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RECOMMENDATIONS.

Two great obstacles are encountered in providing for a forestry service of these islands, namely, a lack of properly trained officials and, second, a great variety of unknown tree species.

The United States this year inaugurates the scientific exploitation of 50,000,000 acres of public forest land. The few foresters now in the States will be offered inducements to enter that service.

Fifty trained foresters would find ample work in the Philippine forests at the present time, but it is doubtful if appeals to the forestry service in Germany, India, and Java would result in securing half a dozen men. The great objection offered by these men, as I have stated before, will be that no provision is made for retirement for disability or for age. Life in the Tropics, and especially in a tropical forest, is not without considerable danger, and a foreigner can hardly be expected to leave the forestry service in his own country to go to strange lands where pernicious malaria or dysentery may incapacitate him within a few months after his arrival.

These forests can be properly cared for as soon as trained foresters are provided.

It is believed that a personal visit to Germany, India, and Java by some one interested in this service, and with authority to employ, would result in securing a few men.

The next difficulty will be found in finding a market for the several hundred varieties of native woods found within a comparatively small area in almost any part of these islands.

The first step in this direction is now being made. One hundred varieties of native woods have been selected, polished, and labeled, and shipped to the United States, where they are to be placed on exhibition at the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, and later to be permanently placed in the Agricultural Department at Washington. The exhibition of these hard woods will interest our furniture makers, and may tend to divert buyers from Central and South America to the Philippines. A vast amount of hard wood is imported into the United States each year at a high price. There is no reason why many of the Philippine varieties of fine quality should not find a ready market with the furniture makers.

Many fine varieties of native woods are not popular in the Philippines on account of their nonresistance to the white ant and climate, which objections would not be met with in the United States.

The regulations provide for the felling of all trees by selection. Objections will be made by the lumbermen that there is no market for the 400 or 500 varieties of tree species thus selected. The duty of finding a market for such varieties thus devolves upon the forestry bureau. There are at present samples of more than 450 varieties of native tree species in the office at Manila. Each month will find more varieties added to this number, and in time, after investigation of the quality of these woods as to strength and durability, more varieties will become popular in the market.

The forestry school should be inaugurated as soon as possible at Manila for the purpose of training the present forestry officials.

Very respectfully,

GEORGE P. AHERN,

Captain Ninth U. S. Infantry, in Charge of Bureau.

The SECRETARY OF WAR.

Statement of utilization of forest products from public lands, Philippine Islands, from July 1, 1900, to April 30, 1901.

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Statistics of sums collected on forest products from public lands, Philippine Islands, July to

December, 1900.

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Statistics of sums collected on forest products from public lands, etc.-Continued.

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Native woods brought to market in the Philippine Islands from July 1 to December 31, 1900.

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Native woods brought to market in the Philippine Islands, etc.-Continued.

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Native woods brought to market in the Philippine Islands, etc.-Continued.

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Statement of licenses issued from July 1, 1900, to May 14, 1901.

$8,949.47 53, 925.52 5,306. 29 342.60 148.45 89.23

368.34 1,250.22 18.80 1,276.07

62,725.52

976.42

61,749.10

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