256 



The Philippine Journal of Science 



1914 



plements from imported pig iron. Accurate figures as to the 

 size of the Chinese production are not obtainable, but it is 

 probably larger than that of the Bulacan operators. The Chinese 

 casting is considered by the farmer to be inferior to the Bu- 

 lacan casting, and brings only a little more than half as much 

 on the market. 



The annual production has increased until it is now worth more 

 than 50,000 pesos, and it could probably be materially increased 

 if through a lowering of prices on the part of the Bulacan 

 smelters the Chinese castings could be crowded out of the 

 market. 



Table XII. — Quantity of iron ore mined mid quantity and value of iron 

 produced in the Philippines, 166^-1913. 



Years. 



Iron ore. 



Cast iron. 



Value. 



1664-1883 



M. tons. 



«8,000 



300 



a2,000 

 160 

 200 

 350 

 320 

 350 

 180 

 290 

 234 

 150 

 219 

 352 

 555 



M. tons. 



2,500 



115 



600 



56 



70 



123 



116 



125 



132 



96 



78 



50 



73 



141 



227 



Pesos. 



350,000 

 25,040 

 70,000 

 6,400 

 15,900 

 20,170 

 18,400 

 18,000 

 19,536 

 17,500 

 31,078 

 20,023 

 29. 169 

 49,272 

 64,471 



1884 



1885-1901 



1902 



1903 



1904 



1905 



1906 



1907 



1908- 



1909 



1910 



1911 



1912 



1913 



Total 



13, 960 



4,617 



754, 949 





« Estimated. 









UTILIZATION OF THE IRON ORES 



The present industry whereby a few hundred tons of ore are 

 smelted each year for the manufacture of cast-iron plows, the life 

 of which is rarely more than two seasons, is not an adequate nor 

 an economic utilization of the Bulacan iron ores. While the ore 

 reserves do not contain the vast tonnages that characterize so 

 many deposits in America, it appears from this study that there 

 are available at least a million tons and probably several million 

 tons of ore in the Bulacan region. Considering the present con- 

 sumption of iron and steel in the Philippines, 40 to 50 thousand 

 tons annually, this district might supply ore for an iron and 



