Thence to Santo Tomas, 4,100 cubic yards solid rock, at 85 cents BRIDGING. Masonry, 16,223 cubic yards, at $7 Excavation for masonry, 8,110 cubic yards, at 50 cents.. Creosoted timber deck for steel bridges, 670 linear feet, at $167.74 per 100 TRACK. Rail, 6,507 tons, at $35.75.. Ballasting, 69 miles, at $800... Sidings, complete, 4 per cent of length of main line, 2.8 miles, at $9,480.. Water service, 5 stations complete, at $2,000 Total NORTH COAST LINE. United States currency. $3,485 31,500 103,500 5,175 113, 561 4,055 15,086 49, 110 1, 124 232,625 21, 937 2,560 11,390 182, 160 17, 250 3, 450 55, 200 26, 544 11,040 10,000 1,097, 457 Reconnaissance was made via this route from Aparri to Laoag. Line from Aparri west could be built very cheaply as far as Claveria, probably not more than $12,000. per mile. A line beyond Claveria, however, would be almost impracticable on account of the huge cost of the first 20 miles. The mountains rise from the sea for almost the entire distance, and many points are so narrow and precipitous that tunnels would be needed. This line is considered entirely out of the question, as its cost for grading alone would be $150,000 per mile, or more. If at any time in the future a line is desired across the island from east to west, the most feasible route would be up the Rio Chico de Cagayan to its head, thence across to the headwaters of the Abra River, and so down to Vigan on the west coast. SAN NICOLAS PASS. It was hoped this pass would prove to be enough easier than the Caraballo to warrant diverting the Manila-Aparri line thereto, but the reverse is the case, as it would require a longer tunnel than the Caraballo. The approaching southern valley is narrow and badly cut up with ravines. Did not go to the summit of the pass, but far enough up to make sure of the foregoing facts. Estimated height of pass, 4,000 feet above sea level. FOLLOWING APPLIES TO ALL LINES. Labor. This is by far the most important question in connection with the construction of railways. The average native laborer of Luzon does not take kindly to any sort of work except planting, and harvesting rice and fishing. An increase in rate of wages does not stimulate him to earn more money, but to put in less time. He is averse to hard manual labor, and to working regular hours under direction of a foreman. The labor supply has been reduced by war and pestilence, and what exists is composed of men that are undersized, and weak as compared with the laborer of other countries. There is no possibility of building the proposed lines of railway or any of them within a reasonable length of time except by the importation of Chinese or other foreign labor. A measure that would aid to some extent would be the passage of a law requiring all able-bodied men residing within a given distance of proposed lines to work a certain number of days per month or year on their con struction, receiving a fair wage for so doing. Some of the government railways of Central America were largely built by laborers of this class, and there was a constantly increasing number of them who remained voluntarily on the works after having served their allotted time. Estimates have been based upon the completion of the three lines within three years after commencement of actual construction, which will undoubtedly require foreign labor. Without such labor the prices given will not apply, as dragging the construction over five or ten years of time would so largely increase the administrative expense and interest charges. Masonry.-Estimates have been made for masonry culverts and bridge foundations laid with cement mortar. Where stone is not to be had within reasonable distance, concrete can usually be made of river gravel. In some places, where neither can be obtained within reasonable distance, it might pay to burn brick. Bridges.-Timber trestles should be used wherever circumstances will permit and steel bridges only where absolutely necessary. Trestles should be of creosoted timber throughout, piles impregnated with 14 and other timber with 10 pounds to the cubic foot. Estimate has been made on this basis. Native timber is not to be had near any of the lines except at the Caraballo Pass, on the Manila-Aparri line. Creosoted timber from American Pacific coast ports will probably be found cheaper than native hard woods, and native soft woods are out of the question, except for temporary false work, where they might be used to advantage when procurable. Track and roadbed.-Estimate has been made for standard gauge of 4 feet 84 inches, 60-pound steel rail with 2-foot angle-bar joints, and roadbed of 16 feet on fills and 20 feet on cutting. Ties.