What is the most interesting duty you have performed? Tell why and write a theme explaining its engineering features.”
Some such question as the above has formed a part of the promotion examination of many a civil engineer of the Navy. The reason for its inclusion in the examination no doubt was to ascertain whether or not the candidate measured up to the standard set by John Paul Jones that “he not only should be able to express himself clearly and with force in his own language, both with tongue and pen, but he should be versed in French and Spanish.” Certainly most officers of the Corps of Civil Engineers who have had duty in Haiti would answer the above question by describing their Haitian experiences. The most gratifying condition encountered here is that one has the conviction that the great majority of the population appreciate what is being accomplished in their behalf.
One morning, last fall, just before dawn, three of us engineers were standing on the deck of the bridge named for Christophe, one of Haiti’s heroes. The water in the Limbé River, which it spans, was rising rapidly and we were watching carefully to see that no damage came to the bridge. A caravan of peasants came by with their loads on their heads on their way to a near-by market. They were making their way by aid of ancient lamps similar to the old lard-oil ones of the Navy of yesterday while we, on the other hand, looked about the bridge with the portable spotlights of our automobiles. They chanted as they marched in single file, and as best we could make out their queer patois: “Praise be to the Americans; before they came we could not cross this river; now we cross at any height of water; praise be to the Americans.” This feeling of gratitude is heard on all sides. There is an opposition, as is to be expected, to the results which are being accomplished, but its arguments are best refuted by a short paragraph which appeared in the Independent some months ago:
“Your men do nothing, absolutely nothing, which we Haitians could not have done for ourselves,” one particularly bitter native editor told the author. The answer to that denunciation, however, lies in the many civic improvements which the Americans have worked since their occupation and which the Haitians had not bothered with, whether or not they may have been able. In particular, the engineers and the doctors who have rehabilitated Haiti and started her along the road to social and economic stability form a vital contradiction to the plaints of American-haters.
The republic of Haiti is full of interesting ruins of French colonial times and of the early days of its independence. Photographs of some of these, together with some of Haitian people, accompany this article and furnish an idea of the background and conditions in which the subjects of this article find themselves in the most interesting work of rehabilitating this potentially rich country.
The raison d’etre of a Public Works Service for Haiti, administered by Americans, is contained in Article 13 of the Treaty of May 3, 1916, between the United States and Haiti, which reads as follows:
Article 13.—The Republic of Haiti, being desirous to further the development of its national resources, agrees to undertake and execute such measures as, in the opinion of the high contracting parties, may be necessary for the sanitation and public improvement of the Republic, under the supervision and direction of an engineer or engineers to be appointed by the President of Haiti upon nomination of the President of the United States, and authorized for that purpose by the Government of Haiti.
*This article was completed in August, 1929.
The necessary engineers are obtained, in a large measure, from the Corps of Civil Engineers of the United States Navy. There are at the present time eight of these officers on duty in Haiti, together with an officer of the Construction Corps of the Navy, who is director of the Service of Shop, Supply, and Transportation. Because of the small size of the Civil Engineer Corps of the Navy, it has been necessary to obtain civilian engineers to act as directors of Service in the Public Works Administration, which is known in Haiti as the Direction Générale des Travaux Publics. These civilian engineers, two in number, are the directors of the Service of Irrigation and of the Service of Public Buildings. There are also other American civilian engineers on duty with this organization. The ratio of Americans to Haitians is 1 to 249, or, in other words, 32 Americans supervise the work of about 8,000 Haitians.
The first four years of the Treaty period were consumed in clearing away and settling up old public-building projects which had been started before the signing of the Treaty, and also in evolving plans for a proper organization to carry on the public- works activities of the republic of Haiti in such a way as to provide for their continuance in an efficient manner after the departure of the engineers appointed in accordance with the Treaty.
The enactment of a law looking toward this accomplishment was consummated in June, 1920. It provides for the establishment in the Department of Public Works of the Direction Générale des Travaux Publics under the supervision of an engineer in chief. There have been four incumbents in this position: Commander, now Captain, E. R. Gayler (C.E.C.), U. S. Navy, from January 3, 1917, to September 1, 1920; Commander, now Captain, A. L. Parsons (C.E.C.), U. S. Navy, from September 2, 1920, to August 10, 1924; Captain F. H. Cooke (C.E.C.), U. S. Navy, August 11, 1924, to August 21, 1928, and the author, from August 22, 1928, to date.
