The following extracts from an article by the chairman of the Philippine Civil Service Board give information with respect to salaries in the Philippine Islands, as compared with salaries paid in surrounding British and Dutch colonies:—­

“The salaries paid officials in all branches of the service of the Straits Settlements are generally lower than those paid in the Philippine civil service.  In this connection, however, it is only just to state that the population and extent of the territory under British control, and the expenses of living, are less than in the Philippines, while the difficulty of the problems to be solved is not so great.  The salaries paid to natives who fill the lower grade positions in the civil service of the Philippine Islands are three and four times as great as the salaries paid to natives in similar classes of work in the civil service of the British Malay colonies.

“A study of the colonial civil service of the Dutch in the islands of Java and Madura gives us somewhat different results....

“The matter of salaries is peculiarly interesting.  The comparison made above of the compensations received by the high officials in the civil service of the English colonies and by those in the Philippines does not hold good when applied to the Dutch in Java.  In fact, the salary of the Governor-General of Java is somewhat remarkable in contrast with that of the Civil Governor of the Philippines.  As is well known, the latter receives $20,000, while the salary of the Governor-General of Java amounts to 132,000 gulden or something over $53,000.  The American official is given, in addition, free transportation on all official investigations and free use of the governor’s palace, but not the cost of maintenance.  On the other hand, the Dutch governor is granted 51,000 gulden (about $21,500) as personal and household expenses and travel pay.

“The general secretary of the government receives 24,000 gulden ($9648), as compared with the executive secretary of the Philippine government, whose salary is $7500. [489] The seven heads of departments in the Javanese service each receive a like compensation of 24000 gulden.  The Raad, or Council, of the Dutch colonial government is composed of a vice-president and four members—­the former receiving about $14,500, the latter slightly over $11,500 each.  In the Philippine government the executive functions of heads of departments are exercised by four members of the legislative body, each of whom receives $10,500 for his executive services and $5000 for his legislative duties.  Without going further into detail, the conclusion is evident that all officials of high rank are much better paid in the Dutch service.  When a comparison is made between the chief clerks and other office employees of middle grades—­not natives—­the salaries are seen to be about the same in the two countries.

“All natives in positions of lower grades, however, in the Philippine Islands fare better than their Malay brethren, either in the Straits Settlements or in the East Indies.”—­(Second Annual Report of the Philippine Civil Service Board, pp. 60, 61.)