viii, D. 3 Salt: Carriedo y Peredo 205 



were the authorities of the colleges of Santa Isabel and Santa 

 Rosa and of the school of San Carlos, the military authorities 

 at Fort Santiagfo, the officers of the Jolo regiment in the Luneta 

 barracks and those stationed in the Malate and artillery barracks, 

 the military hospital, the captain of the port, and Francisco 

 Godinez, whose houses — 6-8 Calle Real, Intramuros — had been 

 occupied by the municipal board while the city hall was being 

 repaired.'"" The excessive number of free beneficiaries was the 

 subject of a complaint in 1892, and, although a committee was 

 appointed to inquire into the matter, in 1894 Gumersindo del Valle 

 was still voicing the objections. The present number, nine, 

 is in exact conformity with the expressed terms of the will, with 

 such additions as have been rendered necessary by concessions 

 made during the period of construction.'"' 



Del Valle's action was also prompted by the increasing exhaus- 

 tion of the Carriedo fund and the inadequacy of the appropriation 

 to meet expenditure, mainly owing to the growing cost of admin- 

 istration, which swallowed up the meat tax in its entirety.^®* 

 The minimum appropriation was originally fixed by Palacios at 

 58,113 pesos, divided in the following proportion: Twenty-one 

 thousand, five hundred seventeen pesos for distribution and 

 service, 22,596 pesos for oflflce help and police, and 14,000 pesos 

 for upkeep and repairs. Before this amount passed the munic- 

 ipal board in 1884, an attempt was made to reduce it to 54,313.10 

 pesos, by a committee composed of Mariano Bertolucci and 

 Jacobo Zobel. This, however, fell through, and until 1897 the 

 original estimate was duly passed each year.'"" As a matter 

 of fact, the average expense was considerably below this sum, 

 Del Valle's calculations, which were based not on the official 

 figures but on personal investigations, show that up to June 30, 

 1894, the total amount spent had been 1,025,940 pesos. Of this, 

 he claims that 544,315 pesos had been spent on construction, 

 and 480,652 pesos on running the system. Unfortunately, he 

 assumed that the work on construction ceased automatically 

 when the Carriedo fountain was opened, whereas there was a 



'"Ibid. (May 26, Aug. 18, 1886); (May 5, Sept. 14, Oct. 24, 1888); 

 (Jan. 15, July 11, Oct. 24, 1889) ; (Aug. 4, 11, 1892). 



""Ibid. (Sept. 22, 1892); (Feb. 5, 1894). 



"* Del Valle believed that a portion, at least, of the meat tax should be 

 devoted to the improvement of the city markets. Actas de Carriedo (Sept. 

 22, 1894). 



"* Copia del expediente de los presupuestos de las obras de abasteci- 

 miento de aguas potables a Manila para conservar dichas obras. . . (March 

 26, 1884); Expediente economico (1872-76), 774; Actas de Carriedo (Nov. 

 20, 1883). 



