FORESTRY IN MALAY

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 3, 4 July 1922, Page 8

FORESTRY IN MALAY

INCREASED INTEREST SHOWN

IMPROVING, PRIMITIVE

CONDITIONS.

' A recent visitor to Wellington was Dr. F. W. Foxworthy, Forest Research Officer to the Government of the Malay Federated States. He had much of interest to say regarding the methods employed in handling forest products in the Malay States.

The forestry work of the Malay States Government was reorganised; in 1918 by the then Assistant Inspector-General of Forests in Jfndia. Dr. Foxworthy was appointed in July of that year ito organise the forest, research work of the Department. In August, 1921, he obtained his first assistant, and in November of this year will receive a Silviculturist to supervise that branch of the work.

An appropriation of 350,000 dollars (one dollar 2s 4d) has been secured for a forest survey of the' whole of the country. This work is expected to be completed within three years. Milling conditions within the country are bad, and the. Government is faced with the problem of undertaking practically the whole of this work. For this purpose six logging engineers are now being appointed, although' it is intended to employ them on the forest survey for the first two years of their engagement. .

The research work to date has been confined to a classification of the commercial woods and to a study of the gutta percha industry. Before the advent of ! the present research branch a disastrous. state of affairs existed in the purchase of timber supplies by the various Government Departments. For instance, one Chinese contractor wished to surrender his claims to a bush being worked on behalf of the Railway Department at a rate.'of ,38 dollars per ton, instead of 125 dollars per ton, which was offered by the Public Works Department for work on the adjoining tract. A Central Government Timber Buying Agency,was .therefore established by the Forest' Service for the purchase, storage, and seasoning of all supplies purchased by .Government Departments. Practically the whole -, of the guttapercha industry is gradually falling into the hands of the Government. !_The unit of measure is known as the pikul,. and is equal to 133 I-31b. Thei cost of production is approximately 100 dollars per pikul, and the present market price 440 dollars (1919 war price 760 dollars). Ninety per cent, of the timber industry is in the hands of sriiall Chinese contractors. The labour is almost entirely Chinese coolie, although _ a few Malays are employed in certain districts. Probably the wastage in these forests is ■greater than in any other, part of the world. A large number of the trees, ■possess buttressed Toots, and a stump from ten to fifteen feet high;is usually left in the forest. The logging road is, peculiar to the country; sleepers _ six or seven inches in diametei about eight feet long , are laid about! 3500 to the mile; rails' (3in x 3in), in cross section, are often added !t< the road ' bed, but are not. an absolute necessity. A siding of this construction is led to every tree felled in the forest. After felling, a 15ft bolt is cut from the butt end of the log and left in the forest simply, because it is the custom to do so. Logs are hauled up to 60ft in length and 4ft in diameter on a rough form of sledge by a team of 'Chinese coolies working in harness. The ways are greased by- _ chorus leader, who proceeds his team with a pail of; tallow and' fat and a large mop, with .which' he liberally besmears each sleeper. The limit of economical haul by this method is approximately 10,000 sleepers ov three miles. The road usually runs to the nearest stream or tidal water, where the logs are loaded into junks and shipped to Singapore or come other milling centre. . These junks take two weeks to sail 150 miles to Singapore.