This law provides for the commissioning of engineers and architects among the Haitians, and since its promulgation a constant endeavor has been made to train Haitian engineers and architects and to develop their esprit de corps so that at the end of the Treaty period they will be able to carry on the activities of this service in the same way, or as near as may be, as they have been carried on under the direction of the officers of the Civil Engineer Corps.
Serving opposite each of the American engineers is a Haitian engineer or architect, or, in some instances, two or more of them, whose duty it is to understudy the methods of the Americans in order that they may gain experience in modem methods of engineering, administration, construction, and maintenance. The same idea is carried out throughout the service in that artisans are trained to become mechanics of various kinds, and under close supervision of American superintendents of construction, many excellent Haitian foremen and mechanics have already been developed.
While the American engineers have been in active charge of the work until very recently, a policy is being gradually put into force of placing the Haitian engineers and architects in active charge of the work, only an inspection being made of their accomplishments by Americans. It is planned to reduce the detail of this inspection from time to time, and, in that manner, to gradually turn the entire operation over to the Haitian corps of commissioned engineers and architects.
The total amount expended by the Direction Générale des Travaux Publics for the year 1927-28 was Gdes. 11,555,981.77. Under Haitian conditions, it may be stated that while the gourde has the value of one-fifth of a dollar, the proper administration of Haitian funds requires as much labor and executive ability per gourde as is required per dollar in the United States.
The details of operation of the Public Works Service involve a division into basic classes of work, as follows:
- Public Buildings
- Municipal Engineering
- Irrigation & Hydrography
- Roads, Bridges, and Trails
- Maritime Works
- Telephone, Telegraph, and Radio
- Shop, Supply, and Transportation
- Cadastral Administration
Each of these services is presided over by a director, and their accomplishments will be described in detail in the following paragraphs.
Public Buildings
The first few years following the establishment of the Public Works Administration in 1917, little attention could be given to public-works construction due to the limited funds available. Only the smallest projects were undertaken, with the exception of the completion of the National Palace which was already under construction when the Treaty was signed, and most of the funds which could be used for public buildings were devoted to the completion of this project. These conditions prevailed until 1921 when increased revenues permitted an expansion of program and the first church schools were built. They, however, numbered only two. The school program was expanded in 1922 and in addition, the first hospital construction was started in Port au Prince. In 1923 both of these programs were still further expanded and permanent repairs to all customhouses were commenced.
The first projects of any great magnitude were undertaken in 1924. They were the Palais des Finances, in Port au Prince, and a 100-bed hospital with all necessary accessory buildings at Hinche. By 1925, a greater expansion than any of the previous ones took place due to the release of funds which had been reserved for settlement of claims against the Haitian government and of which there was a surplus after the payment of the claims. The expansion included a housing program for the Gendarmerie, an agricultural college at Damien, seven kilometers north of Port au Prince, a modern fireproof telephone-telegraph building at Port au Prince, rural farm schools and rural dispensaries throughout the republic. Sanitary plumbing fixtures were installed in public buildings for the first time. This expansion required the institution of an extensive course of training to develop more and better mechanics in the building trades. Practically every existing hospital in the republic has been enlarged and a new one built at Petit Goave. A new building for the National School of Medicine and Pharmacy has been built in the vicinity of the Haitian General Hospital, in Port au Prince.
The year 1927 witnessed the starting of two new large projects: the Palais de Justice in Port au Prince and the reconstruction of the customs warehouses and offices in Port au Prince. During this year the peak was reached when 146 projects of new construction were handled with an expenditure of approximately four million gourdes. This is to be compared with the volume of work in 1919 when seven projects of new construction were under way with an expenditure of less than a half million gourdes. The policy of teaching native mechanics modern methods of building construction has been fully justified by the results produced. The dealers in native building materials have met the increased demand in a most gratifying manner.
During the recent past the Agricultural College at Damien has been more than doubled in size and the erection of industrial schools for 6,000 students in Port au Prince has been commenced. It is planned to complete these schools within the next two years.
There have been forty-nine rural dispensaries, sixty-five rural schools, and sixty outpost buildings for the Guard of Haiti constructed under the direction of this service.
