Lumber

Title

Lumber

Creator

Reyes, . J.

Language

English

Source

The American Chamber of Commerce Journal Volume XXVII (Issue No. 5) May 1951

Year

1951

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

158 AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL May, 1951 Ocean Shipping and Exports By J. G. Llamas Acting Assistant-Secretary Associated Steamship Lines TOTAL exports for the month of March of this year, showed a small increase over exports during March of last year. 95 vessels lifted 262,778 tons of exports during the month, as compared to 252,350 tons lifted by 106 vessels during the same month last year. Commodities which have registered a sharp increase over last year’s figures for the same month, are: hemp from 66,616 to 106,277 bales; logs from 3,760,757 to 12,102,779 bft., molasses from 2,832 to9,370 tons;and rattan, palasan, from 115 to 437 tons. • Exports for March, 1951, as compared with exports for March, 1950, were as follows: March 1951 ’ 1950 Alcohol................................. Beer....................................... Cigar and cigarettes......... Coconut, desiccated......... Coconut oil......................... Concentrates, gold........... Copra.................................... Copra cake meal.............. Embroideries...................... Empty cylinders........... Fruits, fresh........................ Furniture, rattan.............. Glycerine............................. Gums, copal....................... Gums, elemi....................... Hemp.................................... 215 tons 75 ” 16 ” 5,894 ” 5,243 ” 118 ” 42,104 ” 5,425 ” 190 ” 552 ” 354 ” 826 ” 168 ” 109 ” 30 ” 106,277 bales 57 tons 11 ” 10,992 ” 3,789 ” 546 ” 43,185 ” 6,258 ” 163 ” 400 ” 119 ” 625 ” 176 ” 62 ” 66,616 bales Household goods............... 366 tons 293 tons Junk, metal........................ 9,902 ” 2,039 Logs..................................... 12,102,779 bft. 3,760,757 bft. Lumber, sawn.................... 3,986,920 ” 3,476,149 Molasses............................... 9,370 tons 2,832 tons Plywood and plywood products.......................... 35 ” 14 Ores, chrome...................... 21,503 ” 24,808 58,657 Ores, iron............................. 61,427 ” Pineapples, canned........... 5,676 ” 4,737 Rattan, palasan................. 437 ” 115 Rope...................................... 698 ” 213 Rubber................................. 63 ” 83 Shell, shells waste............. 60 ” 26 Skins, hides......................... 170 ” 114 Soap...................................... 28 ” — Sugar cent./raw................ 47,622 ” 57,517 Tobacco............................... 539 ” 696 Vegetable oil...................... 34 ” 42 Transit cargo...................... 472 ” 823 Merchandise, general.... 2,710 ” 2,413 Lumber By Luis J. Reyes Philippine Representative, Penrod, Jurden & Clark Company THE shipping situation remains critical and many logs and much sawn- lumber cannot be shipped because of the shortage of bottoms. During the month of March a total of 24,642,178 bd. ft. was inspected for export mostly to Japan and the United States. Reports from Japan state that the supply of lauan logs from the Philippines has reached saturation to the point that the tendency of the market is to demand a higher grade of logs. Certain sections of this country have shipped mostly saw-logs to Japan. Future shipments, it ENGINEERING EQUIPMENT r> & SUPPLY COMPANY, Inc. MACHINERY • MECHANICAL SUPPLIES • ENGINEERS • CONTRACTORS AIR CONDITIONING For Offices, Theatres, Hospitals, Stores, Restaurants, Hotels, Clubs and Homes ★ ★ ★ Suppliers of MACHINERY, EQUIPMENT and INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES For Sugar Centrals, Mines, Sawmills, Power Plants, Machine Shops and All Industrial Plants ★ ★ ★ ENGINEERING — DESIGN — APPLICATION — ESTIMATES INSTALLATION — MAINTENANCE — SERVICE — REPAIRS General & Sales Office 174 M. de Comillas Manila Tel. 3-29-21 ★ ★ ★ Operating: MACHINE SHOPS • STEEL PLATE SHOPS STRUCTURAL STEEL SHOPS • WELDING SHOPS • BLACKSMITH SHOPS • SHEET METAL SHOPS • MARINE RAILWAY Engineering Shops No. 1 Calle L. Segura & Pasig River Mandaluyong, Rizal Tel. 6-65-68 May, 1951 AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 159 seems, will be of higher quality, similar to those sent to the United States. Distributors in the United States are clamoring for more lumber and logs and local producers are unable to supply the big demand of the American market. The Bureau of Forestry released the following table showing the logs and lumber inspected for export during the month of March, 1951: 6,134,308 18,507,870 24,642,178 Destination Lumber (Bd.Ft.) Logs (Bd.Ft.) Total (Bd.Ft.) Japan................................ — 12,887,266 4,004,949 12,887,266 United States................ ........... 3,653,824 ........... 324,447 7,658,773 South Africa.................. — 324,447 Formosa.......................... — 1,505,713 1,505,713 Canada............................ ........... 191,435 109,942 301,377 Okinawa.......................... ........... 1,224,124 ........... 442,228 — 1,224,124 Hawaii............................. — 442,228 Guam............................... ........... 298,250 — 298,250 In the local market, prices have gone higher, with sales made at P190 to P195 per 1000 bd.ft. for tangile, P180 for apitong, and Pl65 to Pl70 for white lauan. Prices are going up and by April and May may reach P200 or more for tangile with corresponding rises in the prices of other woods. Prices may remain high during the dry months of May and June. Prices during the earlier part of this year were so discouraging to millers that many mills closed down and sent their logs to Japan instead of sawing them. The Philippine Lumber Producers Association held its annual meeting on April 13 and unanimously re-elected Antonio de las Alas as President and also the entire Board of Directors. Many activities are being planned for the coming year, among them the expansion of the office of the Secretary for wider service to all the members of the Association. Shipment of sawn lumber to the United States Army in Japan is encountering difficulties mainly due to the interpretation of the grading rules governing the “mer chantable” grade. It will be remembered that the original conditions of purchase were that the grade of “merchant able,” as described in the grading rules of the Philippine Government, would be followed and that the certificate of inspection issued by qualified inspectors of the Bureau of Forestry would be accepted as final. But the first ship ment of lumber to Japan was not satisfactory to the Army which for this reason sent officials to the Philippines to super vise the inspection and to show Philippine government inspectors its interpretation of the Philippine Govern ment rules defining the “merchantable” grade. We had opportunity to go over the United States Army interpreta tion of the rules and I can state definitely that it is entirely different from that held here. Mining By Nestorio N. Lim Secretary, Chamber of Mines of the Philippines THREE new laws which recently went into force will adversely affect the mining industry;—the 17% tax on foreign exchange, which will increase the procure ment cost, among other things, of mining machinery and spare parts, supplies, chemicals, etc.; the sharp increase in the corporate income tax rates; and the minimum wage law. Mining companies will have to pay their workers a minimum wage of ?3 a day beginning August 13 of this year, and ?4 a day after August 12 of next year; deduct ible are the cost of meals, not exceeding 40/ a meal, and the cost of housing, not to exceed 40/ a day. ALLIS W CHALMERS WORLD’S LARGEST LINE OF MAJOR INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT MOTORS for Dependable Power This squirrel cage motor is one of the complete line of A 11 i s - C h a 1 in e r s motors — known for their long service and high efficiency. All types of motors — wound rotor, direct current and synchronous — are made in ratings from one to 500 lip. and up. 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pages

158-159

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