PHILIPPINE FOREST PRODUCTS AS SOURCES OF 
PAPER PULP 
BY WILLIAM H. BROWN AND ARTHUR F.. FISCHER 
INTRODUCTION 
The increasing difficulty of obtaining wood pulp for paper 
has led to the examination of a great variety of substances to 
be used as substitutes. The possibilities for paper pulp in the 
Philippines have been investigated by Richmond and reported 
eon in a series of articles in the Philippine Journal of Science.* 
Since Richmond’s articles appeared very little information has 
been obtained concerning paper, except in regard to supply and 
yield of materials. The Philippines offer a particularly favor- 
able site for the establishment of a paper industry, as raw 
material of good quality and at cheap prices is available. There 
is, moreover, a very considerable local market in addition to that 
which can be obtained by export. The Philippine Legislature 
has passed a law guaranteeing for a paper plant an interest of 
four per cent per annum for three or six years. The local de- 
mand is considerable, as can be seen from the fact that during the 
year 1917 paper and paper products to the value of 3,778,373 
pesos were imported into the islands. In Manila alone there 
are eleven daily and eight weekly papers, besides numerous 
monthlies and quarterlies. Richmond has shown that there is 
not only a considerable amount of material for paper pulp to 
be derived from forest products, but that besides there are other 
very considerable sources. In the Philippines, clothes are made 
largely from cotton which is not mixed with wool, and by far 
the largest part of this cotton is white, so that cotton rags offer 
considerable possibilities for the manufacture of paper. Among 
the agricultural products may be mentioned abaka (Manila 
hemp) waste, banana fiber, sisal, and maguey waste. In the 
process of stripping commercial fiber from abaka as much or 
more waste fiber is left in the stalk than is extracted. Richmond 
has found that this material makes an excellent paper. The 
abundance of this waste is shown by the fact that 171,148 
metric tons of abaka were exported from the Philippine Islands 

* Richmond, G. F., Philippine fibers and fibrous substances: Their suit- 
ability for paper-making, Philippine Journal of Science, Vol. I, p. 483; 
Pare Al, Vole d, p. 1075: Part) El Section A. Vol. Il, p.° St. 
Philippine fibers and fibrous substances: Their suitability for paper- 
making, Philippine Journal of Science, Section A, Vol. V (1910), p. 233. 
415 