Municipal Engineering
Water Supply.—When the Americans came to Haiti no city of the republic was adequately supplied with water. Systems had been constructed in nine of the cities at various dates between 1883 and 1896, so that the plants had been in operation for more than twenty years at the time of the American intervention. They were in extremely poor condition; the distribution systems were incomplete, the storage facilities poor, and the sources of supply inadequate. The waterworks in general were constructed under contract with funds appropriated by the central government. The control of the works was at times in the hands of the communes and at other times in the hands of commissions appointed by the state. There was little semblance of effective maintenance work and the result was rapid deterioration. The sources of supply were in most instances capped springs. All water in Haiti carries a large lime content which deposits in the piping in a hard scale. After twenty or more years of operation the carrying capacity of the distributing systems had been reduced to practically nothing.
In 1915 the control of the water systems of the various communes was taken over by the force of occupation and they were thus administered until 1919 when the Direction Générale des Travaux Publics was organized and the control of water supplies placed under the cognizance of the Treaty engineers. At the time, the water supply of Port au Prince was taken from five springs, the yield of which was brought to the city by old masonry aqueducts. Between 1919 and 1922 much work looking toward the rehabilitation of the Port au Prince water supply was undertaken and completed. A large part of the existing aqueducts were rebuilt. The Source Diquini, to the southwest of the city, was developed, thereby increasing the supply 45 per cent. The receipts from the sale of water were more than doubled through a census of the subscribers which revealed that many persons were receiving water without payment.
The period from 1922 to 1929 has seen much further improvement in the water supply systems of the republic. The recaptation of the spring supplying Port au Prince has been completed; new aqueducts have been constructed, additional reservoirs built, and the distributing systems have been improved and extended.
At Cap Haitien it has been impossible to develop a proper water supply due principally to lack of funds. In times of drought the yield of the springs is considerably reduced and the city has been almost without water. To remedy this condition, a number of wells have been driven at various points throughout the city and it is hoped in the near future to have an adequate water supply from artesian wells.
At Cayes a new well and pumping plant have been completed and the distributing system reconstructed and extended. Similar improvements have been made at Jacmel and Jérémie. A complete water system has been constructed for the Commune of Petit Goave and placed in operation early in 1928, thus increasing the number of cities of the republic having comprehensive water systems to ten.
Water supplies for some of the lesser communes of the republic have also been provided by means of driven wells equipped with pumps, thus providing potable water. Formerly, inhabitants were accustomed to draw water from badly contaminated sources, and in many instances to travel great distances for this poor water. A total of sixty-four communal wells have been put into service.
All sources of water supply thus far developed in the republic are contaminated, with the possible exception of those from very deep artesian wells. The supply for Port au Prince and Pétionville has been made potable through chlorination. It is planned to chlorinate all of the supplies as rapidly as funds available permit.
Wastage of water through careless use and poor condition of distributing systems has been the most serious problem. The installation of meters on the individual service connections in Port au Prince was undertaken in the recent past and an active campaign is under way to prevent unnecessary wastage of water.
Sewerage.—There are but two sanitary sewers in Haiti. The first was constructed in Port au Prince in 1918 to serve the National Palace and the Marine Barracks. The second was constructed in 1923 for a public toilet near the cathedral at Port au Prince. The necessity for sewerage has not been seriously felt because up to this time relatively few modern conveniences have come into use. A serious problem along this line is to be faced in the future.
Street Lighting.—When the Americans entered Haiti but three cities of the republic enjoyed the benefit of street lighting: Port au Prince, Gonaives, and Cap Haitien. Each of these cities was lighted under a concession obtained from the Haitian government prior to the signing of the Treaty. Between 1915 and 1922 the service furnished by these plants was unsatisfactory. The requirements of the contracts of concession were frequently disregarded and the plants were allowed to deteriorate. In 1921 the steam power plant at Port au Prince was wrecked by a boiler explosion, resulting in the death of several employees. This plant has since been replaced by a modern Diesel-engine plant and the distribution system of the city has been greatly improved. The plant and distribution system at Gonaives were rebuilt during 1921 and 1922, and a hydro-electric plant was constructed at Jacmel under concession during the same years. A start has just been made, also under concession, on a Diesel-engine plant at Jérémie.
