8 Forestry Quarterly. 



or to some rival concern. There would be no objection to the 

 sale of lots to settlers if the lands were actually agricultural lands, 

 better fitted for farming- than for the growing of timber, but this 

 is not the case. No attempt is made to classify the lands, and, 

 when a license holder protests, some local official is sent to make 

 an examination and report, and he is always ignorant and gen- 

 erally dishonest. Investors in timber licenses in this Province 

 have called the attention of the Government to this state of affairs 

 for a long time, and the general feeling now is one of distrust and 

 insecurity. Large holders of timber lands are very anxious to 

 manage them according to the most up-to-date forestry methods, 

 are willing to put money into permanent improvements, roads, 

 telephone lines, plantations on burnt over areas, etc., but they dare 

 not do this since there is no assurance that at any time their 

 ground rents and stumpage dues may not be raised beyond all 

 reason, or their best lands given over to speculators masquer- 

 ading as settlers. Only this fall, just before the general election, 

 a member of the provincial parliament went to the Minister of 

 Lands and told him that in order to win his election he must have 

 some lots for his constituents. The order for the sale of sixteen 

 lots was issued to him, lots whose only value consisted in the 

 timber on them ; there were no roads, the soil was poor, the land 

 hilly and in no sense fitted for agriculture. Fortunately, the 

 license holder discovered what was afoot, and by taking the 

 matter directly to the Prime Minister succeeded in getting the 

 sales cancelled. Capital, however, will not feel secure in investing 

 in this province until such things are eliminated. License holders 

 are practically in a position to be black-mailed at any time. 



The great need is for an honest and intelligent classification of 

 lands so that those better fitted for timber than for agriculture 

 can be kept in forests, and that the man who puts in money in 

 timber licenses can feel that he is being justly treated and his 

 rights protected. Nowhere on the American Continent are 

 owners of timber lands more ready and willing, indeed anxious 

 to manage their lands under forestry methods than in the Prov- 

 ince of Quebec, and its wealth lies almost wholly in its forests 

 and water powers, and every thing possible should be done to 

 conserve and protect them for all time to come. 



