Directory_and_Chronicle_1936 — Page 1608

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PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS

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The bulk of overseas shipments are made from the port of Manila, although considerable business is handled, direct, through Cebu, Hoilo, Zamboanga, and Davao, which, with Jolo, and Legaspi, are the other ports of entry.

While all of the open ports have good harbours, only Manila, Cebu and Iloilo have wharfage for deep-draft vessels. At Legaspi and Davao, deep draft berths are under construction; Zamboanga. can accommodate vessels drawing up to 28 feet; and Jolo has a small wharf effording. the same depth. Nearly a thousand vessels are now operated in the coastwise trade.

Manila, the capital and chief port of the Islands, is on the largest bay in the Orient. The harbour at the entrance of this bay is landlocked. The anchorage space- for steamers is protected by a semi-circular breakwater within which is a basin large enough to accommodate all vessels of the size of the "Empress" liners. Regular steamship lines are maintained between Manila and Hongkong, China and Japan Ports, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, New York, Australian and European ports.

There are at present 1,272 kilometres of railroad car-lines in the Philippines. They are owned by two companies the Manila Railroad Company, which is owned by the Government; and the Philippine Railway Company. În Manila and in the province of Rizal, electric car service is maintained by the Manila Electric Company, the total extent of its lines being 88 kilometres.

Next in importance to railways in the domestic transportation of the Islands are motor vehicles. During the year 1932, there were registered 41,585 motor vehicles of all classes. Many private individuals and companies authorized by the Public Service Commission are engaged in land transportation both for passengers and frieght.

Funds for highway construction and maintenance are provided for from the following sources: cedula or poll tax and a small percentage of the land tax, gasoline tax, motor vehicle tax and annual insular appropriations by the Philippine Legislature. The first systematic programme of road construction and maintenance in different parts. of the Islands was inaugurated in 1908 by ex-Governor-General Forbes, who was then Secretary of the Departwent of Commerce and Police. There are today 8,167 kilo- meters of hard surfaced roads, 4,279 kilometers of lightly surfaced roads and 2,218- kilometers of earth roads, inaking a total of 14.664 kilometers of roads.

The construction of good roads open to all kinds of traffic in different parts of the Islands has been properly attended to by the Philippine Government during the past 20 years. ·

There are at present two cable lines and one radio, communication service in operation between the Philippines and foreign countries. Zamboanga is in radio. communication with stations in North Borneo. The increased need for better and more extensive facilities for internal communication has been met by the rapid extension of telegraph and telephone lines, submarine cables, radio system aud mail service.

In 1933, there were in operation 523 telegraph offices, including 85 radio stations with 488 combined telegraph-telephone offices.

The chief mail distributing centre is Manila. From this point, mails are sent to provincial post offices in Luzon by electric cars, trains and auto-busses and to the main ports in Visayas and Mindanao by steamers. The other islands where mail train service is in operation are Cebu and Panay.

Experiments have been made recently with aviation as a factor in the mail and passenger service, both domestic and foreign. Airplanes are at present operated under regular schedules between Manila and Baguio, between Manila and Cebu via Iloilo, and between Floilo and the towns of Bacolod and La Carlota in Occidental Negros.

BANKING AND COINAGE

Among the principal banking institutions doing business in the Islands, are the National City Bank of New York, the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China, the Yokohama Specie bank, the Philippine National Bank, the Peoples Bank and Trust Co, the China Banking. Corporation, the Bank of the Philippine Islands, and the Philippine Trust Co.