172 FELLING AND CONVERSION OF TIMBER. 



head of a family, also litter and firewood ; even their widows 

 and orphans must be maintained. 



[Imported labourers from Chota Nagpur are largely em- 

 ployed in the Assam tea-gardens under conditions similar to 

 the above, but the Indian Forest Department has hitherto 

 been able to dispense with the necessity for resorting to such 

 a class of labour. Tr.] 



5. The Forest Labour -question. 



As already stated, the position of labourers has altered 

 greatly in the last forty years, and instead of the former con- 

 tented, industrious woodcutter, forest management has to deal 

 with a fluctuating proletariat. The forester is called upon to 

 improve this state of things, not only on the grounds of 

 national economy, but also from a special forest economic 

 point of view ; although he cannot control all the factors in 

 the question, he can to some extent assist in organising a 

 physically and morally strong force of woodcutters. Some 

 notes showing how he should proceed to gain this object are 

 given below. 



Wages should be high enough to remunerate fairly the 

 hard forest work and the increasing dearness of living. The 

 supposed gain to the forest-owner by low wages is often con- 

 verted into a loss, ten times as great, by bad workmanship, 

 while moreover damage is done to the forest. The maxim of 

 the lowest possible wage is much more objectionable in forest 

 work than in any other industry. 



It has long been admitted by experienced foresters that it 

 is highly advantageous to fix remuneration for work done, 

 at rates proportional to the sale-value of the outturn. Let 

 UK: roughest kinds of work be well paid, but fix rates ut 

 least double the ordinary ones for valuable produce. The 

 amount the woodcutter thus gains will secure from him an 

 intelligent and profitable conversion of the felled trees, will 

 (ixcite his attention and care, increase his utility and enable 

 hi in at the same time to increase his own earnings. Small 

 i-o wards also should be offered to woodcutters for new tools, 

 and other improvements. 



