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REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE AND POLICE.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND POLICE,

Manila, November 15, 1911. GENTLEMEN: I have the honor to submit the following report of the work of the department of commerce and police for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1911, unless otherwise stated.

The secretary of commerce and police has under his executive control the bureaus of constabulary, public works, navigation, posts, coast and geodetic survey, and labor, the offices of the consulting architect and the supervising railway expert, and the general supervision of all corporations other than building and loan associations, banks, and trust companies.

PHILIPPINE CONSTABULARY.

PERSONNEL.

Only one important change in the officers of the United States Army on detail with the constabulary was made during the fiscal year 1911. Capt. Charles E. Kilbourne, Coast Artillery Corps, detailed as inspector for constabulary, after two years of efficient service in that capacity, was, on April 16, 1911, relieved by order of the Secretary of War, in order to accept an assignment in the United States. Capt. J. W. Craig, Twelfth United States Cavalry, was detailed in his place.

STRENGTH.

The constabulary force has been steadily reduced during the past few years from a total of 7,500 officers and men to a total of 303 officers and 4,167 men on June 30, 1911.

This force is distributed throughout the islands in 119 stations, some of them remote, and is below the minimum which should be maintained. Petitions for additional constabulary from provincial and municipal officials during the year have been numerous, but in all cases have had to be refused because the men were not available.

A reasonable increase in the appropriation for the next fiscal year would enable the bureau to increase its forces to the extent that the most urgent of these calls might be met.

QUARANTINE SERVICE.

The use of such a large proportion of the force for quarantine duty has withdrawn them from the ordinary work of maintaining law and order, and in some localities an increase in petty crime and

misdemeanors is noticeable. During the year assistance has been rendered the bureau of health in quarantine work in 22 Provinces, and quarantine guards have been maintained to aid the bureau of agriculture in 26 Provinces.

MEDALS FOR VALOR.

Two officers and one noncommissioned officer were awarded medals for valor for conspicuous bravery in action against hostile Moros in February of this year.

JAIL AND ROAD REPORTS.

Efficient work has been done during the fiscal year in the making of reports on provincial and municipal jails and as to the condition of roads in the Provinces.

BARRACKS AND QUARTERS.

Each succeeding year, through the judicious expenditure of appropriations for the construction and maintenance of constabulary buildings, brings a steady improvement in the class of quarters furnished for officers and men. The strong and mixed material buildings which they occupy are kept in a good state of repair, and barracks and quarters of bamboo and other light materials which have had to suffice in some localities for a number of years are as rapidly as funds will permit being replaced with adequate structures of hard wood and concrete. Marked improvement in this line has been made in the Moro and Mountain Provinces during the past year. New buildings have been provided at Dansalan, in the district of Lanao, Moro Province, and at Bontoc, the capital of the Mountain Province.

In the latter place a brick kiln was established a few years ago, and the Igorots trained in this branch of masonry have furnished brick for the construction of some of these buildings.

TRANSPORTATION.

Heretofore provision has been made in the annual appropriation bills for the constabulary for renting two large launches from the bureau of navigation. These have proven inadequate to supply the need for large vessels in the parts of the islands where water transportation is essential, first, because of the size of the vessels obtainable by the funds allowed it is dangerous to send them to the unprotected Pacific coasts during the typhoon season, and the sphere of usefulness of the constabulary is thus restricted; second, the average length of time each of these vessels is laid up for repairs during the year may be placed at 30 days; and as there are no other boats of the same class available for relief duty, this causes inconvenience for at least one-twelfth of the year.

Provision should be made in the next appropriation bill for the employment of one large launch continuously in that part of the islands protected from heavy seas and one coast-guard cutter which may safely under normal conditions be used on the east coasts.

As much of the success of the constabulary is dependent upon its mobility, the number of small motor boats for short quick sea trips has been increased to the extent possible with the funds available. There are now 10 of these boats in service.

The increase in mileage of good roads has also made it possible for officers to cover much territory in a short time on motor cycles, and there were at the end of the fiscal year 11 of these machines in use.

PENSION AND RETIREMENT.

