80 PROTECTION AGAINST MAN. 



which existed at the time of the acquisition of the right. Often 

 the right applies only to wood for the exterior of the house, 

 but may include wood for wainscots, windows and doors. 



When repairs to a building become necessary, a regular 

 estimate of the requisite amount of timber should be drawn 

 up ; and the wood must be used within a fixed period. When 

 a new house is being built, all still serviceable wood from the 

 old house must be deducted from the estimate. It is usual 

 for the right-holder to pay the cost of extraction of the wood, 

 even though he pays nothing for the wood itself. In the 

 Himalayan forests, right-holders usually fell the trees and 

 convert the timber for themselves ; in some cases the right- 

 holder is allotted annually a certain number of trees for house- 

 repairs or building ; in other cases the right-holder is put down 

 as being entitled to what is needed on application, for the par- 

 ticular work. Account has here to be taken of the ignorance 

 of the people, and their ancient but wasteful habit of preparing 

 beams with the axe or adze chipping away a whole stem for 

 one beam. By loan of saws, and by issuing suitable beams 

 ready prepared, it may be possible to overcome this defect, 

 which leads of course to much waste of material. 



The work of the forest staff is considerably burdened by 

 rights to building-timber, as the correctness of the estimates 

 has to be tested, and the amount of wood granted to be entered 

 on special registers. It is clearly the duty of forest officers 

 who manage large areas of State or municipal forests subject 

 to rights for building-timber, to know thoroughly the customary 

 forms of building of the locality and the proper dimensions of 

 beams and other timbers used in the construction of houses, 

 or they may be called upon to grant much larger quantities of 

 timber than is necessary in particular cases. 



b. Wood for Industrial Purposes. 



This right (as claimed) may be defined, or not, in its nature 

 and extent. In general, it comprises timber required for 

 ordinary agricultural and domestic objects, such as wood for 

 carts, ploughs, hop-poles, vine-props, etc. Wherever the right 

 is undefined, the quantity should be fixed, so as to correspond 

 to the amount required at the time of acquisition of the right, 



