-------------+---------+----------------------------------------- | Vessels | 1922 | entered +-------------+-------------+------------- Nationality | and | Imports | Exports | Total of vessels | cleared | | | -------------+---------+-------------+-------------+------------- | | Pesos | Pesos | Pesos Philippine | 194 | 2,811,668 | 1,344,485 | 4,156,153 American | 367 | 48,873,151 | 83,313,550 | 132,186,701 British | 704 | 79,488,095 | 56,090,093 | 135,578,188 Chinese | 31 | 1,293,429 | 587,691 | 1,881,120 Danish | 2 | ----------- | ----------- | ----------- Dutch | 111 | 6,792,919 | 14,244,306 | 21,037,225 French | 2 | 86,423 | 19,900 | 106,323 German | 16 | 22,002 | 3,003,029 | 2,025,031 Spanish | 12 | 1,272,832 | 1,993,246 | 4,266,078 Swedish | 9 | 41 | 4,031,697 | 4,031,738 Norwegian | 38 | 296,657 | 2,295,116 | 2,591,773 Japanese | 315 | 14,809,799 | 17,520,311 | 52,330,110 Mail | ------- | 4,648,273 | 6,725,172 | 11,371,445 +---------+-------------+-------------+------------- Total | 1,801 | 160,395,289 | 191,166,596 | 351,561,885 -------------+---------+-------------+-------------+------------- Not until the coming of the cargo steamer, however, could the bulky products of the Islands be gathered together in large quantities and become an important factor in the world's commercial necessities. Every portion of the Islands is now covered by steamers, plying regular routes. [Interisland Lines] To the north a route leads to Aparri, the outlet from the fertile Cagayan Valley, a tobacco country, where thousands of hectares of rich unoccupied prairies await only the touch of capital. To the southward are the main channels of trade. Cebu is the metropolis of the Southern Islands, and to this port come the hemp and copra of all the Visayas, there to be transferred to Manila. Some ocean liners load direct at Cebu for the homeward voyage, saving the haul to Manila. Cebu harbor accommodates vessels of 30-foot draft, which can anchor at the sea wall, close to the warehouses of the principal commercial houses. From Iloilo comes the sugar of Negros and Panay. Here, too, is a harbor of sufficient depth to allow ocean vessels of fair tonnage to load. Ships of the Spanish lines in particular are accustomed to procure their cargoes here and omit Manila. Commercial routes encircle Mindanao, drawing from it copra and hemp, and supplying in return cotton cloth, canned goods, rice, and other commercial staples. Smaller vessels ply between the Bicol provinces, Masbate, Leyte, and Manila, carrying hemp principally. [Control over Rates]