Yesterday and today in Manila's motor world

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Part of The American Chamber of Commerce Journal

Title: Yesterday and today in Manila's motor world
Language: English
Source: The American Chamber of Commerce Journal Volume 6 (No. 7) July 1926
Year: 1926
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Fulltext: THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL July, 192G Yesterday and Today in Manila’s Motor World Martin Egan Owned a Ford: Romulo Owns Packard Stepping back sixteen years into the motor past of Manila and picking up a dis carded copy, at the Hixon auction, of the “Manila Motor Car Directory” by Percy Warner Tinan, one finds that in 1910, when the directory was issued, there were but 308 motor cars registered in Manila, most of them by government bureaus and by dealers. Two Buicks were registered, both by the dealer, 'E. M. Bachrach, though it seems that ten had come into the market. Sixty makes of cars were in use, half of them represented by a single car. Richard Brasiers stood at the top, 61 cars. The agents were the Estrella Auto Palace, who also had the Renault, Delahaye, Regal and Hupmobile agencies. Tinan sold the Win ton Six, for P6.000, and boasted the only self-starting car in the field. “Cranking belongs to hand organs,” he advertised. There were seven Wintons in Manila. Bachrach sold Fords and Rapid trucks as well as Buick cars. One Rapid truck was busily competing with the carabao cart and finding the going hard; but Fords had already won their preeminence: Martin Egan, editor of the Manila Times, owned and drove one, and fifty other Manilans were in the same proud class. Times change. Local newspaper circles envy the editor of the Tribune, Carlos P. Romulo, his handsome Packard. In 1910 there was but one Packard in Manila; it was owned by Governor -General W. Cameron Forbes, who also had six Stanleys and one Brasier. Forbes’ battery of cars topped the present Malacanang list by two. Governor Gen eral Leonard Wood gets along with five cars only, one Haynes, one Pierce-Arrow, one Packard and two Hudsons. Tinan published a proud list of 301.cars, of sixty different makes, “in operation on August 15, 1910.” Aside from the dealers themselves, few names appear among car owners of that year that are well known today. Men who own half a dozen cars now owned none then. Former Justice F. C. Fisher is an exception; he was abreast of the times and owned a Reo—“the mighty Reo, four cylinder, 30 horsepower: 50 miles an hour. The peer of any P7.0000 car in power, endurance and appearance. Com plete with top and windshield (accessories then!) P3,200.” Here is how Justice Fisher's car looked: Henry Ford had of course gotten well into his stride in the manufacture of cars for the people, but the multiple-production American car that was to conquer the world market was in the making; whereas hardly a foreign car is now seen in the islands, then there were many, and cars of the most popular makes now on the market were then scarcely seen at all. Eduardo Gu tierrez Repide owned the only Studebaker in town, a car of eight horsepower. Dr. H. D. Kneedler had a Brush, of 12 horse power; Maurice F. Lowenstein an E. M. F., of 30 horsepower; and Colonel J. G. Harbord (now Major General) a Maxwell, of 14 horsepower. The Flanders “20” was advertised as THE Runabout. It looked like the illus tration and had four cylinders and a 100inch wheelbase. It could be bought with a “surrey” seat if desired. E. C. McCul lough & Company were the agents, and told the world that “a little Flanders recently completed a trip from Quebec to Mexico City without a hitch, just to show that a runabout is not necessarily a runabout,” whatever cryptic significance this may have had to the covetous public. This public in the Philippines was await ing the day when America needed more vegetal fats and tropical hard fiber, would offer a better market to the islands and would, above all else, apply her mechanical skill, and genius for getting this skill and capital together, for the making of motor cars cheap. For who could then afford them? The garages announced cars for hire at eight and ten pesos the hour! At torney Charles A. McDonough, secretary treasurer of the Philippine Motor Car Company, had Wintons at eight pesos the hour. The American multiple-production car came, in the course of time, and the, for eign cars retired from the field just when it was commencing to be worthwhile. There are 20,000 and more motor vehicles licensed in the Philippines today; and more, combining the utmost luxury and utility, are to be had by the purse with a few extra pesos in it each month. Perhaps the girls of the vaudeville stage set the fashion to native women in the Philippines in driving