Mr. SLEEPER. By rail within 10 miles, I believe, and then overland by horseback or walking, or by rail some distance, and then part way by water up some large river.

The CHAIRMAN. Was there any improvement on these lands at the time of the lease?

Mr. SLEEPER. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you know whether Mr. Worcester has put any on since?

Mr. SLEEPER. I believe he has. I have seen him several times, and he said he was making improvements there and trying to grow some crops.

The CHAIRMAN. Is Mr. Worcester, the lessee, a resident of Manila? Mr. SLEEPER. No, sir; I do not think he is. I think he is a resident of the Philippine Islands. I do not remember that he lived in Manila.

The CHAIRMAN. That is all I desire to ask, I think. Have any of the members of the committee any further questions?

Mr. PARSONS. How much public land is there in that Province ? Mr. SLEEPER. There is a large quantity; I could not say how much. Mr. PARSONS. Can you ascertain the figures and put them in the record?

Mr. SLEEPER. Yes, sir.

Mr. PARSONS. How much public land there is and what occupied land there is, is what I want to know.

Mr. SLEEPER. No; I can not give the occupied land. I can give the estimated area of public land in that Province, which is very large.

Mr. PARSONS. You can give us also the total area of land, can you? Mr. SLEEPER. Yes, sir.

Mr. PARSONS. How long did this lease run?

Mr. SLEEPER. Twenty-five years.

Mr. PARSONS. Upon what authority of law was the lease for that length of time granted?

Mr. DOUGLAS. Section 28, Mr. Sleeper.

Mr. SLEEPER. Under the provisions of chapter 3 of the publicland act.

The CHAIRMAN. When you say "public-land law," do you mean the law passed by the Philippine legislative body?

Mr. SLEEPER. Yes, sir; section 28 of chapter 3 of the public-land act of the Philippine Islands.

Mr. MADISON. Read that provision.

Mr. SLEEPER. It is as follows:

Leases hereunder shall run for a period of not more than twenty-five years, but may be renewed for a second period of twenty-five years, at a rate to be fixed as above indicated, which rate shall not be less than fifty centavos per hectare and shall not exceed one peso and fifty centavos, Philippine currency, per hectare. Land leased hereunder shall not be assigned or sublet without the consent of the chief of the bureau of public lands and the secretary of the interior.

Mr. DOUGLAS. In that same connection, also read section 27.
Mr. SLEEPER. It is as follows:

The rate per hectare per annum for lands leased under this chapter shall be fixed by the chief of the bureau of public lands, with the approval of the

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secretary of the interior, and shall in no case be less than fifty centavos, Philippine currency, per hectare per annum. Said rent shall be paid yearly in advance, the first payment being deposited with the chief of the bureau of public lands before the delivery of the lease.

Mr. DOUGLAS. Now read section 22.

Mr. SLEEPER. Section 22 reads as follows:

Any citizen of the United States or of the Philippine Islands, or of any insular possession of the United States, or any corporation or association of persons organized under the laws of the Philippine Islands, or of the United States, or of any State, Territory, or insular possession thereof, authorized by the laws of its creation and by the laws of the Philippine Islands, and the acts of Congress applicable thereto, to transact business in the Philippine Islands may lease any tract of unoccupied, unreserved, nonmineral agricultural public lands, as defined by sections eighteen and twenty of the act of Congress approved July 1st, nineteen hundred and two, providing a temporary government for the Philippine Islands, etc., not exceeding one thousand and twentyfour hectares, by proceeding as hereinafter in this chapter indicated, provided that no lease shall be permitted to interfere with any prior claim by settlement and occupation until the consent of the occupant or settler is first had and obtained, or until such claim shall be legally extinguished: And provided further, That no corporation or association of persons shall be permitted to lease lands hereunder which are not reasonably necessary to enable it to carry on the business for which it was lawfully created, and which it may lawfully pursue in the Philippine Islands.

Mr. DOUGLAS. How many acres did you say were included in the Worcester lease?

Mr. SLEEPER. It is 977 hectares. I was looking for the actual figures in acres, which are 2,443.46 acres.

Mr. DOUGLAS. I noticed that in Dean C. Worcester's report, but I could not make it quite that. You say it is 977 hectares?

Mr. SLEEPER. Yes, sir.

Mr. DOUGLAS. Yes; that is right. How many acres, computed in acres, were the 1,024 hectares authorized?

Mr. SLEEPER. Two thousand five hundred acres.