-Track ties should be 8 feet 6 inches long and 7 by 9 inches in section. Bridge ties should be 10 feet long and 8 by 8 inches in section. Both should be creosoted with 10 pounds to the cubic foot to withstand climate and insects. Ties from American Pacific coast ports are recommended. Estimate has been made on foregoing basis. Native hard-wood ties might be better, but would cost more, even if the labor to cut and get them out in time were to be had, which is hardly possible. There is a possibility that it might be better to import Australian hardwood ties, but can not give price on them. In computing cost of construction material it is assumed that all will enter free of customs charges. All prices in this report and estimate refer to United States currency. Mr. C. D. Drew, assistant chief engineer, has been a valuable assistant throughout, not only in collecting data in the field, but in preparing report and estimates. If any credit is due for the manner in which work has been done he is entitled to a full share in same. Respectfully submitted. J. T. NORTON, Chief Civil Engineer. EXHIBIT Q. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE EXPOSITION BOARD. President Roosevelt, Secretary of War Root, and Governor William H. Taft, while in the United States, decided, after a conference in the spring of 1902, that the Philippine insular government should devote at least the sum of $250,000 to the preparation of a thoroughly creditable exhibit for the world's fair in St. Louis. Before Governor Taft returned to the Philippine Islands, he, anxious to secure a decided success, endeavored to increase the mentioned amount by soliciting assistance from the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company, which was just at much interested as the insular government in making the Philippine exhibit the feature of the world's fair. He succeeded in having promised to him an allotment of $100,000. The Philippine Commission soon after passed the following resolution: "The question of the amount to be appropriated by the Philippine government for exposition purposes at the world's fair in St. Louis in 1904 having been raised by the president and the matter having been discussed at some length by the Commission, it was agreed that at least $250,000 in money of the United States should be appropriated, and the president was directed to cable this fact to the United States, together with the request for a competent man to come to the islands to prepare such an exhibit, with a promise on the part of the Commission of a further appropriation should the conditions upon investigation seem to demand an increase. At about that time Hon. John Barrett, commissioner-general to Asia and Australia for the St. Louis world's fair, came to these islands to interest Filipinos and Americans in a comprehensive participation of the Philippine Archipelego. In one of his speeches he illustrated characteristically the responsibility of a world's fair expert called to assist the insular government in making a creditable showing, by saying: "There is soon coming out from America in the person of Doctor Niederlein, connected with the Philadelphia Museums, a competent expert, who will take general charge of the Philippine participation, who was selected only after careful consideration of the available men, and I believe he will meet your expectations. With him will be associated one or more representative Filipinos; but to make sure that the exhibits from the Archipelago represent all interests, I would urge upon you business men to select from your number a committee to cooperate with the government commission. Let these men be those who will be unselfish and work for the general good of the business community and not for their individual interests. A great deal will depend upon that characteristic." In a similar way Professor Lyon expressed himself in the following sentences: "The Commission has engaged the services of Mr. Niederlein, an expert in world expositions, who will shortly arrive in Manila to assist in perfecting arrangements in connection with this very important undertaking. We say assist, advisedly, for the reason that should he possess an experience of a thousand years of expositions he could do nothing creditable without the intelligent and earnest cooperation of the citizens of these islands." Mr. Niederlein, chief of the scientific department of the Philadelphia Museums, former commissioner of the Argentine Government for the Paris, Chicago, and Atlanta expositions, vice-president of the French colonial exhibition at the PanAmerican Exposition at Buffalo, etc., who shortly before had reestablished the French Colonial Museum in Paris, now called "Museé Commercial de l'Office Colonial du Ministère des Colonies" in the Palais Royal, was called by cable on August 29 as special commissioner for the Philippine exhibits at the world's fair in St. Louis. He presented on his arrival in Manila a plan of work to the Philippine Civil Commission, a copy of which is hereto attached, proposing in the same at the same time the establishment of a museum and the holding of a preliminary exposition, besides the founding of a Philippine academy or institute of science, art, commerce, and industry, which would unite prominent professional men, government officials, offi cers, teachers, priests, economists, and men of science and art, as well as men prominent in business and trade, agriculture and mining, to cooperate in making a full exploration of the Philippine Islands, and in that way collaborate for a brilliant Philippine