China's Forest Laws 655 



Art. IS. If within the period of one year, no attempt has been made to 

 work the portion of the idle Government-owned hill-land granted as above 

 provided, the land shall revert to the Government and the cash security shall 

 be forfeited; but this shall not apply in case such failure is due to natural 

 calamities or to any other causes over which the applicant has no control, 

 provided that the sanction of the local official for the delay has been obtained. 



Art. 16. When such idle Government-owned hill-land is applied for for 

 reclamation, such land shall be exempt from taxes for a period between 5 

 and 30 years, the length of the period being fixed by the Ministry of Agriculture 

 and Commerce or the chief local administrative official. 



Art. 17. The details of the regulations for rewarding and encouraging per- 

 sons who shall have achieved success in reforestation shall be fixed by Instruc- 

 tional Mandates of the President. 



CHAPTER IV 



Supervision 



Art. 18. If desirable for public benefit, the local officials may forbid or 

 restrict cultivation in forested areas owned by the public or by individuals. 



Art. 19. Should the owner of public or private land begin to fell trees in 

 other than the usual manner or in case he should overcut or abuse the same, 

 the local official may restrict or warn him. 



Art. 20. The controlling local official is authorized to fix a date before which 

 the public or individual owners of idle hill-land may be compelled to plant 

 trees thereon. 



CHAPTER V 



Punishment 



Art. 21. Any one who steals any produce of the forest shall be considered 

 a thief, and shall be punished with a limited imprisonment of the fifth grade 

 with hard labor or by a fine not exceeding double the value of the products 

 stolen. 



_ Art. 22. Any forest thief who commits theft under any of the following 

 circumstances shall be liable to punishment with limited imprisonment of the 

 fourth grade or lower, together with a fine not exceeding double the value of 

 the products stolen: 



1. Theft committed in a reserved forest. 



2. Theft committed by a person who has been entrusted by officials or by 

 contracts with any responsibility for protecting the forest. 



Art. 23. Any person who accepts as gift, transports, stores, purchases, or 

 sells on commission goods which he knows to have been stolen by forest 

 thieves shall be liable to punishment in accordance with the provisions set 

 forth in Articles 21 and 22. 



Art. 24. Any one who sets fire to forest not his own property shall be 

 liable to punishment in accordance with provisions of Article 188 of the 

 Criminal Code. 



Art. 25. Any one who sets fire to his own forest shall be liable to punish- 

 ment with limited imprisonment of the fifth grade, with hard labor or with a 

 fine not exceeding one hundred dollars. Should such fires set on his own 

 forest injure the property of others, he shall be liable to punishment in accord- 

 ance with the provisions set forth in Article 189 of the Criminal Code. 



Art. 26. Should any person use another's forest as pasture for his cattle 

 or horses, without previously obtaining the approval of the owner, he shall be 

 fined not less than one dollar nor more than thirty dollars. 



Art. 27. Should any person damage or remove boundary or other forest 

 marks, he shall be fined an amount not less than two dollars nor more than 

 fifty dollars. 



Art. 28. Should any person injure the young trees in another's forest, he 

 shall be fined not less than two dollars nor more than one hundred dollars. 