Streets.—There were few improved streets in the republic prior to 1915. The communes were unable to raise the necessary funds for maintenance of streets and such meager work as was performed was paid for by the central government. Between 1917 and 1918 a number of the streets in the business section of Port au Prince were paved with concrete, under a concession entered into by Haiti before the intervention. Street work was placed under the cognizance of the Direction Gener- ale des Travaux Publics in 1918, and the improvement of streets was immediately undertaken. During the succeeding years the remaining streets of the business section, as well as of the residential districts, have been asphalted and secondary streets have been macadamized. At the close of 1928 fifteen miles of the streets in Port au Prince had been paved with asphalt and concrete, and thirty-three miles had been macadamized. A corresponding improvement has been made in other cities of the republic. Attention has also been given during this period to improvement of street alignment in order to assist in the easier flow of the ever-increasing traffic. Numerous narrow streets have been widened, difficult intersections and corners improved, and new traffic arteries provided.
Parks.—During the years following 1921 attention has been given to the beautification of the parks of Port au Prince. Studies and plans were made. The fulfillment of these projects has been delayed through the need of funds for more urgent projects so that the program of improvement has of necessity suffered. However, the beautification of Place Dessalines and Place Louverture, at Port au Prince, has been provided for and is gradually nearing completion. These large areas, which were formerly ugly, dusty wastes, have been transformed into beautiful parks with lawns, trees, paved curbs, and concrete sidewalks.
Drainage.—The problem of drainage of the cities of the republic has always been pressing and remains so at the present time, comprising, as it does, the disposing of torrential rains falling on precipitous terrain. Drainage work prior to 1918 consisted principally of open ditches. Between 1918 and 1922 a number of drainage ducts of large size were constructed in the city of Port au Prince. Since that time the construction of drainage systems has gone on gradually but has been handicapped through lack of comprehensive survey and coordinated plan. During the years 1927 and 1928 a thorough study was made of this problem, using airplane photographs and existing plans supplemented by special surveys. A complete plan has been prepared which will serve as a basis for future construction. The drainage of the smaller cities of the republic is still effected, in a large measure, by use of open ditches and remains one of the problems to be attacked as circumstances permit.
Large areas of swampy land in various parts of the republic have been reclaimed through drainage works, and mosquito breeding areas have thus been eliminated. This work has been carried on in cooperation with the National Public Health Service which is under the supervision of the Medical Corps of the U. S. Navy. It has resulted not only in the reduction of sources of disease with great improvement in health condition in the localities interested, but has also reclaimed for productive use large areas of land which had heretofore been practically of no economic value.
Irrigation and Hydrography
The operation, maintenance, and construction of state irrigation systems was taken over by the Public Works Service on November IS, 1917, and placed in charge of an experienced irrigation engineer in November, 1921. The existing irrigation systems are the ruins of those constructed during French colonial times, which through neglect had reached the condition of practical nonexistence. The ditches were completely filled with sediment and plant growth, and the dams had been carried away by floods. Since 1917 seven irrigation projects have been reconditioned: Riviere Grise, Riviere Blanche, Despuzeau, Momance, Avezac, Matheux, and Du Plaa. Water is being furnished to 60,000 acres. The value of crops grown on these fields during the last year was over two million dollars. But 25 per cent of this amount has been spent on the projects since the signing of the Treaty. These areas are divided into about 8,000 farms on which approximately 62,000 persons live.
The result is that out of barren dry land have sprung clean green fields. The rivers which wasted into the sea have been forced to yield their waters to the land and out of desert wastes gardens have sprung and families have built real homes. Instead of lizards, owls, and snakes running through thorny brush and cactus, we find contented children playing in front of cabin doors.
Surveys have been completed for fifteen additional projects covering an irrigable area of 106,000 acres. The field parties for this work are now entirely composed of Haitian personnel.
The river gaging was started in August, 1922, and general investigations needed for determining the basic data required in the design, construction, operation, and administration of works which depend upon adequate water supply for their successful operation have been made. Fifty-six gaging stations are now maintained for which daily stream-flow records are compiled. Miscellaneous measurements are taken on other streams at frequent intervals. Approximately 1,000 current-meter measurements are made per year. Rainfall records are compiled daily for 119 stations. Temperature records are compiled daily for ten stations. Evaporation records for two stations and wind movement for one station are also a matter of daily record.