display of the resources and economic and social conditions of this Archipelago. He also had prepared the necessary instructions and information for collecting successfully and preparing and shipping properly the expected exhibits. Governor Taft issued on November 8 a circular letter to all the bureaus and the chiefs of bureaus of the insular government; to all provincial governors and other provincial officers, and to all municipal officers of municipalities in the Philippine Islands, requesting them to assist Mr. Niederlein in every possible way as commissioner of the insular government, having chief charge of the exhibits in the Philippine Islands. The enactment, number 514, creating "a commission to secure, organize, and make an exhibit of Philippine products, manufacture, art, ethnology, and education at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition,' was made November 11, 1902, which set aside $250,000 United States currency for that purpose. Two days later Gustavo Niederlein and Pedro A. Paterno were appointed members of the exposition board, with Mr. Leon M. Guerrero as secretary. The first session of the exposition board was held November 17, when the first employees, Mr. George P. Linden, Mr. A. E. Escamilla, and Miss Emma R. Ross, were appointed as curator, interpreter, and assistant secretary and stenographer, respectively. The first resolutions referred to the publishing of instructions, information, and classification, and their translation into Spanish, Tagalog, Visayan, Ilocano, Vicol, Pampanga, and Pangasinan dialects. It might here be stated that up to date 51,500 of such pamphlets were printed and gradually distributed all over the islands. The exposition board then, also, started a number of circular letters, which now in all number over 116,000 copies, of which about 13,000 copies were in English, 98,500 in Spanish, and 5,000 in Tagalog. In one of the first meetings it was decided to issue posters also in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Visayan, Vicol, Ilocano, Pampanga, and Pangasinan, in all, 20,000, setting forth the purposes of the exposition and the desires and instructions of the exposition board. Afterwards these were equally distributed among the numerous committees gradually appointed throughout the Archipelago, and of which a list is here attached. These posters were made in imitation of world's fair posters, having the pictures of President McKinley and President Roosevelt, Jefferson, and Napoleon, Rizal, and Governor Taft. The same design was applied to 3,000 diplomas of grateful recognition, on which were the following words: "The Philippine exposition board for the St. Louis Universal Exhibition of 1904, has the honor to award this diploma of grateful recognition to for the receipt of his valuable contribution to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904, the preliminary exposition to be held in Manila in 1903, the permanent museum of Philippine products in the capital of these islands, and to tender its thanks to him for the aid thus rendered in promoting the object of the Philippine government for the welfare and progress of these islands. The work of the exposition board began in the Santa Potenciana building, but after about two weeks in those offices the board removed to the ayuntamiento, and at about that time, also, the chairman of the board, Dr. William P. Wilson, director of the Philadelphia Commercial Museum, and the disbursing officer, Mr. Carson Taylor, were appointed. In the ayuntamiento the basis of success was laid. The members of the board here came into closer contact, first, with the members of the Civil Commission and heads of bureaus interested in the exposition work; and, second, with all the provincial governors, who had been purposely called to Manila to be instructed for the census work under the direction of Gen. J. P. Sanger. When the board began its real work it found itself nearly deprived of the liberty of action necessary for a rapid success in a limited time. In order not to disorganize the established government organizations, the board had to comply with the rules with respect to the insular purchasing agent, as well as with the rules of the auditor. But, besides, much to the detriment of a decided success, the provincial and municipal boards were not empowered to vote money for collections of exhibits in their territories, so the most effective way of obtaining exhibits was closed. Nor was the amount of $100,000 appropriated, which the provincial governors had unanimously requested from the Philippine Civil Commission, in order to overcome the immense difficulties against successful work in their provinces, produced by rinderpest, surra, cholera, and locusts, ladronism, and the consequences of former revolutions. The exposition board states with pleasure that, with all these adverse circumstances which obliged it to depend for a long time upon voluntary contributions, it had success; and, that it owes much of its results to the exceptionally disinterested col laboration of many of the provincial governors and municipal committees. The