Philippine Mahosany

By Wolter G. Scrim, President Philippine Mohogony Associolion, Inc.

Last year on these same pages we concluded our remarks on 1949 with this statement: "The Philippine Mahogany industry faces the year 1950 with the assurance that it will provide an even wider market for their product." This prediction, we are pleased to report, has proved to be correct. The year 1950 has seen the ever increasing demand for Philippine. Mahogany reach the point where importers and distributors are hard-pressed to meet the demand.

The promotional campaign carried on by the Philippine Mahogany Association has contributed a.great deal to the increased demand for Philippine Mahogany. The Association and its members have distributed over 100,000 pieces of promotional literature throughout the United States. The first phase of the promotional campaign has been directed to architects and consists of the distribution of a full color brochure illustrating the varied finishes possible from Philippine Mahogany and a booklet, "The Finishing of Philippine Mahogany," prepared for the Association bv E. R. Hollinger of the Sherwin Williams Company. While intended primarily as reference material for architects, these two items are in constant demand by others who find the information of interest and value. The second phase of the promotional campaign, soon to begin, deals with promotional material designed for distribution to the building and furniture industries in the form of a twelvi page color booklet illustrating the many and varied uses of Philippine Mahogany. -Promotional material for the third phase, the retail and consumer level, is now under preparation.

The war in Korea, combined with the growing consumer demand for Philippine Mahogany in this country, has c:eated temporary shortages of stock. Military demand for Philippine woods for use in the Far East has been high and there is evidence that this demand will further increase. The question of how much, if any, export stock will have to be withdrawn to meet military commitments is one which it is impossible to answer. It is highly probable that the major portion of the necessary stock can be withdrarvn from the local market in the Philippines.

The producers in the Philippines and the importers and distributors in this country are doing their utmost to obtain sufficient stock to mebt the demand in this country. While the United States market is the largest for Philippine woods, it must be remembered that the woods from the Philippines are distributed throughout the world. fmports of logs and lumber for the 6rst eight months of this year into the United States amounted to a total of 32,84O,O1 ft., of which 18,&5,961 ft. was in the form of lumber and 14,194,W ft. was in the form of logs. During this same period shipments were made to fifteen other countries amounting to %,993,482 ft., of. which 11,062,110 ft. was lumber and 15,931,372 ft. was in the form of logs. While 55% of the total exports from the Philippines was sent to the United States, the Philippine Mahogany Association has been active in encouraging the exportation of an even larger percentage of export stock to the United States. That imports to the United States are increasing is evident from the follorving statistics: In the last three months of l'!X9 total imports of sarvn lumber into the United States totaled 3.552,931 ft., representing 42/o of the total exports from the Islands. The total figures for the month of August, this year, the last month for which complete figures are available, show imports into this country ol 4,537,248 ttof lumber, representing X)% of the total exports from the Philippines.

It is apparent that, barring any further unfavorable developments in the international situation, as the mills in the Philippines continue to improve their logging and milling equipment and as new mills are placed in operation, it is merely a question of a short time until production will be able to fully meet the demand and imports of Philippine Mahogany into this country will reach pre-war levels-

Congrrcrtulcrtions

Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Goudge are receiving congratulations on the birth of a baby daughter, Brenda Jo, at Sacramento, November l. Mr. Goudge is a salesman in that territory for Pope & Talbot, Inc.