The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-02-11
BUSINESS CHANCES
In REMOTE MANILA
NUMEROUS GOOD FIELDS FOR
INVESTMENT.
Splendid Opportunities for Corpora
tions to Develop the Tremendous
Resources of the Philippines.
Things Which Are Needed

Things Which Are Needed.
Special Correspondence Of the Chicago
Record.
Manila, Dec. II, 1S9S.-This peaceful
lnanana land is rapidly undergoing
great change. Manila is booming with
new industries, each steamer bringing
swarms of people into the city men OF
capital are feverishly outlining vast
projects and every dag sees some new
evidence that the day Of POGO tempo
is gone and that "pronto" is now the
word of tie hour.
Ever since the kilograms Indicated
the definite likelihood that America
would retain the Philippines, rents have
been steadily advancing, the price Of
land has been going up, and the streets
of the city have the same kind of rest
less activity that is characteristic Of
great American cities. out in the bay
there are nearly fifty steamships ana
sailing merchantmen, the river is
choked with shipping, and instead Of
the out-of-the-way, unvisited port that
Manila was in the old days-the yester-
days-the water front now presents O.
scene of life and business that Singa-
pore barely equals.
1t will now be an experience of re-
markable interest to see how q nation
as rich and progressive as is the United
states will transform these slumbering
Islands to the development of which
they are capable.
At present there is only one railroad
here. and it is very little more than 100
miles long The cultivated districts
either lie along the single artery Of
traffic or are located in sections
easily accessible from the sea or by
river navigation. Great tracts of land
as fertile as any in the world are abso-
lutely untouched, owing to the expense
of transportation or to the present in
accessibility. A system of railroads Is
one of the inevitable consequences o.
the American occupation Of the Philip
pines.
VALUABLE TIMBER LANDS.
The big timber sections. where there
are districts the size Of Illinois covered
with valuable forests of nara, molava,
mahogany and other woods, will of ne
cessity be the fields for the investmen.
of hungry capital. At the present time,
lumber is very costly here. although
tain sides are upholstered with the foli-
age of rich forests. The cost of lumber
is so great that the railroad here was
obliged TO get all of its ties from ia
pan.
There are three banking corporations
here, two of which are branches of Lon
don houses. These two are the Hong
Kong and Shanghai Banking corpora
tiAn Nd h1 e
Australia and China. The third bank
is the Banco Espanol and Filipina. &.
solid institution, but at present en-
barrased by the effects of the revolution
and war and by Spanish directors who
are eager to return to Spain. These.
banks operate on a silver basis which
is considered to b, the only practicable
system for the Philippines under pres
ent conditions. There is q great field
here for an American banking corpora
tion, with branches in IlUho, Cebu and
Zamboanga. and the coming six months
undoubtedly will see the establishment
of such a concern.
PRIMITIVE TRANIWAY SYSTEM.
Another thing which is destined to
undergo a speedy transformation is the
tramWay system now in operation ir
Manila. Although Manila has over
100000 people within its limits and il
scattered over a wide extent, the street
cars are small concerns propelled by a
motive force of one pony, or rabbit
Appearances Indicate that the animal
is a large rabbit, but common belief
credits 1t with being species of horse,
with Stats like picket fence. The cars
always are crowded, and IL is really
pitiful to see those poor little beasts
struggling along with an Indian driver
yelling and blowing a rubber whistle
that makes a noise when it eXhausts.
When the car reaches one of the in
clined approaches to any of the numer-
Gus bridges, an extra pony is attached
the street is cleared for half block
several excited natives start the street
car with the ponies galloping and the
momentum of the force acquired in the
100-yard dash carries the car to the
level of the bridge. This is one of the
most exciting events that happens in
Manila, and is attended by so much
noise and yelling that it comes nearly
being a ceremony. The car system pave
an per cent dividend, however in
spite of the wretched equipment. An
electric street railway will pay from the
beginning.
CHANCES IN ILOILO.
Iloilo also is a good field for the con-
struction of a tram system. At pres
ent there is no line in the town, al
though the population is about 10000.
lloilo alone would hardly support a
street car line, but two other features
about the project insure it's success.
Three miles to the west, across the
river. is Jaro, town of lO,OO0 while
about three miles TO the northwest is
Molo, with nearly 10000 inhabitants.
There is no connection in the way Of
transportation except carramattas, al
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