Mr. DOUGLAS. So this was less than the legal requirement?

Mr. SLEEPER. Yes; this was within the legal limit.

Mr. DOUGLAS. What failure was there on the part of the secretary of the interior, that you are aware of, to give publicity to this matter? Was there any attempt, so far as you could see or that you know of, to make any concealment about this lease to E. L. Worcester? Mr. SLEEPER. Yes, sir; before I had submitted the papers to him for his consideration.

Mr. DOUGLAS. I put the question both ways, as to what attempt was made to conceal it and what attempt was made to give publicity to it?

Mr. SLEEPER. There was no attempt to conceal anything. On the other hand, Mr. Worcester advised me that he did not desire to act on these papers.

Mr. DOUGLAS. It was called to the attention of the governor general?

Mr. SLEEPER. Yes, sir.

Mr. PARSONS. Was there any publicity?

Mr. SLEEPER. No more than the regular form of lease.

Mr. PARSONS. The regular form of lease?

Mr. SLEEPER. Yes.

Mr. PARSONS. Is that lease recorded?

Mr. SLEEPER. Yes, sir; it is recorded and advertised.

Mr. DOUGLAS. Advertised?

Mr. SLEEPER. Yes, sir; we advertise it under the provisions of the law.

Mr. PARSONS. What is that advertising?

Mr. DOUGLAS. What is that provision of law for making advertisements?

Mr. SLEEPER. I am not sure about that.

The CHAIRMAN. In what manner was this particular lease advertised?

Mr. SLEEPER. No; the leases are not advertised. They are forwarded to the Forestry Bureau, the chief of which determines the character of the land, whether forestal or more valuable for agriculture.

Mr. PARSONS. Is that before they are granted?

Mr. SLEEPER. Yes, sir; that is before they are granted; before we consider the application to lease.

Mr. PARSONS. But there is no advertisement?

Mr. SLEEPER. No; not of leased lands. All public lands sold are advertised.

Mr. PARSONS. Was it known there that Mr. Worcester had leased these lands?

Mr. SLEEPER. Im Manila?

Mr. PARSONS. Yes.

Mr. SLEEPER. Publicly known?

Mr. PARSONS. Yes.

Mr. SLEEPER. I do not know.

Mr. PARSONS. What was the date of the lease?

Mr. SLEEPER. April 20, 1908, I think it was. I have not the lease here, but judging from these documents it was issued sometime between April 20 and the last of April. The application was posted on the bulletin board in my bureau also for this lease.

Mr. PARSONS. How long was it posted there?

Mr. SLEEPER. From May 15, 1908, to July 2.

Mr. PARSONS. July 2, 1908?

Mr. SLEEPER. Yes, sir.

Mr. PARSONS. Is that bulletin board in a public place?

Mr. SLEEPER. It is the regular bulletin board of the bureau; yes, sir. Mr. PARSONS. Is it required by law that it should be posted there? Mr. SLEEPER. I thought it was, but I do not find it here.

The CHAIRMAN. Had you advertised this lease?

Mr. SLEEPER. We publish them on the bulletin boards.

The CHAIRMAN. Were there any other applicants for that land? Mr. SLEEPER. No, sir.

Mr. PARSONS. Who is Mr. Worcester, in addition to being a nephew of the Secretary of the Interior?

Mr. SLEEPER. I do not know.

Mr. PARSONS. What business is he engaged in out there?

Mr. SLEEPER. I do not know.

Mr. PARSONS. How long has he been in the Philippines?

Mr. SLEEPER. I do not know that.

Mr. MADISON. Did you ever meet him personally?

Mr. SLEEPER. Mr. Worcester?

Mr. MADISON. Yes.

Mr. SLEEPER. Yes, sir; I have met him two or three times.

Mr. MADISON. Do you know where he lives?

Mr. SLEEPER. He lives up on this land, I believe.

Mr. MADISON. He resides there now?

Mr. SLEEPER. Yes, sir.

Mr. MADISON. Do you know where he was residing before he took the land?

Mr. SLEEPER. I do not. I do not know where he was residing.
Mr. MADISON. Did you meet him before he took the land?

Mr. SLEEPER. Yes, sir. He was in my office, I believe, before he took the land.

Mr. MADISON. How old a man is he?

Mr. SLEEPER. Thirty-five, I should think.

Mr. MADISON. Do you know how he came to go to the Philippines? Mr. SLEEPER. No, sir.

