the chief center of trade for the chief article of export from the Philippine Islands— hemp.

All ports show slight increases in expenditures except Iloilo, which shows a decrease of $9,200.38.

The total increase in expenditures for the fiscal year 1903, for all ports, aggregates $54,497.51, while the increase of receipts for the same period aggregates $604,773.25. Statement of Chinese arriving at and departing from the port of Manila during the calendar years 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, and first six months of 1903.

Statement of Chinese arriving at and departing from ports in the Philippine Islands during the period of American occupation to June 30, 1903.

Total number of immigrants of all nationalities arrived during the fiscal year 1902, 30,094. Total number of immigrants of all nationalities arrived during the fiscal year 1903, 24,096. No record for period previous to January 1, 1899. Departures do not include Chinese rejected and refused landing, but only such as received certificates of residence through the immigration division. Statement of immigrants arriving in the Philippine Islands during the period from July 1, 1902, to September 1, 1903.

Statement of licenses issued at the port of Manila, P. I., showing the tonnage of each class with number of certificate of protection issued at different entry ports in the Philippine Islands, during the period between January 1, 1900, and June 30, 1903.

Statement of licenses issued at the port of Manila, P. I., etc.-Continued.

Certificates of protection issued in the Philippine Islands from January, 1900, to June 30, 1903.

Comparative summary of vessels doing the carrying trade for the Philippine Islands during the two fiscal years ending June 30, 1903, by countries.

Transports owned or chartered by the United States Government not included.

VESSELS DOING THE CARRYING TRADE.

The foregoing comparative statement of vessels doing the carrying trade between the Philippine Islands and foreign ports during the past two fiscal years is not without interest.

In the import trade English vessels have suffered a loss of nearly 50 per cent. English vessels have carried nearly all the silver coin imported, and the imports of silver coin being very heavy in 1902 and extremely light in 1903, the trade of English vessels viewed from the value standpoint, is naturally more affected by that cause than are all other vessels combined. From the same cause the total volume of import values is naturally reduced.

Norwegian, German, French, Dutch, and "All other" vessels show substantial gains, while American and Spanish vessels are about in the same position that they were in the last previous year. The vessels credited as “All other" are nearly all Japanese, which vessels are beginning to compete quite actively for the foreign carrying trade of the Philippine Islands.

In the export trade British vessels show a marked gain over the figures for the previous year, but here again the item of Mexican silver coin explains the most of the gain, as nearly all of the exports of Mexican silver go to Hongkong on British vessels.

American, French, German, and Norwegian vessels show considerable gains, and others remain about as last previous year.

This statement does not include the carrying trade of transports owned or chartered by the United States Government.

Statement of foreign vessels engaged in trade between the Philippine Islands and foreign ports during fiscal year 1903, showing name and flag.

Statement of foreign vessels engaged in trade between the Philippine Islands and foreign ports during fiscal year 1903, showing name and flag-Continued.

Organization, duties of, and rules for the arrastre division of the Manila Custom-house.

OFFICE OF THE COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS
FOR THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS,
Manila, October 12, 1903.

PARAGRAPH I. The following organization, duties, and rules for the arrastre division of the Manila custom-house are hereby prescribed and published for the information of all concerned:

PAR. II. A deputy surveyor of customs shall have charge of the arrastre division.

PAR. III. The arrastre division shall have supervision over and government of all loaded carriers arriving at the custom-house wharf and the discharge of the imported merchandise therefrom; the conveyance of merchandise to the warehouses or appraisers' stores, and its delivery to the consignees. This division shall also have charge of the machinery, appliances, facilities, and labor used in performing

this work.

PAR. IV. The office and clerical force of the arrastre division shall be in charge of a chief clerk, who shall be directly responsible to the deputy surveyor of customs in charge of the arrastre. It shall be the duty of the chief clerk

(a) To figure the arrastre charge for each consignment of imported merchandise landed at the custom-house wharf.

(b) To have immediate charge of the clerks, bookkeeping, and other indoor work in the office of the arrastre division.

(c) To cause to be prepared a statement in triplicate of each arrastre charge, certifying to the same with his initials upon the original.

(d) To receive the import entries, and after the arrastre charge has been figured, to forward them as hereafter prescribed, obtaining a receipt for their delivery.

(e) To have a record kept of each arrastre charge.

(f) To receive the daily time report of unskilled laborers employed by the arrastre division from which he shall keep a time book of said laborers.

(g) To keep a time book of all employees of the arrastre division other than the unskilled laborers, and to prepare monthly pay rolls.

(h) To be the disbursing officer of the arrastre division.

(i) During the temporary absence of the deputy surveyor of customs in charge of the arrastre division to have charge of the same, acting in the name of said deputy surveyor.

PAR. V. The custom-house wharf, the landing of imported merchandise thereon, the conveyance of the merchandise to the custom-house warehouses and appraisers' stores, and the handling of merchandise for delivery to the consignees, and also the machinery, appliances, facilities, and labor employed in doing the same, shall be in charge of a wharfinger, who shall be directly responsible to the deputy surveyor of customs in charge of the arrastre. The wharfinger shall have the rank, authority, and uniform of a first-class inspector. He shall be assisted in his duties by assistant wharfingers, who shall each have the rank, authority, and uniform of a fourth-class inspector.

PAR. VI. It shall be the duty of the wharfinger—

(a) To perform all the duties now imposed upon the inspector in charge of the custom-house wharf.

(b) To cause all imported merchandise landed at the custom-house wharf to be conveyed to such warehouse as will facilitate its delivery to the consignees, designating the warehouses and the manner of storage.

(c) To cause the sample packages required for appraisement to be conveyed from the wharf or warehouse to the appraisers' stores.

(d) To have charge and direction of the arrastre warehousemen, foremen, engineers, and firemen of steam cranes and locomotive of tramway, and of the conductors, cabos, labor bosses and laborers employed in the handling of imported merchandise while in the custom-house.

(e) To have charge of the steam cranes, the tramway, including locomotive and cars, trucks, and other machinery and appliances used by the arrastre.

(f) To issue a time check to each laborer employed by the arrastre division, stating the name, time employed, and the amount of the wage.

(g) To certify by his signature to the correctness of the pay roll of laborers employed by the arrastre division.

(h) To inspect the condition of merchandise landed upon the custom-house wharf.

PAR. VII. The permit clerk, Manila custom-house, shall forward all import entries, together with the corresponding bills of lading, to the arrastre division, whence they shall be forwarded to the permit clerk, after the arrastre charges have been paid. Paragraph XIII of Manila custom-house special order No. 31 is hereby amended to that effect.

PAR. VIII. In case a ship-side delivery permit is given, the permit clerk shall not send the corresponding entry to the arrastre division but shall course it as heretofore: Provided, That in case a ship-side delivery permit is issued, but the consignment or any portion thereof is landed at the custom-house wharf, the chief of the inspectors' division shall at once notify the chief clerk of the arrastre division to that effect, and the latter shall obtain the corresponding entry and make the proper arrastre charge.