GALVANIZED-IRON ROOFING IN THE PHILIPPINES ^ 



By Angel S. Arguelles 



{From the Laboratory of General, Inorganic, and Physical Chemistry, 



Bureau of Science, Manila, P. I.) 



INTRODUCTION 



The great loss from fires in the Philippines due to the general 

 use of readily combustible building materials has demonstrated 

 the necessity of substituting noncombustible roofing for the ordi- 

 nary nipa ^ thatch. Tile, slate, and asphalt are so utilized to 

 a limited extent, but galvanized iron is by far the most widely 

 used fire-proof roofing material. In towns of any importance 

 practically all large buildings have galvanized iron roofs. The 

 entire demand for this material is met by import, the following 

 data showing the amount and value of galvanized iron annually 

 brought into the Islands : 

 Table I. — Quantity and value of Philippine importations of galvanized iron.* 



Year. 



Quantity. 



Value. 



1911 — 



Kilograms. 



8,179,955 

 10, 09B, 640 

 10, 075, 956 

 10.620,233 



5,698,927 



Pesos. •> 

 1,120,660 

 1,844,024 

 1,480,580 

 1,540,622 



879,207 



1912 - 1 



1913 



1914 - . — 



1915 - 



Total - . . .- . -. 



44, 570, 711 



6,365,293 





• Data for this table were secured from the Annual Rep. Bur. Customs for the year ended 

 December SI, 191Z (1913), 117; ibid, for 1915 (1916), 97. These figures cover only corrugated 

 sheets. In view of the fact that plain galvanized sheets are included under "all other sheets 

 and plates" in the report, it is not possible to give exact figures for them. Import values for 

 "all other sheets and plates amounted to f520,722 for 1914, of which probably 80 per cent 

 are plain galvanized sheets. 



'' One peso Philippine currency equals 50 cents United States currency. 



The value of this import gradually increased until it reached 

 1,540,622 pesos for 1914, but dropped to 879,207 pesos in 1915, 

 a decrease largely due to the advance in price caused by the 

 European war. In view of the material improvements going 

 on in all sections of the Islands, an even greater demand for 

 this roofing material may be expected in the future. 



As a result of the great demand for corrugated galvanized 

 sheets various brands of this material have been imported. 



^ Received for publication July, 1916. 



' The leaves of the nipa palm, Nipa fruticans Wurmb. 



177 



