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MANILA DAILY BULLETIN 



The 67-horsepower Otto suction producer- 

 gas plant installed as an additional power 

 unit in the power house of the Bureau of 

 Science has been eminently satisfactory. The 

 plant consists of a generator and a producer- 

 gas engine with direct-coupled dynamo. The 

 plant was operated exclusively and regularly 

 on Batan coal for several months and used 

 this fuel very successfully to furnish electric 

 power. It will do the same with any other 

 Philippine coal. The cost of producing elec- 

 tric power will vary according to the location 

 of the power plant, availability of fuel, facil- 

 ities of transportation, etc. With Philippine 

 coal we were able to produce electric power 

 by means of the producer-gas plant at 0.033 

 pesos per net kilowatt hour. This is cheaper 

 than the Diesel crude oil engine and, besides, 

 has the advantage of using a fuel of local pro- 

 duction. In the Philippine Islands it is pos- 

 sible to mine coal cheaply, and from figures 

 on file in this institution, it would seem that 

 Philippine coal of good quality could be put 

 on the market in Manila at a very much re- 

 duced price to the consumer. 



19. Petroleum. Petroleum is known to 

 occur in Tayabas, Cebu, Iloilo, Car.iz, and 

 Leyte Provinces. Bondoc Peninsula in Ta- 

 yabas Province has been studied in detail 

 by the Bureau of Science and pronounced 

 worthy of exploration by drilling. Samples 

 analyzed show that the oil has a paraffin base 

 and is practically free from sulphur. The 

 Bondoc region seems sufficiently promising 

 to warrant the Government spending funds 

 for drilling in the most favorable localities 

 on public lands, the location to be designated 

 by the Bureau of Science. 



I have on file an estimate for drilling, an 

 outlined plan for developing the oil fields of 

 the southern part of Bondoc Peninsula, and 

 several otH*er documents, which bring the 

 status of the Bondoc Peninsula petroleum 

 resources to date. In 1914 I drafted an Act 

 making appropriation for drilling wells in 

 new districts for exploration purposes, which 

 carried with it the sum of 200,000 pesos or 

 so much thereof as may be necessary for the 

 drilling by the Bureau of Public Works and 

 the necessary work of the Bureau of Science 

 connected with the exploration of petroleum- 

 bearing formations. 



With the increasing number of oil-consum- 

 ing engines and the increase in transporta- 

 tion charges, there is now even more reason 

 for proving or disproving the existence of 

 oil-bearing strata in the Philippine Islands. 



20. Lime. The status of lime manufac- 

 ture in the Philippine Islands has always been 

 far from satisfactory, although pure coralline 

 and crystalline limestone suitable for the 

 manufacture of lime occur throughout 

 the Archipelago. The kilns which have 

 been used are frequently simply holes in the 

 ground. Lime is often made from sea shells 

 which are poorly cleaned and consequently 

 yield an impure product. The kilns are 

 usually very wasteful in fuel and labor and 

 make the cost of production of an inferior 

 lime higher than it should be for a good one. 

 The output is entirely unsuited for use in the 

 sugar industry and for other chemical pur- 

 poses and in the manufacture of lime prod- 

 ucts. The lime produ:ed in the experi- 

 mental kiln of the Bureau of Science is far 

 superior to that heretofore obtained in com- 

 mercial practice and is in every respect a first- 

 class article. There is no reason for the im- 

 portation of lime into the Philippine Islands, 

 and the increased production of sugar by 

 modern methods has so augmented the de- 

 mand, that there is no doubt that it would 

 soon equal the output of large kilns. The 

 lime of local manufacture is burned in the 

 crudest manner and seldom contains more 

 than 25 per cent of available lime. In spite 

 of this it sells for about 30 pesos per ton. All 

 of the lime which the experimental kiln of 

 the Bureau of Science has produced has had 

 a market value of 50 pesos per ton. If good 



lime were available at a moderate price, 

 there is no doubt of a demand. Probably 

 at the outset the industry would thrive best 

 if conducted in connection with a sugar cen- 

 tral. This institution should have a corps 

 of demonstrators for the introduction of new 

 methods and of desirable modifications of 

 existing methods in the Islands. A typical 

 example of this need is found in the lime in- 

 dustry. 



21. _Hyirated lime. Formerly in most 

 countries lime was always sold as it came 

 from the kiln as quick lime or calcium oxide. 

 However, within the last few years slaked 

 or hydrated lime has been placed on the 

 world's market. This product is obtained 

 by grinding quick lime, mixing it with the 

 proper amount of water, and then rejecting 

 the unhydrated portions. A number of 

 hydrators for the manufacture of hydrated 

 lime are in general use. These may be divid- 

 ed into two classes: the continuous hydra- 

 tors and the batch hydrators. The first 

 class is the more efficient, but requires a con- 

 siderable investment of capital. It is a ques- 

 tion which process would be best adapted 

 to the Philippines. 



Both hydrated and quick lime have cer- 

 tain advantages. The former is immediately 

 available for use, is easily handled in any sort 

 of container, and is not affected by moisture 

 in the atmosphere. The latter is cheaper, 

 requires lower transportation charges be- 

 cause of the absence of water, and is not so 

 sensitive to the carbon dioxide in the air. 

 Quick lime is used in the sugar industry, for 

 lime which has absorbed carbon dioxide is 

 absolutely useless for treating sugar juices. 

 Considerable hydrated lime is at present made 

 and sold in the Philippine Islands and should 

 find extensive use for road building and 

 water-proofing. 



