The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-25
FORESTRY IN THE PHILIPPINES
Great Opportunities for American
 Capital and Modern Methods.

Capital and Modern Methods.
 Washington Special to The Boston Transcript.
 captain George P. Ahren, who has charge of the forestry interests of the united States government in the Phil ippine Islands, discussed the subject in- terestingly with visitor the other day. FForestry and lumberng in the Philip plnes, said he, 'are very different rom the corresponding industries in the united Stataes. As rule. Philip pine timber runs to the hardwoods. While American timber has d larger proportion of soft. Then the methodt or handling timber in the two coun- trles' are very unlike. There is no one Tn the islands now who understands getting the valuable stuff out of the dense forests and oraparing it for market. Timber can be cut on the lublic lands by anyone who secures a permit No charge is made for this permit but the wood to be removed must pay tax on every cubic yard. Each transaction. with all it's details or names and fig,1es. Is made a sub ject of record. and the accounts are strictly kept.
 To one accustomed to American for ests and industry. the slow gait at which work goes on in the Philip pines. in spite of the hign value of tim Der properly cut and prepared is a marvel. Out of 120,o08 square miles of dense forest. for the most part in a virgin state. only 20.000.000 feet of Lumber was taken between the 1st of July. 1900. and the middle of May this year. Moreover. of this absurdly small cut not more than one quarter found its way to the mills. the rest being used rough -hewn. for construction purposes, or as fire wood. It Is very hard to get efncient labor for forestry work or numbering in the Philippines. The lack or roads IS a serious drawback. but does not compare with the labor prob- lem. The natives acquire prejudices against many employers, and will not work Tor them at any price. and even when they consent to work they are not worth great deal. Being of a small stature. they cannot handle weights nor stand long strain of hard work One lrishman would be worth ten Fiji p1nos in an island forest. I have seen four natives struggle with d wheelbar- row which any sound bodied laborer here could pick up and run away with. One would seize 1t by the handle bars. and the other three would pull on ;r rope attached to the front of the body, and then barely move it. From this AlidoNA allOh JOu may JuuRe Wlln d handful of these little men could do With log six or seven feet Tn diam eter.
 Speaking of big logs. there are sever al varieties of trees in the islands which attain gigantic size. The natives have never been able to work this big timber. yet here and there we find hardwood tables ot large dimensions, whose tops are one solid piece. The mystery is explained when you learn that after cutting down the tree from which such a slab can be got. they | slice out the single piece by hand, and leave the remainder to rot They have neither the means nor the ingenuity to get such log to market. Here is where skilled American labor, dummy engines, wire cables and other facilities familiar here will come in play to some purpose.
 A mistaken idea prevails in the United States that most of the Philip pine timber is of varieties very Valu- able for cabinetmaking. There are seven or eight varieties which take fine finish. but apart from these none of the native woods are likely to find their way to the United States. The commerce which has already sprung up in small way between the islands and the Pacific coast Is restricted by the uncertainty of profit on the stuff that comes this way. as well as by the use lessness of some of our wood in the Philippine islands. The white ant, which Is the terror of the forest in the archipelago, will eat pine firm and other soft woods. but will not touch cedar. The quartermasters department has made some experiments in shipping fir, redwood. spruce and pine from the Pacific coast for the construction of storehouses and other military build ings, but the ravages of the ant doom these structures to short life. On the other hand. cedar is pretty expensive and not strong enough for use in much structural work. The native woods which are proof against insect plaques will probably continue to be used chiefly for buildings there.
 The Philippine forests offer exception al attractions to American capital bent on developing the country. We have scientific parties exploring the different islands. and they have found thus far 665 different varieties of trees with a prospect of adding 300 or 400 to the number. As time permits our bureau will test each variety for strength, re- sistance to water. invulnera bility to the white ant, and concerning other particulars on which lumbermen and builders will depend for guidance. Many investments have already been made in Philippine timber but there is room for all that are likely to go there for some time O come. Each investor will be held to strict accountability under the forestry laws. He will not be allowed to clean up any tract of forest land. but only to cut trees of a certain size and at certain stage of development It is the governments intention fn maintain hence this restriction against wide spread cutting. Lumbermen trained in the extravagant practices too common here. complain of all this. but 1t is really a restriction in their interest. with an eve to the future.
 Rubber will probably come to be one of the most important products of the Philippines. We have there consider able belt of rubber and gutta percha. In several of the islands the explorers are now studying gum trees. and by