194 The Philippine Journal of Science wis 



assistance from the insular government. This they did the 

 more willingly as there was a general sentiment that the munic- 

 ipal board which had administered the Carriedo fund for so 

 many years should undertake the sole responsibility of supplying 

 the citizens with water."^ 



The other methods of securing money had been rejected for 

 various reasons. A public subscription was objected to on the 

 ground that the previous experiments in this direction — to erect 

 a monument to Simon de Anda (1868), to relieve the sufferers 

 from a typhoon in the Provinces of Laguna and Tayabas (1873) , 

 and a charity bazaar (1875) — had been comparative failures, 

 that the burden of contribution fell ultimately not on the poor, 

 for whom the water supply was intended, but on the rich, and 

 that two subscription lists, for a monument to Andres de Urda- 

 neta and for the expenses of the recent Jolo war, had but 

 recently been opened in Manila."^ The tax on skins met with 

 strenuous opposition from Regidor Gonzales, who maintained 

 that other objects, such as the reconstruction of the city hall, 

 the tearing down of the nipa houses in the stone-material district, 

 the widening of the approaches to the Bridge of Spain, the 

 naming of streets and plazas, and the opening of a general 

 cemetery, needed more immediate attention. It was eventually 

 dropped in favor of the meat tax, because the latter would be 

 more productive."* 



The city property was not sold because a valuation, on Sep- 

 tember 11, 1876, disclosed the fact that it would bring only 

 46,960.33 pesos instead of 100,000 pesos as had been calculated. 

 In the matter of expenditure on the municipal police, the city 

 received back 62,296 pesos, which were diverted to other pur- 

 poses."^ 



The meat tax was authorized by a royal order on November 

 17, 1876. Its full title was a "tax of one per cent on every 

 pound of beef and pork cleaned in the city slaughterhouse." 

 The tax, which was to be farmed out to the highest bidder, 

 was advertised by public contract on February 14, 1877. The 

 salaries of the officials who were to supervise its collection and 



'" The home government was in favor of such a loan, in view of the 

 fact that the Lozada Canal in Madrid had been built in 1859 under the 

 same conditions. 



"'Expediente economico (1872), 230, 232, 239-240. 



"'Actas de Carriedo (Sept. 25, 1875); Expediente economico (1872-76), 

 19. 



"'Expediente economico (1872-76), 128, 209; Actas de Carriedo (Sept. 

 25, 1875); Actas de Manila (1875), 114, 166-167. 