A monthly meteorological bulletin and an annual hydrographic bulletin are published and given wide distribution.
Roads, Bridges, and Trails
Prior to 1915 the road system of the republic of Haiti, through lack of maintenance, had deteriorated to such an extent as to render the roads useless except for animal and foot traffic. In many sections vegetation had gained such a foothold that there remained no evidence of a road system. At the time of the intervention, in order to establish peace, the need for roads to carry motor vehicles arose and there was begun the work of connecting important objectives. The work was limited to the opening of roads so that vehicles could get through at the time. Alignment, drainage, surfacing, and permanency could not be considered because of the necessity of getting through quickly, although considerable time would be consumed in making the trips. This phase of opening roads extended until June, 1919, and was under the direction of the Gendarmerie. During this period a total of 932 kilometers of roads were opened and were passable except in the wet seasons.
In 1919 following the organization of the Public Works Service, a policy was established of maintaining and improving the existing roads between important centers. Many improvements to grade, drainage, and surface were accomplished; the construction of small bridges and culverts was started. Existing bridges were repaired; low sections which were impassable in rainy seasons were raised; and about 60 per cent of the existing roads were surfaced with gravel. The road service was reorganized and a definite system of maintenance and control and fixed responsibility was established. Studies for new road construction between Las Cahobas and Belladere, Belladere and Hinche, and Trouin and Jacmel, were made. In 1923 an era of new construction was commenced including the road from Las Cahobas to Hinche, the road from Las Cahobas to Belladere, and the construction of creosoted timber bridges on reënforced concrete abutments. These bridges vary in span from fifteen feet to seventy- five feet. The roads were built with a width of five meters wearing surface with ample drainage structures and a maximum grade of 8 per cent.
In 1924 a program of permanent bridge construction was started. To date, bridges have been built as follows: 390 lineal feet of creosoted wooden bridges, 180 lineal feet of concrete-enclosed, steel I-beam bridges, 693 lineal feet of reënforced-concrete slab bridges, 1,045 lineal feet of steel truss bridges. These trusses are standard sizes of 75 feet and 91 feet spans. One steel bridge in the outskirts of Cap Haitien, built in 1896 and having a span of 171 feet, has been recently reconditioned.
The highway system now consists of approximately 1,500 kilometers of roads which are passable at all seasons of the year, and an equal length of well-improved animal trails. There are 264 bridges which are periodically inspected and maintained.
Existing roads are being improved as rapidly as available funds permit. In addition to the physical improvement of the roads much progress has been made in assembling data, statistics, and general information regarding existing road structures and their requirements. The preparation of a complete set of road maps has progressed very favorably, including air photographic maps and standard tracings of existing roads.
Traffic counts are taken twice a year. Comparison of these shows the increase in demand for, and the importance to Haiti of, automobile roads. In September, 1921, a traffic count showed 43 motor vehicles per day entering Port au Prince from the north, while a count in April, 1929, showed 451 vehicles entering at the same place.
Trail work has been limited to improvement of the more important trails. Limited funds did not allow permanent construction until following the hurricane of August 10,1928, when a program of permanent construction of trails was started. The policy adopted is to build trails well graded and drained with a surface width of three meters, which permits two loaded animals to pass. During the past year some 260 kilometers of such trails have been built or rebuilt.
The study is now being made of a main road from Port au Prince down approximately the center of the southern peninsula, where important coffee raising is carried on. From this proposed road laterals will be built to the coastal towns.
The road from Jacmel to Trouin has been started but at the present time work has been suspended awaiting further appropriations.
