Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-24
ants. dampness and typhoons greatly i'm

ants. dampness and typhoons greatly i'm
paired them.
In 1906 a well thought out plan for
permanent bridges was put into operation
Steel and concrete We're adopted as stand
ard materials. and ever since that time
the work of substituting the old. unsight-
ly and temporary structures with stately
and durable spans has gone on steadily.
In that year there were less than 1900
bridges and culverts in existence. whereas
last year there were more than 3'Uo,
with total span of nearly 1900 feet.
The plan is to construct reinforced con-
crete or masonry bridges culVerts on
the main roads with the alternative
of steel trusses or girders where
concrete cannot he used On branch
roads. where this is not feasible. stone or
first grade timber sometimes is used. The
government expects to put up about 400
additional bridges in the immediate fu-
ture.
Among other things the road regula-
tons specify that roadmen to make re-
pairs should be stationed less than one
mile apart during the rainy season ana
less than two miles during the dry sea
son. Broken stone and gravel for the
use of these roadmen We're deposited in
bamboo receptacles. and this system still
is maintained. Provision is made for
yearly provincial appropriation of not
less than $3.50 per mile of designated road.
BY these means old roads have been
brought up to standard and many new
roads have been built the work as a
rule following old Spanish routes. The
heavily surfaced roads including bridges
are now costing or an average $3.50 per
mile. In all over s2O,OOOCOO has been
divided to Obtain public works in the past
nine years. exclusive of the Benguet road
and the city of Manila 4 comfortable
percentage of this sum has gone for
roads and bridges.
All of this important road and bridge
work is done under the direction of the
bureau
Bureau of Public Works of pub
Directs All Important Jobs. works.
This bureau employs from 100 to 125
engineers and from 1900 to $4,000 labor
ers. The average daily wage for I'M
skilled laborers is twenty-1ine cents
For purposes Of administration the hQ-
rcau is following Its program Of road
and bridge construction by having thir-
ty-one districts. corresponding with the
thirty-one provinces, each In charge OF
Il district engineer. The entire work is
under the supervision of f. J. Wester-
house. who is chief division engineer.
Directly under him are five division
engineers who are tho immediate ST.
~. 40. OIL TIC tIllTlS-OIlC pro-
v.ously mentioned. The chief engineer OF
the bureau Of public works having tech
a'cal direction over tho manifold nctivi-
lies Of the bureau is Clarence W. Hub
bell. The director of the bureau is War
wici: Greene
Most OF tho roads constructed in tho
past five years are of the macadamized
type surfaced with broken stone. gravel
or rocks as local conditions of traffic.
cost and availability may determine,
Er tsS96s n hAst, Of
tho important roads with oil and bitum-
nous biEders which have been satisfac-
tory.
Two through highways are be.ng built
which when completed will rival In ex-
tent and character any In the United
States. They are the Maaiia-Nerth road
and the Manila-South road. The com
bined length OF the two roads will be
$50 miles. The Manila-Nerth road will
be through highway OF $50 miles from
Manila to the town of Bansuy, floces
Norte province, which is close to the ex-
IRENE northern tip Of the Island OF
Luzon. The direction OF the entire road
has been definitely determined and con-
struetion is proceeding by sections as the
funds become available. A considerable
portion of the layout is now completed
as a first-class road and several sections
are being added in the present dry sea-
son.
The Manila South road will extend as a
traffic line from Manila to the southern
extremity of Luzon a distance of 300
miles, A road which accOmmoda ties
wheel traffic covers 100 miles of this
route from Manila to Guamaca Tayabas
province. but a great deal of it will have
to be reconstructed A mountainous
country stretches from this point to the
Nueva Caceres. with a distance of about
fifty miles, but it will take some time to
put an Appian way over it, Out of Nue.
va Caceres southwark to Legaspi, Albay
province there is good road of about
sixty-five miles. Cooperation between
the provinces of Sorrsogon and Albay
will complete the southern tip.