their own cars. They bought, got the knack of the thing and their licen ses, and introduced another phase into the July, 1926 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 7 colorful social atmosphere of this most cosmopolitan and strangest of all American cities. The American woman had, of course, been driving; the Gallarza-Loriga visit has stimulated the desire to drive among Spanish girls. Four hundred women are licensed to drive automobiles in the Philippines. More women own and drive their own cars in Manila than equal the total number of cars in the city sixteen years ago, when the famous guidebook was published. Five women operate cars as public utili ties : they compete at the stands for patron age, along with the men. The bureau of public works reports that women are suc cessful drivers; they have fewer accidents than men halve, whether this is due to quicker perception or to gallantry that gives them the right-of-way could never be determined and need not be discussed. Josefa Servillas, a Visayana in Suri gao, was the first Filipino girl licen sed to operate a car as a public utility. She drives a Ford truck converted in to a passenger coach. She obtained her student’s license in 1922, later passed the required exami nation with a mark of 80 per cent and has never had an ac cident in her daily driving over trying roads ever since. It is too well known to require repetition that the Philippines sur pass all the rest of the far east, including Australia and tossing in Alaska as good measure, as a market for American auto mobiles. There are more than 22,000 licensed drivers in the islands, and, as stated, more than 20,000 licensed motor vehicles. The license and registration col lections up to June 26 at the bureau of public works were P811,175.36, as against P798.438.62 for the full 12 months last year. There is every sign that sales will keep well up during the remainder of the year and that 1925 marked the opening of a new epoch in the trade. The college girl has begun to luxuriate in a car of her own. Among the more than 300 women licensed to drive in Ma nila, many are coeds; and the Philippine Women’s College is in the lead, having fourteen students and faculty members with their own cars and their own pri vilege to display them on the boulevards. Mrs. Conrado Benitez and Miss Ramona Tirona each have their own car, and drive them. This comment will, of course, pass into history just as Tinan’s guidebook did. We pick up the historical paragraph from the guidebook for the sake of continuity: “The first automobile was imported into the Philippines in 1901 by Estrella del Norte and sold to Dr. Miciano, who still owns it. The car was a little 3*/•> horse power, single cylinder, wire-wheel Richard Brasier. From this small beginning nine years ago (writing in 1910) the auto mobile business has grown to the recent importation by this same firm of the hand some six cylinder 60 horsepower, ten pas senger Brasier limousine, originally built for an Indian rajah and valued at P15.000. The first Renault arrived in 1904 and was sold to Sr. Benito Legarda. The date of the first American car in the islands, ..a Locomobile steamer, does not appear clear. The first importer to launch American cars was E. M. Bachrach, with the Ford in 1907, followed in 1909 with the Buick. Percy Warner Tinan sold the first high priced American cars in 1908, viz.: four Wintons to the Philippine Motor Car Co., followed in 1909 by Thomas Flyers, sold to Wm. Van Buskirk. The year 1910 saw a sudden impetus to the business.” With all the stir in the motor market, naturally business is rising to its oppor tunities. The Manila Trading and Supply Company, Ford and Lincoln agents, is erect ing another building adjscent to and larger than its present one on the port area. The Pacific Commercial Company relinquishes the Buick agency it has held for so many years and is preparing to handle no less than four General Motors cars, the Chev rolet, the Oakland, the Pontiac and “GMC” trucks. The arrangements were effected by the company’s president, Mr. H. L. Pond, on his visit to the United States. Poth the company’s present show rooms and its shops are being enlarged to accomodate its expanding patronage and provide the serv ice required. Hilton Carson has gone with his wide experience and knowledge of the automobile business of the islands to the management of the Philippines Motors Corporation, which has the Auburn and Studebaker agencies. The shops and showrooms remain on Ongpin. Mr. Carson retains his owner ship of the Auto Trucking company but places it under other management so as to devote his whole time to his new post. Other changes and improvements were imminent at time of closing the forms for July. Com ment must go over to a later date.