The policy for the development of the roads in Haiti is based upon the fact that transportation is the keystone of economic development. Without adequate transportation, agriculture and industry are retarded if not stifled. In common with the rest of the world, Haiti finds its short-haul transportation most efficiently performed by motor vehicles. Due to the size of the island, practically all long hauls can be made economically by water. The construction of adequate roads for Haiti will necessarily be a long-drawn-out operation. It should be clearly understood, however, that the final cost of the roads will be greater in proportion to the number of years over which their construction is spread. This economic loss will be most pronounced in the stages of road development immediately ahead, and every endeavor is being made to greatly augment the funds made available annually for road construction. The policy, therefore, falls into three phases: Phase 1, to penetrate as rapidly as possible the system of vehicular roads to all of the principal cities, producing low-cost roads which can be kept open through the greater part of the year, even though the maintenance cost may be heavy. This phase is now largely complete. Phase 2 (a), to improve the roads which have previously received primary development under the first phase, this improvement to reduce maintenance costs, permit continuous use of the roads, to reduce wear and tear on vehicles, to reduce their traveling time and the safety of their use; (b) to improve the trails which branch from the main highways to permit economical transportation from all districts to the main highways. Most of Haiti’s roads are now in Phase 2, and economic conditions demand that this phase be completed with the least delay. Phase 3, to provide durable road surfacing. This phase has hardly been touched upon and should be considered only near centers of population until such time as Phase 2 is much further advanced and then only at a limited rate as traffic conditions and maintenance costs justify.
Maritime Works
Lighthouse Service.—The Lighthouse Service, until June, 1920, functioned under a concession. There were four lights operated under this concession, three in Port au Prince and one in Cap Haitien. They were kerosene lights and the concessionnaire received a certain percentage over the cost of operation and maintenance. At the expiration of this concession, in 1920, the Public Works Service assumed the responsibility of operation, maintenance, and new construction. In 1921 and 1922 four new lights were erected and placed in service as follows: Banc des Rochelois, Mole St. Nicolas, Dame-Marie, and lie a Vache. These lights are automatic acetylene type with a range of nine miles. In 1923 similar lights were erected at Jacmel and the western end of Tortue Island. In 1924 two of the same type were constructed, one at St. Marc, and one at the eastern end of Tortue Island. In 1925 three were completed of the same type, one at Pointe a Gravois, one at the western point of Gonave Island, and the third on Cayemitte Island.
In February, 1925, the operation and maintenance of the lighthouses were turned over to the Coast Guard of Haiti, new construction remaining under the direction of the engineer in chief. All kerosene lights have been changed to acetylene and there are now fifteen lights in service as compared with the four in use at the time of the intervention.
Wharves, Piers, and Quays.—The main wharf at Port au Prince was constructed prior to the signing of the Treaty and is operated by private capital under a concession. It is a reënforced-concrete structure carried on composite piles of yellow pine and concrete. Vessels drawing up to twenty- five feet of water are accommodated at this wharf. In 1920 and 1921 temporary repairs were made to the old wharves at Port de Paix, Gonaives, St. Marc, Petit Goave, Cap Haitien, and Cayes.
Tide gages were installed in 1922 at Cayes, Port au Prince, St. Marc, Gonaives, and Cap Hatien. Cooperating with the committee investigating marine borers in the United States, wooden test blocks were placed in the sea at Port au Prince, Cayes, and Cap Haitien. In 1925 a program of constructing reënforced-concrete wharves was started. They consist of reënforced- concrete sheet piles enclosing a solid fill and covered with a reënforced-concrete deck. Such wharves have been constructed at St. Marc, Jacmel, Petit Goave, and Jérémie. Funds are now available and work is about to start on a similar wharf at Gonaives.
An outstanding improvement is the water front near the main wharf at Port au Prince. A quay wall with reënforced- concrete deck supported by reënforced-concrete sheet piles on the sea side, and reënforced-concrete bearing piles on the land side, was built in 1928. The low area behind the quay wall has been filled, and the difference in appearance of the water front is the occasion of remarks on all sides.
Telephone-Telegraph and Radio Service
When the Treaty came into force, there existed no commercial long-distance telephone service in Haiti. By special arrangement, however, and with great difficulty, it was possible to establish long-distance communications over telegraph lines for government officials. There had previously been a small local telephone system at Port au Prince operated by private interests under concession, but it had in 1911 ceased to operate. There were also privately operated local systems at Gonaives and St. Marc.
The Haitian government owned and operated the Telegraph Service which consisted in 1915 of 41 stations and approximately 1,100 kilometers of single-wire line in a deplorable state of repair. The operating personnel was indifferent and inefficient. Between 1915 and 1919 the American forces of occupation constructed for military purposes approximately 450 kilometers of telephone lines. Although these lines could, in many cases, be connected to the government system, they were not available for commercial communications.