In connection with our experimental lime 

 kiln, it is the intention of the Bureau of Science 

 to investigate the manufacture of hydrated 

 lime. Data on the method of hydration best 

 suited to the local conditions, and on the 

 relative suitability of the two kinds of lime 

 under tropical conditions, should be of eco- 

 nomic importance. 



22. Lime products. In connection with 

 a lime kiln the operation of a sand-lime brick 

 plant and of a bleaching powder plant shows 

 considerable promise. 



Conditions are very favorable in thePhilip- 

 pines for the commercial manufactures of 

 brick, building blocks, tiles, slabs, marbles, 

 and ornamental stones from sand and lime. 

 The cost of manufacturing and selling 9-inch 

 bricks of the best quality is estimated not to 

 exceed 13 pesos per 1,000, which, in compari- 

 son with the price of other building materials, 

 offers considerable margin for profits. In 

 Germany alone over three hundred sand- 

 lime brick factories are in constant operation. 

 For many building purposes the use of sand- 

 lime brick is more satisfactory than concrete. 



In connection with a lime kiln and a sand- 

 lime products plant a chlorination plant could 

 probably be operated advantageous!)'. The 

 consumption of bleaching powder (calcium 

 hypochlorite, CaOCl-2) in the city of Manila 

 alone, a large part of which is used by the 

 city of Manila for the treatment of the Ma- 

 nila water supply, amounts to 25,000 pesos 

 per annum. I have not had time to inves- 

 tigate this industry thoroughly, but in my 

 opinion it shows very great promise unless 

 the industry would be unfavorably influenced 

 by climatic conditions. 



23. Vitrified and other clay products. 

 The Bureau of Science is at present conduct- 

 ing an investigation on the suitability ofPhil- 

 ippine clays and shales for the manufacture 

 of vitrified brick^ropfing tile, drain tile, etc. 

 The Philippines need a satisfactory paving 

 material which gan.tje produced locally. Im- 

 ported road material cannot be used exten- 

 sively because of the prohibitive freight rates. 

 At present over 90 per cent of all streets in 



Manila are paved with macadam. Employ- 

 ees of the Bureau of Science have scoured 

 the country for suitable rock. Extensive 

 test of all available material have been made 

 and that now in use was adopted as the best 

 on the recommendation of the Bureau of Scien- 

 ce. Even were a first-class material availa- 

 ble; a number of disadvantages are connected 

 with macadam, among which may be mention- 

 ed its unsuitahility for heavy traffic and the 

 expense of upkeep. It seems probable that 

 vitrified paving brick may be made from local 

 raw materials, and if so the paving problem 

 would be solved 



Recently much interest has been shown in 

 a search for a cheap fire-proof material to 

 replace nipa. It is possible that suitable 

 roofing tile may be made for this purpose. 

 The main difficulty is to make them suffi- 

 ciently light for the ordinary supports. 



Although building brick and tile are man- 

 ufactured at a number of places in the Is- 

 lands, in some cases the industry is carried 

 on by very crude processes. As a result, the 

 product is usually inferior in quality because 

 of the improper moulding or burning. In 

 many cases bricks of good quality could be 

 made by changing the process. The estab- 

 lishment along Pasig River above Manila 

 could make good brick by substituting the 

 stiff mud for their soft mud process. 



The Bureau of Science has collected con- 

 siderable data on Philippine clay deposits, 

 and both chemical and physical tests have been 

 made on a number of the raw materials. 



24. Silk. The Burau of Science has raised 

 silkworms for many years for the purpose 

 of shipping eggs to those who might wish to 

 engage in the business. This is an industry 

 which supports thousands of people in several 

 other countries. The care of the worms is 

 easily learned. There is no heavy work 

 connected with any part of the industry, and 

 it may all be performed by women and girls. 

 It is peculiarly suited to persons with small 

 capital. I believe the reason that the silk- 

 worm industry has not been more developed 

 in the Philippine Islands is because of the 

 lack of means for reaching the people who 

 would appreciate and profit by it. Demon- 

 strators are needed who will introduce the 

 work into provincial towns and barrios. 



25. Fish. This food which is next to 

 agricultural products in importance in the 

 Philippine Islands needs special attention. 

 The value of the fish ponds in the vicinity 

 of Manila is about 6,000,000 pesos. In Ma- 

 nila alone fresh fish to the value of 5,000 pesos 

 is sold daily. The Bureau of Science has 

 insufficient personnel to devote much time 

 to the improvement of fish culture and to the 

 determination of the possibilities of artificial 

 propagation of food fishes, although its vast 

 importance is realized. Only a very slight 

 improvement in the value of 6,000,000 pesos 

 means no small gain. Black bass and mos- 

 quito fish should be more widely distributed 

 by the Government. Individuals will not 

 do this on their own responsibility. Such 

 fishes as anchovy, sardine, and herring abound 

 and constitute a potential source of wealth. 

 A great deal of study is necessary to deter- 

 mine their distribution and the best means 

 of taking and protecting them. The manu- 

 facture of dried and smoked fish products 

 is very important to the Philippine Islands, 

 and there is urgent need of improving this 

 industry. Salt is at hand in the Philippines 

 for this purpose. There is much-needed 

 demonstration work along all lines of fish 

 culture and preservation of both fresh water 

 and marine commercial products. 



26. Window shells. About 5,000,000 win- 

 dow shells are used each year in the building 

 operations in the city of Manila, a large pro- 

 portion of which come from the beds in Ma- 

 nila Bay. The demand for these shells in 



(Continued on page 77) 



