The Washington herald., 1913-09-01
FORTUNE IN WOOD
IN INPHILIPPINES
Insular Affairs Office Has Fur
niture Made of Native
Timber.
CHIEF MAKES REPORT
II Is Estimated that Island Contains
10000, 900 Acres of Public
Lands.

! great deal has been heard, but little
! known, on this side of the world of the
| rare and beautiful hard woods OF the
Philippine Islands, and some of the
stOries told may have suggested that the
| Imagination had not been neglected. but
| a practical demonstration that these
| stories were founded on fact may be
! found in the Office Of Gen. Frank McIn-
! tyre. chief OF the Bureau of Insular Az
! fairs, where there has just been received
/ from the islands enough furniture TO fur
nish two Office rooms
The furniture was shipped half way
around the world and has just recently
arrived in exceptionally good condition.
1t is made Of red nara, or Philippine
mahogany, and is OF light claret color
shading to slightly darker, has a natural
hnsh with high polish, and is striking
ly grained. This furniture shows the
ability and deXterity Of the natives in
their work. as well as their capacity to
learn. They turn out only Manufactures
Of the best quality and Of the highest
grade OF Workmanship. They depend en-
tirely on local material for their output.
and the Filipiuos are taught the value
Of native raw material and products.
The policy of the gOTCTnment from the
very beginning has been one of prepar-
ing the FilipinOs for industrial efficiency
In the schools this Is particularly no.
tiCeable. An industrial and vocational
program of education has been put into
operation, which reaches down into the
very primary grades OF the public
schools. In addition to making use Of
the fine lumber found in such abundance.
other products Of the country have been
put into the hands of the pupils in the
schools, and under the guidance OF the
native teachers and the supervision of
the American teachers made into prod
uCts for the markets of the country.
No baskets in the world can surpass
those produced by the pupils OF the pub
lie schools OF the Philippines. They make
hats in durability and texture equal to
the Panama, hat. Indeed. many of the
sO-CarIed BinkOk hats come from the
Philippine Islands. The Filipino girls OF
the public schools make lace and en-
hroidery which equals the finest quality
Of handmade product of Europe. Many
other products, such as mats, slippers.
cloth. &c, more local in character. are
made in the Industrial classes of the pub
lie schools.
BiIibid Prison, at Manila. is consid-
cred one Of the best industrial schools
for adults in the world. Each prisoner
is permitted to select such employment
as he can best do; otherwise he is as
SIX utl 10 sumo "bTht DuI each one
must learn a trade or vocation.
Nara High-Priccd.
As a relic of Spanish times. all the
woods in the Philippines are divided by
law into four groups. Nara is always
placed in the highest group in the clas-
siticatiOn. Nara is among the very
highestEpriced wood because of its
beautiful color. durability. and adapta-
bility. The Philippines produce harder
and better woods for exterior work,
but they do not furnish anything supe-
rior for interior decoration or furni-
ture. The wood of nara is moderately
heavy. moderately hard. very durable.
and is seldom, il ever. attacked by the
anay (white anti. II seasons well
when properly treated and takes a fine
finish. The heartwoOd of nara is
white. yellow, or red, and the sapwOod
nearly white.
II has been estimated that there are
as high as 4O,OOO.OOO acres of public
forest lands in the Philippine Islands.
The Director of Forestry says in re-
port:
In a recent visit to the southern
islands of this group l was impressed
with the amount of timber standing on
the smaller islands. Frequently the
was such that IT could be
exploited with facility. l saw tracts
Of virgin forest where more than 10000 /
cubic feet of magnificent timber per
acre was standing, trees $50 feet in /
height, with trunks clear of branches |
for eighty feet. There are many mill |
lions of cubic feet of timber in these !
forests that should be cut in order to |
thin out the dense growth. |
For instance, where there are three or |
Tour trees growing on a space required !
'or one, that one so freed would put !
IN more good wood each year than the |
our together
TT is safe TO state that the number
II native tree species found will be
nearer 500 than $50. a great majority
II these undoubtedly being hardwoods.
The edges of the great forests have
,een scarcely cut away, and fifty val
Iable hardwoods given to the world.
he full value of which species has not
,een demonstrated as yet. Six hundred
md siXty-tive native tree species are
low lis; ed"
Some idea of the present and poten-
ial value of the islands in hardwood
Ilone may be gained from the bare
tatement that there is enough hard
wood standing in the virgin forests of
he islands several times over to pay
or their original cost to the United
states. even il sold at only a nominal
rice per acre.