In 1918 an officer of the Civil Engineer Corps of the Navy, commissioned under the Treaty, was placed in charge of the Haitian government’s communication service. Reorganization was immediately begun but the program of development was not large; remarkable headway was made in improvement. It was during these years that the possibilities of future development of the Telephone-Telegraph Service were realized. The public was responding to the improved service and the hopelessness which had previously existed regarding it was steadily disappearing. The Telephone- Telegraph Service was taking its proper place as an important feature of the commercial development of the country.
In 1919 the first major steps in the development of local telephone service were undertaken. Orders were placed for automatic telephone equipment for Port au Prince. This action at the time met with the severest criticism, but now the opposition has disappeared and the foresight of the officials then in charge is well realized. It should be remembered that there were few automatic systems in use in the United States at that time. It was not until 1922 that the completion of the automatic system in Port au Prince brought about the adoption of a well-thought-out plan for repairs, replacements, and betterments of the physical plant. The circuits of the long lines were given special attention and the existing single-wire grounded circuits were discontinued as rapidly as possible for the use of all-copper metallic circuits. Upon the completion of the automatic system in Port au Prince the number of subscribers doubled in less than three months, and before the end of the year the capacity of the newly installed exchange had been reached. From then on, the growth of this service has exceeded all expectations. Three large extensions have been carried on since the original installation was completed, one in 1923, again in 1927, and again in 1929. The subscribers have increased from 104 in 1922 to over 1,200 at the present time, and new installations are being made rapidly.
The general headquarters building of the Telephone-Telegraph Service of the republic was built and occupied in 1927, the Port au Prince exchange occupying a portion of the second floor. It is a reënforced- concrete structure, both fire and earthquake proof as near as may be. Provision is made for a large expansion of the local exchange.
The Gonaives-to-Cap Haitien all-metallic circuit was completed in 1924; that from Gonaives to Port au Prince in 1926; from Port au Prince to Petit Goave in 1927, and the final section between Petit Goave and Cayes was completed in 1928. Throughout its length of 468 kilometers this line has been built to modern standards in all-copper metallic circuits and with either substantial creosoted southern pine or reënforced- concrete poles. Of the total of 1,342 kilometers of long lines in service in 1929, less than 100 kilometers are of the original in use in 1922. The length of wire has been more than doubled on these lines.
In the past seven years all of the tele- phone-telegraph offices have been reequipped, the number of offices operated has been increased from thirty-nine to forty- eight. Increase in local telephone service has brought about the installation of cable systems in addition to the one at Port au Prince, at Cap Haitien, Jacmel, Petit Goave, and St. Marc.
In December, 1927, the local system at Cap Haitien was changed from a manually operated magneto system to an automatic exchange. Again the experience has been similar to that at Port au Prince. The number of subscribers doubled in less than four months, and within a year, contrary to all expectations, the entire exchange was working and no more lines could be installed.
Throughout this service operating standards have been steadily improved, which has brought about an increased use of the telephone by the public. The increase in the revenues well shows this. For the fiscal year ending September 30, 1922, the total commercial revenue from the Telephone- Telegraph Service was $31,469 while during the past year it has been approximately $80,000. The rates, which compare favorably with those in the United States, have not been changed during this period.
There remains great opportunity for future development, both in betterment and expansion, but even at the present time, due to the advances made during the past eleven years, the Telephone-Telegraph Service of the republic takes its place in the front rank of accomplishments under the Treaty. It has changed from a government institution inefficient and little used to an essential, respected, and efficient public service.
Radio.—As a special project, in 1926, a 1,000-watt radio-telephone broadcasting station was installed and placed in operation at Port au Prince. Since then programs for education and entertainment have been broadcast for radio listeners, and by means of the long-distance telephone circuits and public-address equipment, these programs have been made available to the public at the parks and market places of all the important cities and towns of the republic. Reports of reception of these programs by radio have been received from Canada, Cuba, Porto Rico, Santo Domingo, Venezuela, and the United States as far west as San Diego.
Service of Shop, Supply, and Transportation
When first organized the Public Works Service functioned without a regularly constituted supply department. Each service bought, stored, and distributed its own materials. Under these conditions it was inevitable that there should be duplication of purchases and long delays in the procurement of materials, which, in general, could be purchased only for specific projects or purposes under special appropriations.
