Manila, May 6.
The Wood-Forbes mission to investigate Philippine conditions, which arrived in Manila on the morning of May 3, has plunged into the work before it, cancelling all social engagements except the necessary official calls.
General Wood and Mr. Forbes were welcomed at the pier by officials of the Government and leading citizens, including Senor Emilio Aguinaldo, the first and only President of the short-lived Filipino Republic. The members of the mission immediately drove to Malacanang Palace, their headquarters in Manila.
Shortly afterwards, General Wood issued a statement outlining the work to be performed by the mission, and the system to be pursued. The mission was to spend a week in Manila, and then make an inspection tour throughout the provinces. For a part of the time, the members will travel separately, Mr. Forbes being especially familiar with the northern provinces, and General Wood with the southern, where he was Military Governor in former years.
General Wood stated that a minimum of three months would be required to complete the investigation, and he thought it likely that a month or two more might be required. Upon the completion of the report, the mission will visit China and Japan.
During their stay in Manila General Wood and Mr. Forbes took testimony or held conferences four hours each day. An even longer period was devoted by the Commissioners and their staff to coordinating the information put before them. Conferences were either open to the public, or confidential, according to the desire of the witness. The great mass of written communications already before the mission was augmented daily until extra clerks had to be added to the staff—Renter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.