Coast and geodetic completing Palawan survey

Title

Language

English

Source

The American Chamber of Commerce Journal Volume XIII (No. 10) October 1933

Year

1933

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

October, 1933 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 17 Coast and Geodetic Completing Palawan Survey Closing gaps here and there on first survey work and ren dering important harbor service on about ^550,000 a year The long coastline of the Philippines, far more extensive than that of the United States mainland, has been under primary survey by the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in cooperation with the Philippine government since 1902, while some work was done in 1900 and 1901 by the United States alone. On this work the United States has spent P10,523,446 and the Philippines P7,285,680, a total of P17,809,l20 in 31 years and an average of 1*574,486. Twenty-five Americans were employed Commander R. F. Luce last year in the coast and geodetic survey bureau, and 235 Filipinos, a total of 260 divided into an office personnel of 6 Americans and 50 Filipinos, a crew on the Pathfinder of 9 Americans and 85 Filipinos, a crew on the Fathomer of 6 Americans and 50 Filipinos, and a crew on the Marinduque (since decom missioned and the crew discharged) of 4 Americans and 50 Filipinos. The expense of the United States last year for the coast and geodetic survey bureau was P368.584, and of the Philippines P271,752, a total of F640,335 expended in this great boon to local and foreign shipping and commerce in which the work goes along so smoothly and so well that notice is hardly taken of the time when one director returns to the United States and another comes to Manila to take his place. Commander R. F. Luce, present director of the bureau, records some valuable every-day phases of the bureau’s work. Areas of the archipelago he says have not yet been charted “include most of the west coast of Palawan, an important section on the. west coast of Luzon in the vicinity of Cape Bojeador, a large area on the east coast of Luzon north of Palanan bay, and a large section of the southwestern end of the Sulu sea, extending from Palawan to Sibutu island.” Least important areas have been left to the last, but growing lumbering interests on Palawan recommend early completion of the surveys there. The primary survey will have to be supplemented with others, all the time, “no nation has ever made a final survey of its waters, and it is not believed the Philippines, with their extensive coastline and water area, and depending as they do to so great an extent upon water transportation, can safely avoid the necessity for carrying on more or less continuously the survey of their coasts and wa ters.” Thus when first surveys were made certain regions of Philip pine coastal waters were of little commercial importance, and have since become important, so new surveys are already in order for them. Then too, ordinary sounding methods don’t infallibly reveal shallowest depths, they do not assure that all hidden dangers have been accurately charted. The wire drag method, keeping a horizontal wire at a fixed depth between launches at the wire’s ends, has been introduced from the United States to disclose hazards, such as reef elevations, that ordinary soundings may have left concealed. This has only been used at the entrance to Manila bay, completion of the primary survey being judged of first importance. The bureau now publishes 154 different mariner’s charts of the Philippines; these are corrected up-to-date, by hand, before being issued. Field survey sheets are often issued in lieu of charts not yet completed. The bureau also issues 15 large scale sectional topographic maps of the Philippines, and 1 general map of the islands. Now airway maps are being called for, a series is being made. The bureau’s triangulation of the islands, in effecting its own surveys, provides infallible points facilitating accuracy of land surveys, cadastral surveys particularly. The bureau publishes notices to mariners trimonthly, that mariners may keep their charts corrected up to date. Manila harbor is sounded at least every three months, and corrected data regularly furnished all concerned. Wire dragging at other ports is projected for the near future, at the approaches of main Bisayan ports, between Panay, Negros and Masbate where many reefs occur, and in the Bisayan sea. Junius Wood Writes “It is surprising that Manila has taken such a nonchalant don’t-care attitude towards these little coral islands which once belonged to the sultan of Sulu and over which Japan and France now are wrangling. As Japan has tried to mine phosphate there and failed financially and France says she wants them to put up lighthouses for ships that never pass that way, the logical guess at the real reason for wanting them is that they may be used for seaplane, possibly submarine, bases. They are only 150 miles west of Pala wan. Japan demands them as her life-line, just as tne mandated islands with Palau, 500 miles east of Mindanao with a good Japanese colony at Davao, is also her life-line. As the first group, their largest pair named Deux Iles, is S50 miles south of Formosa, present southern tip of the Empire, the useful need for such a life line is to get the Philippines when they become independent. Nothing like being prepared. Also Japan claims another group, the Paracels, which she will no doubt get, midway between the first group, now occupied bv France, and Hainan island." Junius B. Wood, writer of the above, is a keen observer of international affairs. He is on the foreign news staff of the Chicago Daily Xeu-.s and has been in Tokio during the past two years for his paper. The Journal thinks the opinion quite widespread here that if American MANCHURIAN RAILWAY GAINS BIG The balance sheet of the Manchurian railway for the year ended March 31 shows a net profit of Yen (>1,237,725 for the year, with a balance from the previous year making it up to Yen (>7,119,763. Current assets were Yen 140,775,392 of which Yen 72,905,345 was cash in banks. Capital includes 1,400,000 shares held by the Japanese imperial government and an equal number bv the oublic, Yen 4,400,000 stated value, and bonds Yen 39,052,000 issued abroad and Yen 350,475,000 issued in Japan. Deposits include items strange were they to jiertain to the Philippines: employes' savings Yen S,347,021, employes' surety deposits Yen 45,057,305. employes' mutual relief society deposits Yen 4,003,273, subsidiary companies’ deposits Yen 02,025,129. These subsidiaries round out this railroad as one of the great indus trial enterprises of the world: hotels, collieries, harbors anil wharves, oil distilleries, blast furnaces, etc. The vear's expenditures on the railroad were Yen 33, 405,233, income Yen 103,340,512. The bla-t. furnaces lost Yen 3,900,202 during’ the year, and the other industrial ven tures paid. sovereignty is withdrawn Irom the Philippines the islands will come under the hegemony of Japan, fall into Japan's sphere of influence, as a matter of course. — IF. R. FOURTEEN MANDARINS IN MANILA One of the most exclusive and unusual veterans’ organizations in the world is the Imperial Order of the Dragon. Only those who served in the China relief expedition in 1900-1901, under the American Flag, are eligible to membership, although honorary memberships may be con ferred upon newspaper correspondents and civilian employes who were actually within the zone of American military operations, and with the expedition. There are less. than a thousand members in the I. O. />.,but the number is increasing. Member ship is hereditary, passing from father to eldest son. There are fourteen Mandarins in the Philip pines. They are: Captain John L. Headington, Department Governor for the Orient; John B. Diedrich, Provincial Viceroy of the Philippines; William S. Abel, Fred C. Barron, B. II. Berkenkotter, John T. Pickett, Henry C. Powers, Edward G. Redline, Julius 8. Reis, L. B. Robin son, Michael Ryan, Abram Vrooinan, David Walstrom and Eugene Walter.

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