El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-06-23

J
| is in the construction Of roads and
/ bridges. The Philippine government
| has been following definite and
! comprehensive program Of construc-
ton in this regard for the past five
I years When Americans took over
! the archipelago there were practically
/ no roads and bridges worthy of the
name, except military and strategic
highways of Spanish type. Here and
/ there a dirt highway in fair condition
could be found in and around the
provincial centers. Within a few
! miles they dwindled into fOot-paths
and mudhOles- There was not a mod
| ern bridge in the entire archipelago.
The Spanish government may have had
a plan Of road construction but II so
II slept sWeetly on paper along with
most OF their dreams Up to 1896 such
hCads as were worthy of the name
were reduced to still further useless
ness due to hard usage and neglect
In the 1nsurrectlOn of 1869 against
Spain and the insurrectiOn against
the United States from 1S99-1901. The
army built some new roads while II
controlled affairs but the civil gov
I eminent failed to keep them up
Campaign Started in 1904.
The first effort TO improve the gen
eral road situation, was made in 1904
when the PhiLpp4le commission APP
year SOS, 900 was spent but in neither
years were the results satisfactory TO
the authorities a road labor law was
passed IN 1906. This act provided for
a few days of labor every year by the
male citizens and also made ii optional
for the provinces to cooperate. The
people were extremely hostile to the
work and the Philippine officials
throughout the provinces did pracric-
ally nothing to help IL along. Not one
provincial assembly adopted the law.
In the following year the Double Ce-
dula act was passed. The cedula is
a head tax Of one dollar a year on
every male inhabitant and this act
provided for a double tax for the ben
eft Of roads and bridges in the prov
inces. An additional source was made
available by a series of agreements
between the insular government and
the provinces whereby the latter
agreed 10 maintain practically all
good roads in return for a share in
the available insular and bridge
money. This cooperation between the
iLsular government and the provincial
administrators proved satisfactory.
The people at large now are at least
passive IN their acceptance of the plan
ana a goodly percentage Of the Fill
lplno officials are actually enthusiast
tic over it. The waste OF money by
the American commissioners in the
economically useless Benguet road
helped cool Filipino ardOr.
Replace Anticipated Bridges.
The Spanish roads really had no
standards as we know modern high
way construction and their system Of
quate- They were Of adobe and stone
arch construction and the bridges /
were OF the same material. These
bridges were Of comparatively short
span. had unduly steep approaches and
could. not bear heavy loads. Sometimes
flrst-class hardwood was used but
usually inferior umbers were put in
and only a few Of the longer spans
gullies and rivers were without
bridges The American bridges up to
1906 were no better as a rule, being
temporary structures and q few sea-
sons Of white ants, dampness and
tyPhOOns greatly impaired them.
In 1906 well thought out plan for
permanent bridges was put into oper- I
alton steel and concrete were adopted
as standard materials and ever since
that time the work Of substituting the I
old, unsightly and temporary struc-
lures with stately and durable spans
has gone on steadily. In that year
there were less than 1900 bridges and Z
cplVerts IN existence whereas last
year there were over 5000 with a total
is to construct REINFORCED concrete or z
masOnary bridges or Culverts on the
main roads with the alternative of
steel truSses or girders where con-
crete cannot be used On branch roads
where this is not feasible stone or first
grade timber sometimes is used. The |
government expects to put up about |
1000 additional bridges in the imme-
date future.
ROadmen Make Repairs.
Among other things the road regu-
laJons specify that roadmen TO make |
repairs should be stationed less than !
one mile apart during the rainy season
and less than two miles during the I
dry season Broken stone and gravel /
Tor the use Of these rOadmen were de-
posted in bamboo receptacles and I
this system still is maintained. Pro- /
vision Is made for a yearly provincial |
of not less than 1892 per /
M o of n los tod
means old roads have been brought l
up TO standard and many new roads 1
have been built, the work as a rule I
following old Spanish routes. The \
heavily surfaced roads including \
bridges are now costing on an average (
$3.50 per mile. In all over $50 900 600 I
has been divided TO obtain public {
works in the past nine years. eXclu-
siye Of the Benguet road and the city
OF Manila A comfortable percentage |
of this sum has gone for roads and 4
bridges.
Bureau Employs $4,000.
All of this important road and bridge /
work is done under the direction of I
the bureau OF public works. This bu-
gineers and from 1900 to $4,000 Ia
oOrers- The average daily wage for
1nskled laborers is % cents.
For the purposes Of administration
The bureau is following its program
)t road and bridge construction by
having 81 districts, corresponding
with the 81 provinces, each in charge |
Of a district engineer The entire ]
work is under the supervision Of r. J.
W esterhOuse, who is chief division en-
gineer- Directly under him are five ]
ilv1siOn engineers who are the imme- |
late superiOrs OF the 81 district en- I
sineers previously mentioned. The l
thief engineer of the bureau Of public I
works having technical direction over /
Inc manifold activities of the bureau /
IS Clarence W Hubbeu. The director /
u the bureau is Warwick Greene.
Macadam Construction.
Most OF the roads constructed in the I
)ast five years are Of the macadam- |
zed type surfaced with broken stone, |
gravel. or rocks as local conditions of
rattle, cost and availability may de- /
ermine. Experiments have been made |
IN some of the important roads with /
I'll and bituminOus binders which have /
)een satisfactory.
Two through highways are being
)Uilt which when completed will rival !
n extent and characted any in the /
United States. They are the Manila !
North road and the Nanila-SOuth |
DAD The combined length of the two /
Dads viii be $50 miles. The Manila
Worth road viii be a through highway
y $50 miles from Manila to the town
y Banguy, UOcos NOrte province.
which is close TO the extreme northern
ip Of the island Of Luzon. The direc-
ion of the entire road has been defi-