Part of these licenses expire in six months; the remainder in one year from date of issue. Under the Spanish administration an average of 1,000 licenses were issued each year by the forestry bureau. Where an applicant employs a number of the people of a thinly populated district, and where he shows that he can cut all that should properly be cut for the present needs in that district, other licenses for that particular limited area are not granted. Up to the present time this has worked without objection. The licenses granted so far cover but a very small part of the forest area of the islands. Vast areas of virgin forest throughout the islands are practically untouched and will not be entered for some time to come, owing to the lack of roads, driveways, scarcity of labor, and means of transportation. A cable dispatch from Washington, D. C., was received early in March giving notice of the passage of what is known as the Spooner amendment. This law provides that no sale or lease or other disposition of the public lands or the timber thereon or the mining rights therein shall be made." Orders were given the forestry bureau to grant no more licenses to cut timber on public lands. Several weeks later a copy of the opinion of the law officer of the Division of Insular Affairs, giving the War Department's construction of the Spooner amendment, was received, and the forestry bureau notified that "such provisions of said General Orders, No. 92, as are intended to protect and preserve the interests of the United States in said forests are in harmony with said enactment and not affected thereby." The opinion stated: 66 This enactment permits the President of the United States to grant such temporary privileges as are clearly necessary for the immediate government of the islands and indispensable for the interest of the people thereof.” The licenses granted have never been in excess of the immediate and imperative needs of the islands, and the cutting under these licenses in the islands has never been equal to the necessities of the people, and has not been sufficient to bring down the price of timber to what it formerly was. The cutting nowhere in the islands has been equal to what would have been selected by the scientific forester whose principal object was the betterment of forest conditions. Owing to a lack of facilities for logging and sawing, it was found impossible to supply the United States military forces in the islands with the timber necessary for the construction of storerooms for supplies, and barracks for troops, timbers for bridges, and other public works immediately necessary for the care of the troops. Several million feet of American timber were imported to supplement the native timber brought to market. The United States Government utilized at least 50 per cent of the native timber brought to market in the Philippines. The merchants used a large part of the remaining 50 per cent for new buildings, additions, etc., leaving the private householders but a small and ridiculously inadequate supply for the repair of their homes. The number of homes destroyed in the Philippines during the insurrection will never be even approximately known, and it will be years before the supply of native wood will meet even the absolutely necessary demand of the native residents. PROCEDURE AS PRESCRIBED IN FORESTRY REGULATIONS IN ORDER TO EXTRACT FOREST PRODUCTS FROM THE PUBLIC LANDS OF THE PHILIPPINES. I. Application by letter to the forestry bureau of the party desiring license. The writer must be known to the bureau or vouched for by some responsible party. The forestry official in the district where the license is to be granted must indorse the application. No particular form of letter is required in making this application. II. The particular license requested, if granted, is made out on a special form, signed by the head of the forestry bureau, and stamped. (See Forms 4, 5, 6, 7.) The license is sent with a copy of the forestry regulations to the applicant. A Spanish copy of the regulations is sent to all native or Spanish applicants. Notice of said license is also sent to the forestry official in the district covered by the license. It has been customary for many years to grant licenses covering whole provinces, but lately the policy has been to restrict the license to a district covering but one or two pueblos or townships. In the province of Abra, owing to severe cutting in former years, no licenses were granted by the Spanish bureau. Since the organiza tion of the present bureau but one license has been granted in this province. This license was given at the solicitation of the military government, and was for the purpose of supplying the needs of the military forces. In other provinces as many as 37 timber licenses have been granted. In many provinces and islands where there is much valuable timber not one application has been received for timber or other licenses. After license is received the licensee may proceed to the district covered by his license and begin operations. Article 62 of the Forestry Regulations prescribes that the trees to be cut shall be selected. This has been done under the personal supervision of the undersigned in the pine region of Luzon, where the timber is thin and where vigorous cutting might be harmful to future forest growth. But, as a rule, the cuttings in other regions have been so moderate that up to the present time it has not been found necessary to mark the trees to be felled. This will be done in the near future, or as soon as any logging company begins to operate on a large scale. At present loggers are taking out one tree where they could take 100 and not injure the forest growth. This state of affairs is not likely to continue many months longer. When the logs are ready for removal the licensee notifies (see article 63) the nearest forestry official, who measures his wood and makes out an order for payment (Form 3), and also gives to the licensee a manifest (Form 13) on which is noted the kind and dimensions of each log. In some cases (article 66) the licensee pays at once for his wood. In other cases he may pay at the destination of cargo if in the Philippines. In every case the forestry official retains a copy of the manifest, inscribes one copy in his records, and sends one copy to the Forestry Bureau at Manila. At