Filipino people have given by this exposition work a good proof of their high-spirited patriotic pride which has induced them, in the midst of extreme misery, to make a supreme sacrifice in order that the resources and conditions of their country might appear in a dignified manner before the civilized world. While in the ayuntamiento the propaganda work started and all necessary preparations for success were made, the positive work began when the board moved at the beginning of the new year from the ayuntamiento to its present premises, Calle General Solano, No. 384, San Miguel, which the government first intended to purchase, but finally rented. Here the permanent museum of the exposition board commenced and the previously mentioned pamphlets and circular letters were largely distributed. In order to give an idea of the board's correspondence and general propaganda work, we might mention that outside of the enumerated pamphlets and circulars, 50,000 letter heads and 15,000 second sheets, 111,600 envelopes, over 102,000 cards, and 18,000 printed labels were used. The employees of the exposition board worked hard and are entitled to high praise for the faithful work done throughout the year without interruption. The principal propaganda had to be done, and was done, during the first three months, the necessary and abundant transportation and representation charges running at Doctor Niederlien's expense. Besides the mentioned circular letters and pamphlets sent to persons and organizations and to every respectable concern in the directory, a number of committees were called into life, some dying soon after, while others developed. Soon the system of contracts and of sending out of special collectors had to be adopted. With special permission of the civil governor, the first contracts and agreements were made with government departments, particularly with bureaus of the department of the interior, and large credits were opened to the same for important collections to be handed over to the exposition board in a given time. Of these we might mention those with Capt. George P. Ahern, chief of the forestry bureau; Doctor Lamson-Scribner, chief of the bureau of agriculture; Father Algué, director of the weather bureau; and the chief of the bureau of non-Christian tribes, who among other things promised for the exposition an album of all the types of the existing tribes. Also collectors, such as Mr. Albert P. Wright, Mr. John S. Gillies, and Mr. Valentine Wilson, were engaged to go into the provinces to obtain proper exhibits, while, at the same time, instructing the people and the committees how to aid intelligently the exposition board in its earnest endeavors toward a rich, worthy, and complete exhibit of the resources and conditions of the Philippine Islands. The insular government had made the collecting of exhibits as easy as possible by exempting exhibitors from taxes on exhibits and by even allowing free postage for packages up to 4 pounds; by granting free telegraph privileges and free transportation on United States Army transports and coast-guard vessels. The efforts of the board to induce the foreign shipping firms and the Manila-Dagupan Railway to give free transportation to exposition material were crowned with the most gratifying results. The expectations for the Philippine Academy of Sciences were, however, not fulfilled; scarcely half a dozen of the invited professional men, among them Bishop Brent and Doctor Ottofy, helped to collaborate or offered their services. Similar failures attended the first committee of art and of Philippine literature under the presidency of Professor Zulueta, as well as, with few exceptions, the women's committees and the press committees. El Mercantil criticised the failure of a Philippine press committee in a rather unfair and drastic way, stating that "There is not yet a true press in the Philippine Islands because there are no journalists in a true and intimate professional sense, for lack of moral force, recognition of mutual duty, spirit of solidarity, and courage of sacrifice." In the same category fell at first our endeavors with the American, Manila, Spanish, and Chinese chambers of commerce. At the beginning even the most hearty support given by the American, Filipino, and Spanish press was of no practicable result. Editorials like this, "In order to achieve results everyone who can aid and render and furnish services must give with no stinting hand, of his time and labor, and do what in him lies, encouraging the board and facilitating its work. Only in this way can the Philippine exhibit at the world's fair be truly representative and most thoroughly and widely successful," were of no avail. As stated above, the best results were obtained in the provinces, due principally to the governors who had assembled in Manila and were first made acquainted with the exposition work at the official reception in the ayuntamiento, December 15, through the speech of Mr. Niederlein, hereto attached, and afterwards, on December 19, in the office of the exposition board, where special instructions and a mass of litera |