RENT AXI> OIHKR CHARGES. 27 



4. Zealous co-operation between the owner of the land and 



the grower of the trees. 



5. A minimum disturbance of existing rates, rents and 



employment. 

 It should be noted that in the scheme of afforestation set out 

 above, the writers have made the suggestion that the State 

 should pay a rent based on a proportion only, namely one-third, 

 of the subject which it means to use at one time ; whereas in the 

 case of lease or purchase of a whole subject, the State would 

 be called on to pay three times the rent, or three times the 

 capital value, which it has to pay under the scheme which 

 is proposed. This may be illustrated by the example of a 

 typical deer forest, 15,000 acres in extent, of which 3000 acres 

 are plantable (under 800 to 1100 feet) with a rent of ^'1000. 

 The same principle will apply also to sheep farms, with the 

 necessary alterations in the figures : — 



((7) If the whole subject be bought by the State, at, say, 



the low valuation of 20 years' purchase, 3000 acres 



of plantable ground will be obtained for ^,20,000, 



and the capital required will be at the rate of 



^6, 13s. 4d. per acre of plantable ground. 



(/') If the whole subject be leased by the State, 3000 acres 



of plantable land will cost ^1000 per annum, or at 



the rate of 6s. 8d. per acre. 



{c) If the plantable land be leased on the terms described in 



this chapter, 3000 acres of plantable ground will 



cost ;i£T,3;i, 6s. 8d. per annum, or at the rate of 



2S. 2Sd. per acre. 



Where the State purchases or leases the whole of a sporting 



or grazing estate, the same procedure as regards planting might 



be followed, seeing that the same interests have to be safeguarded 



and the same extravagances avoided. Otherwise, in the case of 



a and /', there remain 12,000 acres of high ground, cut off from 



the low ground which is used solely for silviculture and on 



which no grazing is allowed. For this land a rent could be 



obtained as grouse moor, if the hills were covered with heather ; 



but if it were green ground, there would be practically no value 



for deer, as there is no wintering. There might be a rent of 



id. to 3d. per acre as summer grazing for sheep, but in the 



absence of low ground under sheep in the neighbourhood of 



the forest centre, even this return would be doubtful. 



