1232
MANILA
The mouth of the Pasig River is used as anchorage space for steamers and sailing vessels engaged in inter-island commerce. Here can be seen launches moving in and out, tugging cascos loaded with cargoes from steamers in the bay or from the warehouses on the banks of the river. The esteros or estuaries provide additional transportation channels to different parts of the city.
Manila is the main terminal of the Manila Railroad Company, with lines from northern to southern parts of Luzon Several provincial roads enter the city, thereby making motor vehicle transportation feasible. Electric tramways run in the principal streets of the city and its suburbs.
The population of Manila, according to the Philippine census of 1918, was 285,306, Of this number, 259,437 were Filipinos, 17,760 Chinese, 2,916 Americans, 2,050 Spaniards, 1,612 Japanese, 664 British, 201 Germans, 121 French, 71 Swiss, and the rest of other nationalities. There were 20,379 people to the square mile.
The area of the city of Manila is 13.72 square miles. For all administrative and other municipal purposes the city has been divided into the following 14 districts:-- Tondo, San Nicolas, Binondo, Santa Cruz, Quiapo, San Miguel, Sampaloc Intramuros (Walled City), The Port, Ermita, Malate, Paco, Pandacan, and Santa Ana. Tondo is inhabited by natives of the working class and is the most thoroughly Oriental. San Nicolas, Binondo, and Santa Cruz are the business districts; Intramuros, the extant example of a medieval town; while The Port with its piers, warehouses and other shipping facilities is the commercial Manila of the future. San Miguel, Ermita, and Malate are the residential districts.
The total length of the streets and roads in Manila is 240.97 kilometres. Some of these are wide and handsome avenues, of which the Luneta, Taft Avenue, Rizal Avenue, P. Burgos, Azcarraga, Isaac Peral, A. Bonifacio Drive, Katigbac Drive, and the Cavite Boulevard are the most notable. The width of the street varies from 10 to 15 metres, while that of Cavite Boulevard is 75 metres. Cassia, acacia, mabolo and other trees are found along the borders of many of the streets. The pav ing is mostly macadam with some asphalt, some wooden blocks and some cobbles. The Escolta in Binondo is the main business street, and in it most of the American and European stores and bazaars are found. The Rosario, another broad thoroughfare in Binondo, is occupied chiefly by Chinese shops and is a busy quarter. Rizal Avenue is a growing business centre.
Among the parks, whose total area is 1,143,727.09 square metres, are the famous Luneta, Mehan Gardens, Plaza McKinley, Harrison Park, and Burnham Green. There are monuments to Dr. José Rizal, the foremost Filipino hero and martyr, on the Luneta; to Legaspi and Urdaneta, the soldier and the priest, respectively, who implanted Spanish sovereignty in the Islands, facing the north end of the Luneta; to Magallanes (Magellan), the discoverer of the Islands, in Magallanes Landing; and to Anda at the foot of A. Bonifacio Drive, Charles IV. in Plaza McKinley, Benavides in Plaza Santo Tomas, and Queen Isabela II, in Malate.
Foremost among the hotels is the Manila Hotel. Other hotels of importance are the Luneta Hotel, St. Anthony Hotel, Delmonico Hotel, Hotel de France, Oriente Hotel, La Palma de Mallorca Hotel, and Mignon Hotel. Of the important buildings, mention may be made of the Ayuntamiento, the Malacañang Palace, the University of the Philippines, the Philippine Normal School, the Philippine School of Arts and Trades, the Bureau of Science, the Philippine General Hospital, the Army and Navy Club, Elks Club, the Y.M.C.A., the Masonic Temple, Pacific Building, Uy Chaco Building, Filipinas Building, and "El Hogar Filipino" Building. The total number of buildings in Manila is in round numbers 10,000.
On account of their architecture and interior decorations, the churches in Manila are among the chief objects of interest. The largest is the Catholic Cathedral in Intramuros. The city has also charitable institutions, prominent among which are the. Hospicio de San José, an orphan asylum and home for aged women; the School for the Deaf and Blind; the San Lazaro Hospital for the insane and those suffering from contagious diseases; the sanatoria of the Anti-Tuberculosis Society; the Government Orphanage for the care of orphan and destitute children; the Settlement House for the temporary shelter of destitute persons; and the American Guardian Association for destitute children of American and Filipino parentage.
Manila is the educational centre of the archipelago. The city has many schools, both public and private, and their number is increasing. Five schools for vocational