Mr. MADISON. Do you know whether or not he resides with or is connected in anywise, except by relationship, with the Secretary of the Interior?

Mr. SLEEPER. He does not reside with him; I know that.

Mr. MADISON. Has he any business relations with him that you know of?

Mr. SLEEPER. Not to my knowledge.

Mr. MADISON. Is he a married man?

Mr. SLEEPER. Yes, sir.

Mr. MADISON. Were you ever at his home?

Mr. SLEEPER. No, sir.

Mr. MADISON. He is a man you personally know very little about? Mr. SLEEPER. I have just met him on two or three occasions.

Mr. MADISON. You say the land you leased to him was poor land? Mr. SLEEPER. That is what the report of the inspector sent up there to examine and inspect it would show.

Mr. MADISON. Who was the inspector?

Mr. SLEEPER. Mr. Clute.

Mr. MADISON. How many inspectors have you in your bureau?
Mr. SLEEPER. Four or five at the present time.

Mr. MADISON. Are they all Americans?

Mr. SLEEPER. No, sir.

Mr. MADISON. How many Americans and how many Filipinos? Mr. SLEEPER. I have one American inspector now. Mr. Clute has been promoted. I have three Filipinos who do that work, who are regularly employed-that is, two of them are regularly employed, and one only occasionally.

Mr. MADISON. Were you ever on this land yourself?

Mr. SLEEPER. No, sir.

Mr. MADISON. You know nothing about its character, except as reported by this inspector?

Mr. SLEEPER. That is all.

Mr. MADISON. Do you know for what purpose it is best adapted? Mr. SLEEPER. No, sir.

Mr. MADISON. You know nothing about that?

Mr. SLEEPER. No, sir.

Mr. MADISON. What is usually raised in that province?

Mr. SLEEPER. That is a good rice province, so far as I know. That

is about the principal crop they raise there.

Mr. MADISON. You say, then, that this is probably rice land?

Mr. SLEEPER. I think it is not all probably rice land from the inspector's report. It shows some of it is high land, and other as low land on the slopes down to the river.

Mr. MADISON. How much is rice land, if you know, from the inspector's report, and how much is nonrice land?

Mr. SLEEPER. I do not know.

Mr. MADISON. Does not the report show that?

Mr. SLEEPER. Shall I read this report?

Mr. MADISON. No.

Mr. SLEEPER. The land is open, with a few scattered trees and ant hills, and slopes gradually from the northern to the southern limit, being crossed by numerous arroyos of shallow depth. It is thinly covered with a short grass, showing that the soil is a very indifferent quality. The soil of the northern part is of sandy nature with gravel base a short distance below. The soil near the southern limit is some richer, due, no doubt, to the surface soil having been washed down from the steper slopes. However, even the best soil is of very poor class and will require a large expenditure of labor and money to build it to a producing point.

Mr. MADISON. Was there a house on the land at the time he leased it?

Mr. DOUGLAS. The application says not; I do not know what the facts are.

Mr. SLEEPER. Mr. Clute said that at that time there was no habitation, excepting the barrio composed of laborers employed by Mr. Worcester and his own home, within five miles of the land. Mr. DOUGLAS. What is a barrio?

Mr. SLEEPER. A small collection of houses, two or three sometimes, and sometimes a dozen or twenty.

Mr. MADISON. Do you know or not, since the leasing of this land, the fact of the making of the lease has become generally known in Manila and thereabouts?

Mr. SLEEPER. Yes, sir.

Mr. MADISON. You may state whether or not there has been any protest on the part of the native people or others with regard to making this lease.

Mr. SLEEPER. Not to my knowledge.

Mr. MADISON. Have you heard of any claims on the part of any one that there was anything unfair or partial about the making of this lease?

Mr. SLEEPER. No, sir; I think not.

Mr. MADISON. Has there been any criticism of the governor general or the Secretary of the Interior because of the making of the lease, because of the fact of relationship between the lessee and the Secretary of the Interior?

Mr. SLEEPER. No, sir; not to my knowledge.

Mr. MADISON. You have not heard that any such thing has occurred?

Mr. SLEEPER. I may have heard somebody say something about it or ask about it, but I do not think it is anything public, except perhaps in relation with other Martin charges. Newspaper articles perhaps have mentioned it in connection with the friar-land matter. Mr. MADISON. It is apparent that the man E. L. Worcester is a nephew of the Secretary of the Interior. Has the fact that such a