The pension and retirement fund, made up at present from a small monthly contribution by each officer and enlisted man, without aid from the Government, on January 1, 1911, amounted to 171,930.21. The annual income thereof is about 27,198, and the amount of pensions so far paid is approximately 14,433. There are on the pension rolls of the constabulary 62 persons, 32 as the result of deaths or wounds received in action and 30 for disabilities from other causes and illness contracted in line of duty. With the existing source of income and the natural increase in the amount which will become payable, the constabulary in 1921 will be in a position to pay for the retirement of but two officers a year for but 5 years, after which the outlay will exceed the income.

SALARIES AND RANK.

I concur in the recommendation of the director, that no more third lieutenants be appointed; all new officers to be commissioned second lieutenants, serving the first two years at the pay now given. third lieutenants, and receiving at the expiration of that time of service the regular pay of a second lieutenant. Such a step will make the service much more attractive to new officers, will provide for a promotion to those officers who apply themselves under local conditions for two years. and do away with the present somewhat unsatisfactory condition under which third lieutenants and second lieutenants receive the same rate of pay.

With the marked improvement in the efficiency of line officers in the constabulary during recent years, there has been no compensating increase in the standard of pay. It is recommended that the pay of captains be advanced from 3.400 to P3,600 per annum, that of first lieutenants from P2,800 to 3,000 per annum, and that the pay of second lieutenants be established at 2,400 during their first two years, and at the expiration of that time increased to P2,800, and that the grade of third lieutenant be abolished.

FIREARMS.

The number of firearms, licenses for the possession or carrying of which have been issued by the director of constabulary under Act No. 1780, decreased but 14 during the year. The number of arms. out on June 30, 1910, was 6,869, and on June 30, 1911, 6,855. Comparatively few licenses were revoked during the year, and the number of unlicensed arms taken up in the various Provinces, with the exception of the Mountain Province, was not large. In that Province, however, about 300 firearms, mostly of an obsolete type, were taken

up, largely through the efforts of the lieutenant governor of the Subprovince of Kalinga, who impressed upon his people the advisability of surrendering them to the Government. Most of these arms were obtained in the Subprovince of Kalinga and the eastern part of Bontoc, and all were surrendered peaceably.

LEGISLATION.

The only legislation directly applying to the constabulary during the first session of the second Legislature was Act No. 2060, which provides that in computing compensation for length of service or retirement pay to commissioned officers of the corps who have risen from the ranks, they shall be credited with the time during which they served as enlisted men. This act benefits only such Filipino officers as have risen from the ranks. It was formerly the custom in computing their length of service for the 10 per cent fogey provided by law for each five years not to take into account service rendered as privates and noncommissioned officers. This was manifestly unjust to men who had worked hard to obtain commissions, and was remedied by the above statute.

BUREAU OF PUBLIC WORKS.

PERSONNEL.

Mr. Clarence W. Hubbell was acting director of public works from the beginning of the fiscal year until October 17, 1910, on which date Mr. Warwick Greene, the director, returned from a leave of absence in the United States and resumed his duties.

The engineer corps averaged 110 engineers of all classes, with an average length of service of 2 years and 15 days, and an average annual salary of a little less than 4,000.

On June 30, 1911, the total number of employees of the bureau was 1,489, an increase of 27 per cent over the previous year. Of this number 563 were Americans and 925 Filipinos, an increase of 107 American and 211 Filipino employees.

GENERAL.

The large increase in the amount of work handled by the bureau, with the attendant increase in force, has made necessary the organization of a highly-perfected machine, each unit with its work specialized, and the whole working harmoniously with as much speed as is consistent with accuracy and economy. Great progress has been. made during the year in developing the bureau into an effective unit for the prompt completion of public works.

Economy has been brought about to a greater degree, I believe, than heretofore, through insistently directing the attention of engineers to engineering cost investigations, and valuation of completed work. Such investigations have been regularly made for the greater part of the organization units, including administration, engineering, and superintendence, and supervision percentages.

The total expenditure supervised by the bureau was P9,822,648.56. This includes all general office and maintenance of equipment ex

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