Directory_and_Chronicle_1938 — Page 1726

D6

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

Gold continues to be the barometer of mining activities in the Philippine Islands. Its production has been increasing annually until in 1936 the total output has reached approximately 44,000,000 pesos. This production has placed the Philippines as the fourth greatest gold producing area under the United States flag. In quarts mining, the Benguet and Masbate districts have been consistent producers for a number of years. At present the Benguet district produces about 95% of the total output of gold. The three great producing mines in order of their importance are the Benguet Con- solidated, the Balatoc, and the Itogon mines, all of which are located in Benguet, but about eight others are now in regular production.

No silver mining is done in the islands, but silver is produced as a by-product of gold mining. Small quantity of platinum is also recovered in connection with placer operations.

The native furnaces of Bulacan continue to be the only source of iron production. Development of the chromite deposits in Camarines Sur and Sambales are now being pushed to the point of production. Other metallic deposits worthy of consideration are the copper of Mankayan and Suyoc; chromite of Zambales and Pangasinan; iron of Surigao and Calambayanga Island; manganese of Ilocos Norte and Masbate; and lead and zinc of Masbate and Marinduque.

Coal is being produced from Cebu, Mindanao and Batan. Two cement plants, one in Cebu and another in Binangonan, Rizal, manufacture Portland cement for export and for domestic consumption Lime factories in Rizal, Tayabas and Iloilo produce quick and slack lime for use in sugar refineries. Exploratory drilling for petroleum is being carried out in the Bondoc peninsula and other places. Small quantity of bituminoue rock of Leyte is now being mined for road construction. Guano and phosphatic rock are also being produced from the deposits of Capiz, Pangasinan, Tayabas and other provinces.

FORESTS

Timber forests are found in all the principal islands of the archipelago, covering an area of about 65,476 sq. miles, or 57.21 per cent. of the total area. Not less than 53,352 sq. miles are commercial forests. These forests contain some of the finest timber in the world, especially for cabinet work. Many species of the Dipterocarp family are used as substitute for mahogany and are sold in foreign markets as Philippine mahogany. Minor forest products such as rattan, oils, copal gum, tanbark, dyebark, and dyewood are abundant.

The Government owns more than 99 per cent. of all the standing timber of the Philippines, and the Bureau of Forestry has control over them. The public forests are not sold, but are developed under a license system. There are at present 107 sawmills, which are equipped with modern machinery fit to meet the big enterprise

of the Islands.

FISHERIES

Fishing, until recently an undeveloped industry in the Philippines, is rapidly coming to the front. Although coinmerical fishing is largely in the hands of the Japanese each year sees a greater investment of Filipino and American capital.

The waters along the extensive coasts of the islands teem with common varieties of food-fishes. Among those found in commercial quantities are anchovies, sardines, silversides, mackerels, snappers, pampanos, tunas, sea-basses, mullets, milkfishes, barracudas, porgies and parrotfishes. The local market is under-supplied and con- siderable quantities of fish and fishery products are imported. With the more exten- sive use of modern fishing equipment and methods of transportation so that the in- terior towns can be supplied there will be a decrease in the imports of this character. The commercial canning of fish is now an established industry in the islands. Other sea-products found in the Philippine waters are shark fins, sponges, trepang, pearls, and pearl-shells, top-shell and widow shells.

MANUFACTURES AND INDUSTRIES

The Philippines is a prospective industrial field. The country has available raw materials such as Manila hemp, copra, leaf tobacco, lumber, shells, fumbang, nuts, castor beans, clay, limestone, bamboo, buntal, dye woods and cassava for the different lines of manufactures and industries. Manila and a few other cities are centres of these industrial activities. However, some of the big establishments such as sugar centrals, rice and lumber mills are found in localities nearest the sources of materials.