MINERAL RESOURCES OF AROROY DISTRICT. 



399 



the year, the rainfall is distributed fairly evenly. Destructive typhoons 

 visited the island in November, 1905, September, 1908, and December, 

 1908. 



While there are no figures available for the precipitation in the Aroroy 

 district, I believed that it is undoubtedly less than at the town of Mas- 

 bate itself, as abaca (Manila hemp) can not profitably be grown at 

 Aroroy, while a small amount is produced in the vicinity of Masbate 

 and also farther southeast toward Kataingan. Even in the Aroroy dis- 

 trict itself the rainfall is uneven, the majority of the showers during the 

 rainy season passing through the southern part of the area to the south 

 of Mount Kalakbao. The temperature records for the year 1909 ^^ are 

 given below, and show a very even temperature with a smaller range 

 between the seasons than at Manila. 



Mean temperature for the year 1909 hy months. 



Month. 



January 



February 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September 



October 



November .. 

 December 



Annual 



Mean tempera- 

 ture, °C. 



Palanog,* 

 Masbate. 



Manila. 



26.3 



24.7 



27.0 



25.3 



27.8 



26.1 



29.3 



28.2 



29.6 



28.2 



29.5 



27.8 



27.7 



26.1 



29.8 



27.4 



28.1 



26.3 



28.1 



26.9 



27.3 



25.8 



26.1 



24.2 



28.0 



26.4 



* No weather station at Masbate, hence record taken from Palanog, the nearest station. 



Population. — The population of the island is given in the census of 

 1903 as 29,451, or about seven to the square kilometer. This is small 

 compared with other islands of the Visayan group, and Masbate could 

 easily support a much larger population. The people are for the greater 

 part Visayans, and the language spoken is a dialect of Visayan. There 

 is a scattering of Bicols and Tagalogs, especially along the northern coast. 

 The people are peaceable, hospitable, and friendly, and although of course 

 irresponsible and not very energetic, they make as good workers as are 

 to be found elsewhere in the islands. 



Topography. — The Island of Masbate lies almost exactly in the center 

 of the Philippine Archipelago, between la.titudes 11° 43' north and 12° 



'^ Month. Bull. p. 7. Weather Bur. (1909). 



