of the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

Its population is larger than the

combined populations of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, or about ©no fifth the number of Japanese#

At present the total population of

the Philippines Is estimated &t 16,000,000* There are 7,005 Islands In the archipelago*

But only

thirty islands are more than 100 square miles in extent*

In the

north is the largest island called Luson (40,814 square miles)* The next largest island is Mindanao In the southeast (56,906 square miles).

Between luson and Mindanao are a group of Islands

called the Visayae, the large ones of which are Samar, Negros, Pansy, heyte, Cebu, and Bohl*

In the west lie a long narrow Island

called Palawan and the Cal&mian Islands*

The total land area of

the Philippines Is about 114,4000 square miles*

The distance from

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the northern extreme to the southern extreme is about 1,120 miles, or a little ©or© than from Washinton, D,C,, to Kansas City, The climate of the Philippines is tropical.

The south­

ernmost parts of the Islands are about five degrees north of the equator.

There atv only tea seasons in the Philippines, the Mry

season" which lasts fro/ November to May, April and May being the hottest months, and the "wet season" is from June to October,

It

ia during this latter season that destructive typhoons often visit th© Islands, especially the northern regions.

While it Is

humid and hot in the coastal and lowland areas, the mean average daily temperature is about eighty degree. Such, in brief, is the m trrul background, of the country whose labor problems are the object of the present study,* In the history of economic thought all great economists have shown some concern for the wellbeing of workers,^

Fvan

laisnes-faire ecenaalets have not bean able to escape such concern, Adam Smith, the father of political ©conossy, had a warm corner in his heart for common laborers, his absolute defense of capitalism notwithstanding, ■ for he ssid in his Wealth of Hattons?

1 For details so© Felix M, Koesing, The Philippines, and George A, Malcolm, The (k)m>;rnerahip in c few bands is the greatest single cause of agrarian trouble can readily be under* stood when it is found that only 20$ of the entire agrtoulttsral population own and control as much aa 85$ of the total agricultural land in the Philippines*2 5* Beesons for. Backward Agriculture

Some people believe t.mt agriculture is by nature static while industry is iimerently dynamic*

Agricult m l conditions in

most countries seem to bear out the validity of such a belief . How­ ever, what actually makes such & difference between agriculture and industry is largely technological*

If agriculture lags behind

industzy, it is not because the former is inherently static, but because technology is not spoiled to it to the same extent as it is applied to industry*

Just as in the case of industry, the puroosive

application of science to agriculture results in greater productivity, «***