Lo99in9 in the Philippines

By Ervin R. Edgcomb, Secy. of the Insular Lumber Co.

The Insular Lumber Company conducts the most important and extensive logging industry in the Philippines ind, in fact, operates the largest hardwood mill in the world at the present time. This company was incorporated in 1904 and started in business shortly thereafter with a small circular saw mill situated at Fabrica, Occidental Negros, P. I. This mill has gradually been increased in size, and capacity, to such an extent that the production in 1926 was over 50,000,000 board feet of lumber and this figure will probably be even greater for the present year.

The land, on which the timber is located is actually owned by the Philippine Government, and the Insular Lumber Company has a concession which allows them to operate over an area of 139 square miles, the Government receiving payment for the timber as it is cut. It is estimated that the timber covered by this concession, should last for a least thirty years at the present rate of production..

About eighty-five per cent of the lumber produced is Philippine mahogany which is marketed in all parts of the world. The demand for this wood is rapidly increasing due to its beautiful grain, its adaptability to many different uses, and also to the decreasing supplies of Central American and African mahoganies. A large quantity of this wood is shipped to the United States and used principally for boat building, interior finish in houses and office buildings, doors, flooring, furniture, cabinet work and patterns.

The remaining fifteen per cent of the product consists largely of a wood, known as "Apitong," which is used for building construction, automobile and railroad car frames, and a number of other purposes requiring heavy, strong wood similar to oak.

The standing timber is quite large, averaging four to five feet in diameter, with many seven- or eight-foot trees rising to a height of 100 to 125 f.eet. On account of the size of the timber, and the high rate of production, it is necessary to use only the best equipment throughout the various operations.

The timber is handled over the Company's three-foot six-inch gauge railroad having fifteen miles of main line track and in addition to this, there is built every year about twenty miles of temporary tram lines. Connected logging trucks, of 60,000 pounds capacity, built by the Pacific Car and Foundry Company, are used to carry the timber. The motive power consists of : One Baldwin Mallet, five Shays and one Davenport locomotive. There are also two small switching engines used in the yard, at the mill. The Shay locomotives are used on the tram lines to bring the loaded cars to the main line, where they are picked up by the Baldwin Mallet.

The main line track is well ballasted and kept in excel-

General oieul of North Yaril shoutkg Main Line Trucks. lent condition and the maximum grade is about five per cent. The curves have a radius of not less than 24O feet on the level sections and 300 feet on the heavier grades, but on the branch lines the curves, of course, are sharper and the grades heavier.

The mill equipment consists of three band mills, of large size, used for cutting the logs into lumber and timbers, and two band saws for resawing the thicker pieces into boards of standard width and thickness. A planing mill

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