East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-01-10

The Railroad Gazette gives the fol-
lowing interesting account of the new
railroads in the Philippines, freight
rates salaries paid and other data
that is entertaining
On December l 5, there were opened
in Washington, in the presence of the
secretary of war, the governor gener-
al OF the Philippines and others, ten
ders for the construction and opera
lion OF the new railroad lines propos-
ed by the government under limited
government supervision and guaran-
tee Of interest on bonds
The government proposed in an ad-
Vernsement to grant perpetual fran
chises, the terms of which may be re-
adjusted after 30 years, to such per-
sons or corporations as may propose
10 construct the advertised lines and
operate them on the most advantage
Gus terms to the Philippine govern
ment. As an additional inducement
10 capital, congress authorized a
guarantee by the Philippine govern
meut Of not exceeding per cent in
terest on 95 per cent of the bonds of
these lines, up to S3O,O00,OOO.
Unfortunately. congress had not yet
shown any intention to deal fairly and
literally with the islands in the matter
of free trade or reduced preferential
tariff rates at the time the bids were
opened, and probably on that account
only two tenders worthy of consider
alton were received, offering to con-
struct about 720 miles out of a total
of 100 miles advertised.
All of these projected roads are
good ones. Speyer & Co., offered to
build them without any government
guarantee of interest whatever. These
lines will serve very thickly inhabit-
ed country with a rural population of
as high as $50 per square mile. The
products of the soil along these lines
are chiefly rice, hemp, corn, tobacco
sugar cane. fruits and vegetables; also
large quantities of copraX or dried
cocGanut for extracting cocoanut oil,
which is shipped to France, Germany
and Denmark. where ii enters largely
into the manufacture of butter, soap,
cahJ1es and many other manufactur-
ed articles.
Generally speaking, the Philippines
railroads are more important as pas
lsenget lines than as freight carriers
and about Sc per cent of the entire
while only about 33 per cent is deriv-
ed from freight traffic. The percent
age OF freight traffic is, however, in
..ereasing slowly,
R45lZ1ads are operated cheapiy IN
oriental countries on account of the
CHEAP labor, operating expenses or
The present existing lines representing
only about IS per cent of the charges
Natives make fairly good and very
cheap section hands for maintenance
of way, good foremen and engine
drivers for locomotives. and possibly
good telegraph operators and station
agents.
The highest paid men are the ma
chinists and locomotive engineers, who
receive about s35 to $50 per month
Section hands earn about 80 cents pei
day. and foremen, station agents and
telegraph operators from SIS to s2j
per month. They are slow and in
some respects unreliable, but generally
more satisfactory than any other ma
1ionolity for the work they have to do
and they are almost without exception
sober. respectful and obedient to their
super org all of which are important
virtues not possessed by some foreign
ers N the islands.
The fares for passengers are gener-
ally low. much lower than in the
United States. and traffic is divided
into three classes. first, second and
third class. Fully 95 per cent of the
traffic is third class, and the present
second class should really be abolished
altogether. 1t is necessary to have
first class, which will not be very prof
itable for some years, for the reason
that there is small percentage of for
eiEners and educated natives who OBJ
ject to riding with the poorer class OF
natives who form the bulk of the traf-
fic.
Freight rates are high as compared
Win IdAtS III llilE ipuHAl anu an 81
from IS to SO per ton for a 10O-mile
haul. Large freight cars do not pay
as an average carload is only about
four tons, which accounts for the ne
cessity Of a high freight rate. II is
almost impossible to get full load fol
even a lotion car, as the natives shiT
in small quantities. Shipping is in the
hands of many small dealers, anC
there are few merchants who ever shiI
a full carload Of merchandise. The
Chinese merchants are the largest
shippers OF merchandise, and by fai
abe best business men in the island.
outside Of very few prominent for.
eign houses who do almost exclusively
an export and import business.
Railroads can only be made to pay
on she larger islands and the cheaT
water transportation is always seri
Gus factor of competition except from
the interior OF the larger islands down
10 the coast towns and vice versa
Along the coast, freight can be carried
by native sail boats very cheaply
The lines which are at present un
der consideration are narrow gaug
railroads. with a 3-feet 6-inch track
and seem fairly well suited to the re