RURAL HYGIENE I737 



still remains of a very poor qualit}'. The hemp and linen industries are of 

 little importance and only represent an invested capital of £81 000; the 

 greater part of the hemp produced is exported. The sugar industry which 

 dates back as far as 1873 is somewhat on the decline as thejarmers have 

 given up growing sugar beets in favour of naore paying and less trouble- 

 some crops. The present area under beets is about 35 000 acres and the 

 yearly production of sugar varied from 200 000 to 300 000 tons in 1909 

 to 1913. 



Of the Rumanian forests, which cover 20 per cent of the total area 

 of the country, the State owns some 2 600 000 acres while 4 000 000 acres 

 are private property. The forest industries are in the hands of 14 big com- 

 panies fiom whose books the following data have been summarised to give 

 some idea of the total vested interests engaged. 



£ 



Ordinary shares 2 62S 000 



Debentures 639 000 



Working capital (1913 balance sheet) . 8 112 000 



Buildings and plant i 553 000 



Reserve funds ........'.... 84 000 



Sinking funds 717000 



Xet profits (1913 balance sheet). . . . 272000 



Return on capital 1.81033 percent 



(2 companies show a loss) 



A few forest societies have been formed among the peasants, but as 

 they are working without much capital their output is still low. The lack 

 of roads and railwaj^s makes the forests very inaccessible and the prepar- 

 ation of trans2:)ort routes is a heavy initial expense for small associations. 

 Charters have also been granted to two foreign companies (with capitals 

 of £111 000 and £880 000) for the working of Rumanian forests. 



There are in all 71 saw mills in the country which employ 12 000 men. 

 Another 50 000 men are occupied with felling the trees and transporting 

 them to the mills. A large proportion of the timber (valued at £940 000 in 

 1913) is exported, but at the same time Rumanian imports of wood and 

 wood products amount to £620 000 per annum of which the greater part 

 consist of manufactured articles. The paper-making industry is important 

 and represents an invested capital of £1 020 000. It deals annually with 

 £103 000 worth of raw material of which about one third is imported, 

 and produces paper and cardboard which amounted to 18 200 tons in 1914 

 and was valued at £432 000. No paper is ex])orted, but 3 600 tons of pulp 

 (valued at £32 000) went abroad in 1913. * 



1254 - Testing, Storage and Preparation of Unpolished Rice (bras pitjah koelit). — rural 



Ottow W. M., in Natuurkitndifi Tydsckrift voor N cdcrland'^ch- Indie, I'art LXXIV, hygiene 



pp. 143-196. Batavia, 1916. 



In connection with the importation of unpolished rice for preventing 

 and restricting beri-beri in the Dutch Indian Army questions arose as to 

 the testing, the storage and the treatment of the above named form of rice, 



