In addition to the goods above mentioned, a considerable amount of coarse fabrics is made of the leaf of the sago palm, of hemp, and of other fibres. These are known in the Manila market as Saguran, Guináras and Medrinaque, and are shipped to the United States and Spain, and in lesser quantity to England. Saguran and guináras are largely used at the government factories in packing the leaf tobacco forwarded to Spain. Price, from 25 to 37½ dollars per pecul of 7½ to 8 varas. Medrinaque has for some years past been exported in increasing quantity to the United States and Europe, where it is chiefly used for stiffening dresses, linings, &c. This article is principally made at Samar, Leyte and Cebú, from whence, in case of direct export, it will be obtainable for shipment. Present prices in the Manila market for Cebú 20 dollars, Samar 18 dollars, per fifty pieces.
Considering that the Philippines are essentially an agricultural rather than a manufacturing region, the textile productions of Iloilo may be said to have reached a remarkable degree of development. Nothing strikes the attention at the weekly fairs held at the different towns more than the abundance of native goods offered for sale; and the number of looms at work in most of the towns and villages also affords matter for surprise. Almost every family possesses one of these primitive-looking machines, with a single apparatus formed of pieces of bamboo, and, in the majority of the houses of the mestizos and the well-to-do Indians, from six to a dozen looms are kept at work. The total number in this province has been computed at 60,000; and though these figures may rather over-represent the actual quantity, they cannot be much beyond it. All the weaving is done by women, whose wages usually amount to from 1 to 1·50 dollar per month. In general—a practice unfortunately too prevalent among the natives in every branch of labour—these wages are received for many months in advance, and the operatives frequently spend years (become, in fact, virtually slaves for a long period) before paying off an originally trifling debt. There are other workwomen employed at intervals to “set up” the pattern in the loom, who are able to earn from 1 to 1·50 dollar per day in this manner. It should be added that Capiz and Antique also produce, in a lesser degree than Iloilo, a proportion of manufactured goods.
Notwithstanding the increasing introduction of European piece goods into Panay, it is gratifying to observe that the quantity of mixed piña stuffs exported rather augments than otherwise with the gradual addition to the general population and the increased means derived by it from the rapidly progressive development of the resources of the islands. Judging from the values of the quantities taken on in almost every vessel leaving for the port of Manila, the annual export in that direction would not seem to be at all over-estimated if put down at 400,000 dollars. The goods represented by this amount are not, it should be remarked, used in the city and province of Manila alone, but enter also into the consumption of Pampanga, La Laguna, Camarines and other provinces of Luzon. In addition to the export of piña to the capital, about 30,000 dollars worth of cotton and silk sarongs and handkerchiefs are sent yearly to Camarines. Some quantity is also exported to Leyte and Samar, but anything like an approximate value of the goods so shipped cannot be given. In fact the subject of statistics here has received so little attention, either from the authorities or from the local traders themselves, that on terminating his notice of the principal articles exported from Panay, Mr. Loney regrets to find himself unable to supply a reliable account of their united value. The Estadistica de Filipinas, issued in 1855, and compiled at Manila by the Comision Central, nominated for that purpose, gives, from data probably obtained from the very imperfect custom-house entries, the following as the value of the imports into Manila from Panay in 1854:—
| Iloilo— | Dollars. | Dollars. |
| Iloilo | 264,416 | |
| Guimbal | 39,850 | |
| ——— | 304,266 |
| Capiz— |
| Capiz | 181,681 | |
| Calwo | 114,124 | |
| Jbajay | 7,095 | |
| Batan | 15,147 | |
| ——— | 318,047 |
| Antique— |
| Antique | 18,866 | |
| San José | 2,925 | |
| Cagayancillo | 3,061 | |
| Culasi | 1,199 | |
| ——— | 26,051 |
| 648,364 |
But the most cursory examination of what must be the probable value of the more important articles exported, even adopting the probably understated quantities given in the preceding remarks, leads to the conclusion that the export to Manila from the province of Iloilo alone must equal or exceed the amount given by the Estadistica as the total sum for the provinces.
Presuming the quantities and values to be as undernoted, there will result of
| Dollars. |
| Piña, silk, hempen and othermanufactures | 400,000 |
| Tobacco, | 30,000 | quintals, | average 3½ | dolls. | 105,000 |
| Paddy, | 30,000 | cavans, | 1 | | 30,000 |
| Sugar, | 20,000 | peculs, | 3 | | 60,000 |
| Sapanwood, | 33,000 | | 1 | | 33,000 |
| Hemp, | 5,000 | | 5½ | | 27,500 |
| Hides, | 2,050 | | total value | 19,800 |
| All other articles roughly valuedat | 45,000 |
| 720,300 |
To which sum if the exports to other islands and provinces be added, it may be fairly inferred that the total value of exports from Iloilo cannot fall short of 800,000 dollars; an amount which does not seem at all out of proportion to the number of its inhabitants. These figures, if Capiz be put down at 700,000 dollars, and the Antique exports be taken at 70,000 dollars, will give to the yearly exports from Panay an aggregate value of upwards of 1,500,000 dollars.
But even the imperfect data of the Estadistica would afford some indication of the rapid rate of increase in the exports from the three provinces. For example—