Burma - Laos - Thailand

Apr. 18 RECORDING EVERY LOG OF A TEAK RAFT: Each log is worth between 3 and 4 hundred pounds. The raftsman numbers and seals each as it joins the ever-growing raft. Each log is entered on his books. Thefts by modern - equip; frogmen thieves can then be checked at the end of a journey. JUMBO IS STILL SUPERIOR TO THE TRACTOR IN THE SIAMESE TEAK FOREST BUT THE DOG RAFTSMEN HAVE TO BEWARE OF THE FROGMAN THIEF: Twentieth century science still hasn't provided a better aid to Thailand's teak industry than Jumbo'. No modern tractor can weave so delicately between the trees and push or pull the heavy teak logs to the river where they are tied into huge rafts of up to 300 logs, each worth £3-400. But so valuable are the logs (a raft totals wood worth £40, 000) that today the danger is from thieves working in frogmen's suits who cut out a log underwater and float it away by night to cut-throat saw mills. Scores of logs are lost each season in this way from under the eyes of the raftsmen who live afloat in huts built on the floating logs. Each log when put into the river is marked in waterproof paint and stamped by the log man for identification. Thus a raft has a known content and thefts are ultimately discovered. To sail a huge log raft down river to Bangkok from the far north of Siam has taken as long as 5 years because of therapids. But more normal shorter journeys from the area where most wood comes take a few months, during the rainy season when the floods make the rivers high. In 1957, 50, 000 logs went to Bangkok by water, each averaging 150 years in age. 60% go to Hong Kong. Scandinavia takes 30%, and Japan 10%. Main uses are for yacht decking, furniture etc. The Borneo Trading Company is the oldest company in the area, being more than 100 years old. The company sees no prospect of mechanisation, preferring its elephants for the work. Each beast has its own life history book revealing interesting statistics of age and size. Some animals have been on the cards for 60 years. They work a 5 day week and have a few weeks off during rainy periods. With experience, the intah or rider scarcely needs to give any orders. The lumbering elephant instinctively knows what to do

Restrictions Only for United Kingdom

3-400 Afloat And Pound Averaging Bangkok Beware Borneo Checked Cut-throat Decking Delicately Discovered Elephants Entered Equip Experience Float Floods Frogman Frogmen Frogmens Hasnt Huts Identification Instinctively Intah Interesting Joins Jumbo Knows Logs Lumbering Mechanisation Needs Normal Oldest Periods Pounds Preferring Prospect Provided Pull Push Raft Rafts Raftsman Raftsmen Rainy Revealing Scarcely Scores Seals Sees Shorter Siam Siamese Statistics Superior Teak Thailands Thefts Thieves Thus Tractor Trading Ultimately Uses Valuable Waterproof Weave Worth

Features In These Collections

> Contributors > KEY