Mountain advocate. (Barbourville, Ky.) 1904-1935, 1913-11-21

largely exhausted its timber, fur.
nishes ready market. Japan, Aus.
tralia, and even the United States,
will take Philippine lumber, which
is admitted free to this country.
One Of the commonest Philippine
timbers, red lauan, which works
and finishes well. has been sold on
the Pacific coast where it serves the
same purposes as the finest redwood &,
which it somewhat resembles, as
high as $50 per thousand board
feet.
Government timber in the Phil.
ippines is offered at very low rate
aud it is stated that the labor
problem is in no sense difficult. In
vestments by Americans are not
only invited, but are encouraged.
The Philippine bureau Of forestry,
in this first sale which is being call.
ed to the attention of American tim
Der operators, is offering n twenty
year concession which gives exclu-
sive rights to a tract comprising
about $4,000 acres, which contains
nearly 2 billion board feet of timber
1t is required that the successful
bidder shall keep up minimum
output which starts with Is million
board feet during the first two
years and increases to an ultimate
output of at least 81 million per
year. A modern sawmil and log
ging equipment must be established
and also a patrol system for the pre-
vention of fires and trespass.
A complete report on this body of
timber, which can be had at the Of
fee of the director of forests in Ma
Mia or at the bureau of insular az
fairs in Washington, shows that
the region occupied by ii e main
body of the tract presents ideal log
ging conditions. This report shows
that railroads can be built easily
and cheaply and that the entire
timber belt can be logged at a min
irnum of expense and trouble. The
amount OF timber per acre varies
from IL, 500 up to 80. 600 board
feet and more. In the four princi-
pal types of forest embraced in the
area, much valuable material can be
secured from even the least desirable
type, and the most valuable types
will, according to figures of the bu-
reau. provide handsome profit for
an outlay comparatively small in re-
lation TO the value OF the timber
which is to be exploited.
The principal kinds of wood are
the lauans, excellent construction
timbers and somewhat comparable,
in mechanical properties, to the Pa
cilic coast redwoods; yacal, one OF
the most valuable because of it's
great strength, and to its resistance
to destruction by white ants; api-
tong, quite comparable to the hard
pines of the United States, and va
rious other hardwoods which have
already found a place as substitutes
for mahogany.
1t is required that the successful
applicant shall furnish capital sui.
6cient for the immediate prosecution
of the work, the amount in this case
being placed at not less than 100.
900 pesos, Philippine currency equi.
valent to S5O,OOO.
1t is proposed that all bids for
this timber shall be opened in Ma.
Mia on December TO- For the bene-
tit Of prospective purchasers in Amer.
lea, however. unable to prepare their
applications and have them received
in Manila on or before that date,
the bureau of insular affairs in
Washington will on notification
before the final day send a cable
gram and have the time extended
until the actual bids can he received
in Manila.
s-