PRKSKNT DAY FORESTRY IN AUSTRIA 559 



broken up and e(|ua!ly distributed. These diametrically opposed views 

 lead to a number of articles presenting the socialization of the forests 

 in different lights. 



Popular ideas of Socialism and Republicanism and "liberty" coming 

 in with the fall of the Imperial form of government have led to a 

 widespread lack of observance of forest and game laws, especially 

 the latter. Xumerous notices appear dealing with the frequent and 

 general infringements of game laws, and one writer strongly urged 

 a revision of laws allowing forest officers to shoot any man found in 

 the woods with a gun who refuses to halt when commanded — at present 

 he may fire only in self-defense when his life is threatened by the 

 poacher. ]\Iuch of this illegal hunting is perhaps due to the scarcity 

 and high price of food, though this cause is infrequently mentioned. 



Transportation is poor and production is low, so prices remain high 

 for all forest products. Large lumber concerns fear to go ahead on 

 account of high prices and taxes and some of the best timber lands 

 are being subdivided and parceled out to small owners. The firewood 

 shortage is extremely acute, particularly in the neighborhood of Vienna 

 and in the region of southwest Austria that lay behind the Austrian 

 lines on the Italian front during the war and was cut over exceedingly 

 ^ heavily for the army. In any forests near cities, all regulations were 

 necessarily suspended and an uncontrolled cutting for firewood took 

 place last winter, spoiling all the silvicultural and management plans 

 for years to come. 



In the higher mountains, grazing has become much more intensive 

 and has given rise to many articles and notes pointing to the disastrous 

 eftects of over-grazing, which is particularly unfortunate at this time 

 as Austria must develop waterpower. It is apparently agreed on all 

 sides that her best chance for economic development, lies in the use 

 of the mountain streams for hydroelectric power. 



The picture is not entirely dark, however, by a good deal. The 

 change in form of government itself seems to have had at least one 

 good effect. As it used to be the highest officers of the forest adminis- 

 tration were jurists and not technical foresters. For years the tech- 

 nicians had beat inefifectively upon this wall of lawyers in an endeavor 

 to present to the Imperial assembly (Budget Committee) their plea 

 for technical foresters in all positions. The lawyers, well intrenched 

 in their superior position, were always able to prevent this desire of the 

 foresters. With the change in form of government, many of the higher 



