and local governments may be postponed not longer than the end of the Federal fiscal year, June 30, 1917.

The road is 37.2 kilometers in length, rising from sea level at Camp Overton to an altitude of 2,300 feet in Dansalan. It is compelled to carry a very heavy traffic of carts, wagons, and automobile trucks for the supply of private commercial requirements as well as the government stations in the great lake region, of which it is the only transportation outlet, and from which the exports of coffee, rice, etc., are increasing. There is now located at Dansalan one rice mill, which is inadequate to meet the requirements of the greatly increased local surplus production of palay, which has been developed by the feasibility of export to other Provinces afforded by the road. The cost of maintenance of this road is estimated by the bureau of public works at P600 per kilometer, a total of 22,320, which is an unavoidable expense that must hereafter be met by the local government.

The floods occasioned by the extraordinary torrential rains of January, 1916, throughout central and northern Mindanao, in addition to the serious road damage mentioned above, also caused in Lanao the loss of the bridge over the Iligan River and serious damage to the Iligan-Camp Overton Road; the loss of all large bridges, including those over the Mangima and Kulaman Rivers in Bukidnon, rendering impassable the road from the coast to Malaybalay, the provincial capital; the deposit of innumerable tree trunks and other obstacles to navigation in the Agusan and Cotabato Rivers; the loss of the Ayala Bridge; and serious damage to the Zamboanga-San Ramon Road, as well as to municipal streets and roads in Zamboanga. The necessity for reconstruction of bridges, extensive repairs to roads and trails, and the removal of obstacles to navigation in the rivers, in which, together with the extraordinary expense in connection with the Overton-Keithley Road, seriously disarranged the public works program for 1916. However, the situation was met to the extent of necessary repairs to roads and trails, the reconstruction of the Ayala Bridge, and all other work necessary to reopen to traffic the navigable rivers and roads, except the large river crossings at Iligan, Mangima, and Kulaman, where there have been improvised fords and temporary bridges, which, however inadequate, have been the most that could be done within our limited financial means.

In case of several smaller rivers subject to great floods carrying tree trunks, which are so destructive to ordinary bridges, an entirely satisfactory solution appears to have been reached by the bureau of public works by placing substantial concrete roadways across the beds of the rivers, with small culvert tube openings permitting the ordinary flow of the river to pass entirely under the roadbed. This avoids the construction of bridges, always expensive, and assures a safe ford for animals and vehicles at all times except during extremely high water, which rarely lasts more than a few hours, following extraordinary downpour or so-called cloudbursts in mountains drained by these rivers.

There were constructed during the year 567 kilometers of telephone lines, extensions of lines of communications from secondary radio stations or extensions of telephone lines constructed in previous years. The following statement sets forth, by Provinces, approxi

mately, the telephone lines in operation on December 31, 1916, not including duplicate lines:

Due to the increase in cost of wire and other improved materials required for telephone construction, it was not possible during the year to carry forward this work to the extent contemplated and necessary to meet the urgent requirement of communication service between provincial capitals, the more important out stations of constabulary, and other centers of local public order control. Telephone lines when constructed are turned over to provincial governments for maintenance and operation. A monthly charge is made for each telephone instrument in use, whether for government or private service. To the revenues thus derived from telephone service—part of which is from government appropriations there are added by provincial governments sufficient sums from provincial general revenue account to meet the total expense of telephone maintenance, operation, and also betterments of the character of additional wires, switchboards, etc., on existing lines.

There is maintained in Zamboanga a municipal telephone system of the most modern type, the receipts of which not only meet all current expense but provide a surplus fully adequate to provide for depreciation, local betterments, and extensions, and other charges which enter into standard commercial telephone accounts. This telephone system has been financed by the local government, and its central station is utilized in the service of provincial lines extending from the limits of the municipal telephone system.

There should be constructed during 1917 at least 250 kilometers of telephone lines for reasons of public order to connect constabulary stations in the interior of the Provinces of Agusan, Bukidnon, Cotabato, and Davao, as well as some small extensions in the remaining Provinces. The initial cost of telephone lines, including necessary clearings through forest and provision of hardwood poles, was P200 per kilometer, but continued increases in the cost of imported materials render it impossible at this time to make a fairly accurate estimate.

