118 



MANILA DAILY BULLETIN 



ARTESIAN WELLS IN RURAL DISTRICTS HAVE DONE 

 MUCH TO IMPROVE HEALTH CONDITIONS. 



past year. Manila terminal facilities were 

 improved through an increase in trackage 

 and the car movement accelerated by more 

 than 45 per cent. A daily passenger express 

 has been inaugurated for both the north and 

 south lines stopping only at the principal 

 stations and affording a means for rapid long 

 distance transit. For the purpose of moving 

 seasonal crops more expeditiously two hun- 

 dred freight cars and ten locomotives were 

 placed on order early last year involving an 

 expenditure of one and one-half million pesos. 

 Delivery of these is expected during the early 

 part of 1919. With the improvements al- 

 ready made the Company's revenues during 

 1918 increased more than two and a quarter 

 million pesos over any previous year. A 

 train-messenger express service was installed 

 on all the principal lines with the result that 

 express receipts for 1918 exceeded those for 

 1917 by 80 per cent, aggregating a total of 

 three quarter million pesos. 



Of the contemplated extension projects 

 the one of greatest interest to the general 

 public will no doubt be the elongation of the 

 Legaspi lines to Naga and the main line south 

 to the Guinayangan river. With an auxiliary 

 water line between Pasacao and Guinayangan 



this will offer a twenty-four hour service be- 

 tween Manila and Legaspi and will afford 

 special 'facilities for the tranportation of 

 passengers and express for the Bicol prov- 

 inces. Plans for financing this project are 

 in the course of realization. 



The lines as now operated offer travelers 

 and sightseers an opportunity at a moderate 

 cost and within a limited time to observe at 

 close range practically every phase of pro- 

 vincial life in the tropics. For the northern 

 trip the Baguio Express leaves Manila Sta- 

 tion daily at 8.00 a.m. The first important 

 stop is at Malolos, the seat of the first Fili- 

 pino republic. Enroute the traveler passes 

 first through a densely populated community 

 of small fanners dedicated to the planting 

 of rice. Here the land holdings are so lim- 

 ited in size that no machinery is employed 

 in either the planting or harvesting of the 

 rice crop. 



After Malolos the line extends through 

 the heart of Pampanga, a sugar producing 

 province where cane fields are largely in evi- 

 dence. Modern sugar centrals are projected 

 and in course of construction which will 

 materially increase the already heavy traffic 

 over the company's lines. The extent to 

 which this may develop is best realized when 

 we consider that the Pampanga acreage to 

 the growing of sugar cane actually exceeds 

 the total cane acreage of the Hawaiian group. 



Continuing his journey the travler paseses 

 through Tarlac and Pangasinan, the granary 

 of the Philippines and the source of the Com- 

 pany's greatest revenue. At Mangaldan 

 the Benguet Auto Line connects with the 

 "express" and lands the travelers in Baguio 

 well before dark. If he chooses however he 

 may continue to the railroad terminal at 

 Bauang and then proceed to Baguio over 

 the scenic Naguilian Road. This course 

 takes him through the tobacco fields of La 

 Union, second only in extent to those of the 

 Cagayan Valley. 



Of the branch lines the Cabanatuan ex- 

 tension is by far the most productive in rev- 

 enue for the Company. This line will even- 

 tually extend into the Cagayan Valley thro 

 Nueva Vizcaya. With the construction 

 of the Cabanatuan Branch, the province 

 of Nueva Ecija had an influx of settlers, be- 

 came second in the production of rice and 

 promises to surpass Pangasinan in the near 

 future. Travelers can now make the trip 

 to Cabanatuan without change and return to 

 Manila the same day. In the harvestingofrice 

 modern machinery is here used and ex- 

 tensive areas are cultivated in single tracts 

 making the trip of special interest to tourists. 



The main line south offers a special attrac- 

 tion for tourists in that the route extends 

 through a veritable coconut forest embracing 

 the provinces of Laguna and Tayabas. A 

 daily service is maintained on this run, the 

 "Bicol Express' operating between Manila 

 and Hondagua on the Pacific coast. Con- 

 nection is made with the Pagsanjan and 

 Batangas branches, both including points 

 of special interest. 



While the southern lines have operated 

 at a loss in past year, results have been more 

 encouraging with each succeeding year and 

 with extensions planned for 1919 and the 

 increasing prosperity of the copra and hemp 

 producing provinces satisfactory returns 

 on the investment are an assured fact. 



For the first time in its history the railroad 

 is operating with a substantial financial gain. 

 The Filipino public has been quick to voice 

 its appreciation of the betterments already 

 accomplished under government control and 

 with the keen interest displayed by the leg- 

 islature in the further extension of improve- 

 ments the railroad promises to become one 

 of the prime factors in the future develop- 

 ment of the country. 



MANILA TERMINAL YARDS 



