346 "^he Philippine Journal of Science 



has attended the efforts so far made to exploit the Camarines ore. 

 The Surigao ore possesses an advantage in its freedom from 

 objectionable impurities, such as sulphur and phosphorus, 

 although neither of these elements is injuriously high in the 

 Camarines ore. 



The best authorities believe that the Cuban ore, with which 

 the Surigao ore has been compared, will ultimately be exported 

 to Europe as well as to the United States. But one of the fea- 

 tures which make the Cuban ore valuable is its nickel content. 

 This metal, so desirable in certain classes of steel alloys, is not 

 present in the Surigao ore. Then, too, the Surigao ore is poorer 

 in iron than the Cuban ore, and while the difference in the iron 

 content is small, it is sufficient to make a difference in the smelt- 

 ing values of the two ores. 



If the Surigao deposit is exploited in the near future it will 

 probably be for the purpose of exporting the ore to be smelted 

 elsewhere. The present export tax of 2 pesos per metric ton 

 on ores would make difficult the profitable mining of the ore, 

 even for export. The lack of coke for reduction, as well as the 

 limited market for the product, militate against the development 

 of a local iron- and steel-smelting industry. On the other hand, 

 when in time the Philippine market becomes large enough to 

 justify manufacturing iron and steel from these ores, the prob- 

 lem can probably be solved by utilizing one of the larger streams 

 for hydroelectric power and accomplishing the reduction in the 

 electric furnace with charcoal burned in the surrounding forests. 



Dahikan Bay, which is protected from the rough seas common 

 to the eastern coast of Mindanao throughout one half the year, 

 offers the best situation for a base of mining operations. Not 

 only does it afford the only natural harbor facilities in the region, 

 but it is adjacent to the largest area of ore. Power will have 

 to be transmitted from a distance, but this is true, also, of any 

 other possible location. Taganito is another possible base of 

 operations. It has no natural harbor facilities, although there 

 are outlying islands which might prove of value in making a 

 harbor. But it is the logical point from which to mine a large 

 quantity of ore, as it affords a larger area for the plant site than 

 is available at Dahikan Bay and has more water for general 

 purposes, and water for power could be obtained on the upper 

 parts of several rivers which discharge at Taganito. 



Wherever mining is attempted in the Surigao deposit, it will 

 be necessary to mine the greater part of the ore on the tops 

 of the hills varying from 150 to 400 meters in elevation and to 

 transport the mined ore down steep slopes to sea level. 



