Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-18
THE ISLANDS NEEDS
Proposed Internal Improve
ments in the Philippines. .
ENGINEERING BUREAU
PUBLIC ROADS AND RAILWAYS
ARE MUCH WANTED.
Profits Of the Manila-Dagupon Line
Transportation by Waterloo
duction of Electricity.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star ana
Chicago RecOr'-Herald.
MANILA, May IS, 1904.
In anticipation of extensive internal i'm
provemcnts, the commission established an
insular bureau of engineering last spring,
and placed 1t under the charge OF j. w.
Beardsley, who has oversight of all public
works requiring engineering skill, except
the constr uction of buildings. He has under
him 4 force of thirty-:hree trained engl-
neers, thirty-fve provincial SUPERVISORS
who rs a rule are also engineers, ana va
rious superintendents i'll charge OF WORKS Oh
construction. l asked Mr.. Beardsiey the
other day what was being done ana WHAT
was needed in the islands in the way OF IN
ternal improvements. IIe replied that the
most important need at present was facll-
ties for land transportation. He said:
..The cost of conveying products from the
Interior to the markets or seaports is ex-
cessive in many cases prohibtive. The
general condition of roIos ana bridges
throughout the islands Is deplorapie. 1lahs
uortatoa is mainly effected in the mountain
regions by packers. occasionally by PACK
horses which, with carabao carts, are useu
i'll the lowlands. AS rule natural poun
daries separate provinces and muMc.pah-
ties ana the interchange of products Is $40"
and extensive A failure of crops TENDS 10
produce famine locally, although the neigh
boring provinces may have plenty. "A cor
rection of these conditions will result IN Il
large increase in fertile areas avallaDie ior
agricultural purposes and readily accessible
to the markets, a decrease IN the cos. y,
foodstufs and of danger by famine, anu
iEterprcvincial and intermunicipal exchange
x1;.;~ ,,,1 iy,Ao
fcrmity of language. Road and bridge con-
struction properly conducted furnishes EN-
ployment to Il larger number or lnnapitaiitI
than any other public work involving equ'ii
expenditure A knowledge is gained OF the
use of ordinary tools applicable to the I'M
provement of all agricultural methods' anu
a tendency created to establish market
for such tools, thereby materially develop
ing methods of work and the output OF
nroducts To the native this furnishes a
practical and valuable training.
Congressional Appropriation.
congress. realizing the conditions exist
ing in these islands. appropriated a relief
fund of s3.OOO.OOO, to be expended upon pub
lie works From this sum nearly $'oo'oo'
has already been appropriated for the con-
struction of thirteen important provincial
highways which are now under construc-
ton Investigations and surveys or sew
eral other roads are under way, ana sl''o"'
SClSkbtHD Will De TeQuiIeu " ihcoN
the needs of the more important highways
meriting insular assistance. Each provincial
government Is also extending road work as
rapidly as provincial revenues permit,
Still. large expenditures must De maze anu
several Years elapse before condition OF
good roads throughout the islands can be
attained. ,.,.
for the islands by system OF opannsd Mas Mas
Reardsley. There has been a rapid ana
steady growth of commercial shipping IN
terests both domestic ana foreign anu
since American occupation the need or ran
way facilities. as an economical means OF
reaching the shipping and marketing poln's
with the products of the interior mas peeh
felt as never before. This method or COM
munica ton between large centers Will nave
its cvilizing effect upon the country. lessen
the ladronism. develop the resources OF ana
exploit the provinces more than any other
factor
The Manila-Dagupan Line.
Spain saw the advantage of railroads
for her Philippine colonies many years ago,
and a royal decree was promulgated IN 1851
relating to the same, and inviting the in
yestment of capital Many lines were pro-
tected and estimates made by the govern
ment in succeeding years but no concession
was granted until 1887, when an English
corporation began the present line from
Manila to Dagupan. This is a narrow
gauge road-three feet six tnches-connect-
ing Manila bay with the Lingayen gun -
miles to the north, and traversing the rich
and productive rice and sugar provinces OF
Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac and Pangasl-
nan This road was opened to the public
in November. 1882 at a cost of about 81
800 600 In 1896 it had developed an annual
traffic of over 100000 tons of freight, more
than half this amount being rice and sugar;
and had carried II 900 passengers. 1t had
become a paying investment.
In olar
ton against the Spanish government broke
out and the road was worked under in
creasing difficulties until February, 1873.
when fighting began between the United
States troops and the Fflipinos From No
vember 1899, until April. 1850, the road was
under military management. Since 1899 the
road has recovered rapidly. notwithstand-
ing the fact that the last three years have
been poor years of production, and the raw
ages of cholera, reinderpest and the locust
pest. and the aftermath of war have mate
rally handicapped agricultural advance
ment.
I'm spite of all these contentious, the
Manila -Dagupan Railway Company handled
over 10000 tons of freight, one-tenth only
being rice and sugar, and more than one
| tenth being lumber now a rapidly develop
ing industry. and carried over one and one
half million passengers. The gross earnings
have been 5000 per mile. which for mar
row-gauge road is more favorable than the
average earnings of the standard gauge
| roads of the United States. The percentage
of operating expenses to gross earnings is
about 20 per cent less than the average in
the states.
This company now operates:
Miles,
| TIL MGna -Dagupan railway. i22
Fort Line. Manila .......-. ..-~.-........-.
Angeles extension. Observation-Disclosures. 5
Port Line. Dagupan. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. !
| Bigaa- Guiguinto D
1T has under construction
| The CabanHtuah extension Observation-Disclosures. 90
| Antipolo extension. 70
| Bayambang branch. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 1.5
| and other projects in view.
AN important and very interesting fea-
! ture In the revenue of this road is that the
| passenger earnings are double the freight
earnings, and that 95 per cent of the pas