the end of each two weeks he submits a report (Form 17) of work done during this period. This gives twice each month complete and detailed information to the central office at Manila of operations over the entire archipelago. After payment for the wood the licensee shows a receipt for the same to the forestry official and receives from this official a permit to unload (Form 1) and a note of the customs guards (Form 2). At destination of cargo a second inspection is made (Form 12) and if a difference is found between the original manifest and second inspection, this difference must be accounted for, and in certain cases penalties may be incurred. If an excess of cargo is found at this second inspection, an order of payment (Form 10) is issued and a receipt for said payment must be shown before said cargo can be moved. In the case of private woodlands, the owner or his authorized agent submits a copy of the title to his woodlands to the forestry bureau for registration. If the title is prima facia a good one, it is registered and a statement (Form 9) of said registration given to the owner. After cutting his wood, he secures a certificate from the mayor of the township in which his land is located, to the effect that this wood was cut on his land, and then a permit for free transit is given (Form 15). BLANK FORMS USED IN THE FORESTRY BUREAU, MANILA, P. I. No. 1. Permit to unload forest products. No. 2. Note to customs guards to permit unloading of cargo. No. 3. Order of payment. (English.) No. 3. Order of payment. (Spanish.) No. 4. License-Rubber, guins, gutta-percha, etc. No. 5. License-Firewood. No. 6. License-Timber. No. 7. License-Gratuitous. No. 8. Acknowledgment of receipt of payment on excess of cargo. No. 9. Statement of registration in forestry bureau of title to private woodlands. No. 10. Order of payment on excess cargo found at second inspection. No. 11. Permit by forest ranger to move parts of a cargo of forest products (issued after payment). No. 12. Statement of inspection of forest products at destination. No. 13. Manifest of timber cut on public lands. No. 14. Manifest of firewood cut on public lands. No. 15. Permit for free transit of forest products taken from private woodlands. No. 21. Forestry bureau. Form 1. FORESTRY BUREAU. MANILA, P. I., July 1, 1901. Juan Garcia, having paid the State valuation of the timber brought to Manila on steamer Salvadora, the forestry employees will permit the unloading in Manila Bay. When unloading is finished this order will be taken up and the manifest given in exchange, so that the timber can be carried where desired, provided no excess of cargo is found at inspection. GEORGE P. AHERN. Captain, Ninth Infantry, in Charge of Bureau. No. 21. [Stub.] FORESTRY BUREAU. MANILA, P. I., July 1, 1901. Origin, Aparri. Concessioner, Juan Garcia. Name of vessel, Salvadora. No. of pieces, 12. Cubic feet, 400. State valuation, $40. Date of statement, June 15, 1901. Date of order of payment, July 1, 1901. Date of order to unload, July 1, 1901. Forestry bureau. Form 2. No. 21. FORESTRY BUREAU, MANILA, P. I. Juan Garcia, having paid the State value of the timber brought to Manila by the steamer Salvadora, the order to unload has been given on this date. Customs guards will please note. GEORGE P. AHERN, Captain, Ninth Infantry, in Charge of Bureau. Forestry bureau. Form 3 (English). FORESTRY BUREAU. No. 21. MANILA, P. I., July 1, 1901. Juan Garcia will pay at the office of internal revenue of Manila the sum of forty dollars, value of the timber brought to Manila in steamer Salvadora, as per statement made by Juan Garcia, dated June 15, 1901, and which has been cut by authority of license granted to Juan Garcia, dated January 10, 1901. GEORGE P. AHERN, Captain, Ninth Infantry, in Charge of Bureau. Forestry bureau. Form 3 (Spanish). Son $40.00. Núm. 21. Don Juan Garcia, deberá ingresar en the internal revenue office la cantidad de forty dollars valor de las maderas conducidas á Manila en steamer Salvadora según relación formada por el Juan Garcia de fecha 15 de Junio que han sido cortadas en virtud de licencia que se le ha concedido al interesado en Aparri 10 de Junio de 1901. GEORGE P. AHERN, Order to pay to internal revenue office State valuation for forest product. In accordance with existing law, a license is hereby granted Juan Garcia, resident of Aparri, to extract rubber in the public forests of the province of Cagayan, subject to the accompanying regulations and tariff. GEORGE P. AHERN, Captain, Ninth Infantry, in Charge of Bureau. [Stub.] FORESTRY BUREAU. MANILA, P. I., January 1, 1901. LICENSE FOR RUBBER, GUMS, GUTTA-PERCHA, ETC. No. 10. Name, Juan Garcia. Province, Cagayan. Remarks, resident of Aparri. In Charge of Bureau. [On back.] TARIFF. Concessioners shall, for the present, pay 10 per cent of market value (in Manila) of forest products utilized by virtue of this license. The felling of rubber, caoutchouc, gutta-percha, and gum elastic trees is prohibited. In accordance with existing law, a license is hereby granted Juan Garcia, resident of Aparri, to cut firewood in the public forests of the province of Cagayan, subject to the accompanying regulations and tariff. GEORGE P. AHERN, Captain, Ninth Infantry, in Charge of Bureau. [Stub.] FORESTRY BUREAU. MANILA, P. I., January 1, 1901. FIREWOOD LICENSE. No. 50. Name, Juan Garcia. Province, Cagayan. Remarks, resident of Aparri. In Charge of Bureau. [On back.] TARIFF. First class: Rajas composed of pieces 75 centimeters to 14 meters in length, 20 to 40 centimeters in circumference, $1 per thousand rajas. Second class: Pieces of small size, 20 cents per cubic meter, if for domestic consumption; 40 cents per cubic meter, if for export. Tree species of the third, fourth, and fifth groups only permitted to be cut for firewood. The felling of rubber, caoutchouc, gum elastic, gutta-percha, and ylang-ylang trees is prohibited. In accordance with existing law, a license is hereby granted Juan Garcia, resident of Zamboanga, to cut timber in the public forests of the province of Zamboanga, subject to the accompanying regulations and tariff. GEORGE P. AHERN, Captain, Ninth Infantry, in Charge of Bureau. [Stub.] FORESTRY BUREAU. MANILA, P. I., January 1, 1901. TIMBER LICENSE. Name, Juan Garcia. Province, Zamboanga.• Remarks, resident of town i. anga. In Charge of Bureau. |