Special importance must be given to potable water supplies-at least in the larger centers of population, which, as a rule, are located at coast points on very low land or tidal flats. In the towns of Zamboanga and Jolo especially the water supply has always been a constant menace to the health of these communities and water-borne diseases, especially dysentery, have often assumed the proportions of serious epidemics. However, after extensive and thorough investigations, a potable water supply by gravity was determined upon for Zamboanga, and one employing hydraulic rams for Jolo. Funds at that time (1914) sufficient were provided for the Zamboanga

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project and the necessary detailed plans were in due course completed and materials ordered. However, before the material could be purchased in the United States and shipped, the great increases in factory costs and ocean freight caused by the European war correspondingly increased the unavoidable total costs of the completed project with resulting necessity for additional funds, the lack of which has postponed the completion of the project until some time after December 31, 1916. If funds be available, it is anticipated that the work may be concluded in April, 1917. Similar increased expenses and delays have occurred in the case of the Jolo project. Both these projects are of the most urgent importance.

There was completed during the year the water supply for the town of Parang and other minor projects, including artesian wells at other points in the Province, as stated elsewhere in this report under title 9, public health.

The removal of obstacles to navigation of rivers has been accomplished successfully during the year in so far as concerned tree trunks and other forest growth deposited by floods in the Agusan and Cotabato Rivers and several minor streams which have very important though shorter navigable channels. This work has been done in part by voluntary labor and with the extremely low cash expenditure by the government of less than 10,000.

It is of urgent importance that the bars at the mouths of the Agusan and Cotabato Rivers be opened by dredging to permit the entrance of coastwise vessels as formerly to the river ports of Butuan and Cotabato. These bars are located where the river channels emerge into the ocean through tidal flats and where it is entirely impracticable to locate the warehouses and other commercial facilities existing and long established at the ports of Butuan and Cotabato. There is no other obstacle to navigation, existing or to be anticipated, between the bars and the long-established ports named. It appears to be the consensus of opinion of all the engineers who have made investigations that but a small amount of work is necessary to reopen these bars and that they could probably be kept opened permanently, at least that at the mouth of Cotabato River, by an inexpensive jetty construction, which, due to the topography of the lower valley, the delta, and this mouth of the Cotabato River, would not be in danger of serious damage from even extraordinary floods. The depth of the ocean immediately outside the bar is so great as to assure the certainty of navigable channel maintenance by small jetties extending from above to a sufficient distance across the bar. This project should receive immediate attention and action. Further investigations should be made and plan of action decided upon for the opening of the bar at the mouth of the Agusan River. Both these rivers, with their tributaries, afford navigable waterways aggregating several hundred kilometers in length and represent a corresponding avoidance of expenditures of funds for road and trail construction. The cost of opening and maintaining channels through the bars at the mouths of these rivers and the annual removal of tree trunks and other recurring obstacles of similar character in the upper reaches of these rivers and in their tributaries combined, represents an annual cost much less than that of road and trail maintenance for corresponding mileage. Small rivers which are navigable for shorter dis

tances, such as the Davao, Lamitan, and a few others, urgently need a small sum, probably not exceeding four or five thousand pesos in each case, for improvement by reopening entrances for steam launches and other craft. This will afford not only conveniences for embarkation and disembarkation of passengers and cargo, but the entrance of small vessels for refuge from storms and for safe anchorage needed at other times.

