323 DB. LYONS, M.P., AND FORESTRY ABROAD. [Maech, 



A further Eeport is issued at various intervals, giving special infor- 

 mation as to the acreage of forests, &c., and also any reasons wbich 

 existed for the rise or fall in revenue, expenses of administration, &c. 

 The last such Eeport comprised the years 1876-1880, and beyond 

 that date no published information concerning these facts exists, 

 by which any statistical information can be obtained as to the 

 administration of, and amount of timber supplied by forests, in the 

 hands of private individuals, which are, however, of very considerable 

 extent. 



It is equally difficult to obtain any statistical information as to 

 the forests' administration of the whole Empire, as each State has its 

 own department of agriculture. 



General Results (1876-1883) will be found at the end of the 

 Eeport in Appendix A. It will be seen that from 1876-1880 the 

 surplus shows a continued decrease. It was hoped that the amelio- 

 ration which was observable that year would continue ; but owing to 

 continually increasing expenditure this hope has not been fulfilled, 

 and whereas in 1880 the falling off since 1876 amounted to £310,000 

 sterling, that of 1883 shows a further decrease of £230,000 sterling, 

 making in all a revenue falling short by some £540,000 of what it 

 was eight years ago. 



The area of land in the hands of the Administration amounted in 

 1880 to nearly seven million acres, of which about one-twentieth 

 consisted of plough and meadow land, &c., and about the same 

 amount of waste land, leaving altogether a surface of over six million 

 acres on which timber is grown. 



The natural produce in comparison to the superficial area will be 

 found in Appendix B. 



The superficial area, it will be seen, remains at about the same 

 amount, whereas the natural produce has sensibly increased, owing to 

 better management, since 1877, in which year the produce was at its 

 lowest, owing to the stormy weather of the previous year, which 

 considerably damaged the woods destined for future use. 



The revenue from the sale of wood Mill be found included in the 

 General Budget, Appendix C. Between 1876 and 1879 there was a 

 falling off of some £500,000 sterling. The rise in the price of wood 

 in the year 1880 caused an increase compared with the previous year 

 of £200,000 sterling, and the last returns show that since that time- 

 there has only been a falling off of about £40,000 sterling, due in 

 part to the increase in foreign competition. 



The variations in the revenue from other sources than the sale of 

 actual timber (Appendix C) are due principally to agricultural pros- 

 perity or depression, and to the rise or fall in the price of hay, espe- 

 cially in the Eastern Brovinces of Brussia. 



