Government Ownership and Management of Business Enterprises in the Philippines

Within the brief period of twenty-five years, the Philippine Islands have undergone a radical change. The old paths of development, alternating between subjection, coercion and corruption have been gloriously changed by a new theory of development, - the ownership and management of business enterprises by the Philippine Government. This extension of governmental activities in business has aroused a veritable storm of criticism and condemnation. Governor General Wood and the administration at Washington condemn this course and want the Philippine Government to get out of business.In the following pages the author has attempted to show (1) that government ownership and management of business enterprises is desirable inasmuch as there is no private capital to undertake them; (2) that in order to encourage the investment of private capital in the Islands the restrictive land laws should be liberalized and a suitable immigration law should be enacted by the Philippine Legislature; and (3) that the policy of public ownership and management should be continued until they can be disposed of with little or no loss to the Philippine Government.