The improvement of ports and landing facilities is of much immediate importance because of the great dependence of agricultural development and transportation facilities on coastwise and river vessels. The most urgent port improvement is the project of the construction of a wharf on concrete piling at the port of entry at Zamboanga, where there is at present only a temporary timber wharf constructed many years ago for the loading and unloading of cargo. This wharf is so small and of strength so uncertain that ocean-going vessels may not come alongside to receive and discharge cargo. This fact, combined with hitherto comparatively small export cargo available for shipment from this port, has resulted in the established practice of shipping copra and hemp to Singapore or to north Philippine ports by small vessels, there to be transshipped on ocean-going vessels for European and American markets. The disproportionately high coastwise freights and the expense of extra loadings and unloadings have been borne by the producers, to the economic disadvantage of the Philippines. Prior to the beginning of the European war, the project of reconstruction and necessary extension of the wharf at Zamboanga was decided upon, plans and specifications prepared, funds provided, and materials ordered. Then followed the great increases in factory costs and ocean freights on imported material which constitute so large a factor in the cost of concrete wharf construction, and it is impossible without additional funds in the estimated amount of P40,000 to carry out this project, which provides only for the present actual needs of commerce at this port. Concrete piles have been cast and practically all other materials and equipment have been prepared and are now ready for use as soon as funds for labor and incidental expenses are available. Upon the announcement of definite approval of this wharf construction the large 500-foot steamers plying between Japan-China coast points and Australia via Manila put Zamboanga on their schedules, making their stops here at anchor near the wharf, but being obliged to use launches and lighters for passengers and cargo. One large oceangoing vessel of a line regularly plying between Manila, Cebu, and European points in the copra and hemp trade has recently included Zamboanga in its schedule, taking on here several hundred tons of copra which otherwise would necessarily have been transported to Singapore or north Philippine ports for transshipment. These and other large ocean-going vessels give assurance of desire to include Zamboanga permanently as a port of call, especially for cargo, if wharf facilities be provided enabling them to load quickly without incurring the heavy demurrage charges incident to the unavoidable delays of loading from lighters in the strong current which flows through Basilan Straits at this point. The rapid increase in agricultural production for export from southern Mindanao, of which Zamboanga is the port, strongly demands the conclusion of this

wharf project as soon as possible as a matter of general welfare of the Philippine Islands, especially the development of agriculture and commerce in this region, which the lack of coastwise vessels so severely handicaps both now and within the definite future.

The repair of the timber wharves at Jolo and Siasi and the construction and maintenance of small wharves affording landing facilities at minor ports on seacoasts, on Lake Lanao, and the navigable rivers have receivee attention where most urgently needed to the limit of the financial means of the department and the local governments. In addition to the funds required for the completion of the wharf at the port of Zamboanga at least P60,000 should be provided to meet the immediate needs for landing facilities at Iligan and minor ports. Not only is there great saving in expense to shippers and consequent increases in prices to producers but the efficiency and extent of service of the few available coastwise vessels is greatly increased by adequate provisions for the working of cargo by ships moored at wharf side as compared with the great amount of time as well as expense required in handling freight in small boats from shore to ship side. The saving in time results that the number of ports of call of coastwise vessels may obviously be increased by the provision of wharves, as has been demonstrated during the past year, especially at points on the Gulf of Davao where private capital has enabled a few of the plantation companies, singly or in groups, to provide their own wharves. Provision of private wharves, however, is not generally possible because of the lack of private capital available and disposed to investment of this character.

The construction and maintenance of public buildings have been restricted because of lack of funds to those absolutely necessary, and in type the use generally of materials of local productions to the greatest possible degree. No concrete building construction has occurred during the period of this report except the excellent concrete jail, for which materials were already on hand, was completed at Butuan by the provincial government early in the year. The Cotabato Public Hospital project, which is the most important building construction undertaken during the year, is now 75 per cent completed and should be finished early in 1917. This construction work could not longer be postponed, as the old building occupied was quite beyond possibility of repair and positively dangerous because of decay, having been constructed of lumber by the military garrison many years ago at Cotabato.

An additional war was completed and an operating room partially completed during 1916 for the Lanao Public Hospital. This hospital now has two wards and even with the facilities added during 1916 is entirely inadequate to meet the demands upon it. An old wooden and masonry building erected by the Spanish Government at Dapitan for public administrative purposes was repaired and necessary alterations made to permit its use temporarily by the Rizal Memorial Hospital which was created by Act No. 2663, dated June 19, 1916, of the Philippine Commission. A 12-bed ward is provided and other necessary facilities for the immediate operation of this hospital, which was inaugurated December 30, 1916. Small semipermanent buildings have been erected at inconsiderable cost to provide out-station or field hospitals (six beds each) at Glan and Mati;