These conditions obtained until 1920 when, upon the representation of the engineer in chief, the Haitian government voted an extraordinary credit of $15,000 to provide a revolving fund for the establishment of a storehouse and the purchase of material. It was arranged that the material purchased with these funds should be issued to the services consuming it at an advance above cost price sufficient to defray all expenses of purchase and storage.
To administer this fund there was created a Service of Shop and Supply. Its objects were to effect economies by purchasing in large quantities direct from manufacturers such material as it was necessary to import, to manufacture standard articles and to expedite work by having on hand for distribution as required a stock of those materials. The beneficial effects of this service were immediately felt. During the first seven and one-half months of its life there was a stock turnover of three and three-quarters times the average value of the stock carried.
Within a year after its establishment the business of the service had increased to such an extent that it was necessary to borrow from the general receiver $10,000 to provide additional working capital. An additional loan of about $25,000 was obtained in 1922 to finance the purchase of a schooner load of lumber.
It will be seen therefore that up to the close of the fiscal year 1922 the Service of Shop, Supply, and Transportation was in a formative stage. Originally conceived as a means of economy in the purchase of materials, it rapidly developed to include other activities such as a carpenter and blacksmith shop and a unified transportation system. Such were the benefits from this centralization of activities that there was a direct saving of $20,000 for the fiscal year 1921-22.
As will be noted from the above the service was handicapped in the beginning by the insufficiency of its working fund. In December, 1922, an additional amount was obtained for this fund of $50,000. Again in 1926 the total was raised to $150,000 and shortly thereafter to $200,000. This last increase was necessitated by the passage of the new customs law providing that the government importations were no longer admitted under franchise but were subject to the same duties as shipments for private account.
All quarters occupied by the activities of this service have been enlarged and improved. A new shop, a new garage, and new storehouses have been built.
The idea behind the establishment of a shop, in addition to furnishing manufactured articles necessary for all services was to train native craftsmen in approved methods of woodworking, etc. Many Haitian workmen have demonstrated marked ability as mechanics and while it is still necessary to have an American shop superintendent, conditions are improved.
The Transport Service consisted of less than a dozen trucks in 1922; they were housed in a rented garage and there were no facilities for maintenance and repair. It became necessary to train both chauffeurs and mechanics; a system of apprenticeship was established and while the illiteracy of the great majority of apprentices has hampered the development, the results have been gratifying. A force has been developed which regularly services a fleet of more than sixty trucks and passenger cars.
The business of the storehouse has increased rapidly. From a stock sales in 1922 of $116,000 per annum and a stock turnover of about 2.2, the stock sales per annum have increased to $422,000 and the stock turnover to 4. In seven years the total volume of purchases has increased 256 per cent, stock sales have increased 364 per cent, and the efficiency in the employment of capital has nearly doubled.
Cadastral Administration
At the very outset of the American intervention it was recognized that a serious handicap existed due to the fact that in general titles to land in the republic were so confused and uncertain that the development of the country along agricultural and economic lines was seriously retarded thereby. With but few exceptions, no one knew what his legal rights might be in respect to land occupied or claimed by him under his title. This condition extended also, to a considerable extent, to the state lands.
This condition was also recognized by the government of Haiti before the intervention and its congress has enacted various laws trying to remedy the condition in whole or in part, but little results have been obtained. The most comprehensive of such laws was that of August 17, 1870, which contains provisions for the gathering of data necessary for the preparation of a general cadastre throughout the republic This is the aim of all concerned.
In January, 1929, a law was passed for the express purpose of taking definite steps ' in this direction under the authority of which there has been secured the services of an expert in such matters. The details of the law are still under discussion. It is hoped that something may be accomplished during the remaining period of the Treaty which will prevent as much as possible disputes as to land ownership.
During part of the years 1925 and 1926 airplane photographs were made of considerable areas of Haiti. This was in contemplation of the early enactment of a law providing the necessary administration and judicial machinery for determination of ownership of land, both private and public. Unfortunately, all negatives of the airplane photographs taken have been destroyed by fire. It is contemplated that the making of an aerial map will be again started in the near future.
Conclusion It is safe to say that no duty performed by civil engineers of the Navy is more interesting and all absorbing than that with the Public Works Administration of Haiti under the terms of the Treaty between the United States and Haiti. Difficulties arise daily and the solving of the problems is a perpetual mill working for the interest of an appreciative people.