The inhabitants of the Philippines . formed part of a seam ofdendritic or lace gold, such as I had seen exhibited bya vendor of mining properties in Denver, Col., just a yearbefore. This exhibit opened my eyes to the possibilities of goldmining in Mindanao, but I did not leave my business to goprospecting. The natives of this part of Mindanao look upon washingfor gold as their chief resource. A certain quantity of whatthey collect is used to make ornaments, and passes fromhand to hand instead of coin in payment of gambling debts,and stakes lost at cockfights. The Mestizos and Chinamenget hold
The inhabitants of the Philippines . formed part of a seam ofdendritic or lace gold, such as I had seen exhibited bya vendor of mining properties in Denver, Col., just a yearbefore. This exhibit opened my eyes to the possibilities of goldmining in Mindanao, but I did not leave my business to goprospecting. The natives of this part of Mindanao look upon washingfor gold as their chief resource. A certain quantity of whatthey collect is used to make ornaments, and passes fromhand to hand instead of coin in payment of gambling debts,and stakes lost at cockfights. The Mestizos and Chinamenget hold of the rest and send it away surreptitiously, so thatno statistics can be collected. It is impossible to tax goldcollected in this way, but the Government might derive aprofit by establishing posts in each district where goldwould be purchased at a fixed price and so get, say, ten ortwenty per cent, out of it instead of allowing the Chineseand Mestizos to make perhaps forty or fifty per cent,according to the ignorance of the Vf JaCc p. 150. THE MINERALS: GOLD 151 Foreman is probably quite right in saying that theinfluence of the friars has always been exerted against anymining company, whether Spanish or foreign. They didnot want a rush .of miners and Jews to the now, under the American Government, their powermust decline, and new undertakings will, in a measure, befree from this hindrance. The Spanish mining laws and regulations are excellentand a perfect model for legislation on the subject. Theyare based on the principle that the ownership of the surfacegives no title to the minerals underneath, which belong tothe State. The owner can, however, obtain a title bydeveloping a mine. The ingenuity and unscrupulousness of that vile breed,the native Pica-Pleito or pettifogging lawyer, has greatlycontributed to stop Europeans from proceeding with miningenterprises, as success would bring down these blackmailersin swarms. It is to be hoped that the new gover
Size: 1317px × 1897px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublishernewyorkscribner
