I 12 DISPOSAL AND SALE OF WOOD. 



material for repairs or new buildings, whenever a demand for 

 building-timber is presented. If the demands of the right- 

 holders are supported by estimates made by trustworthy 

 builders the forest-manager is spared much trouble. Deliveries 

 of wood for implements or industrial purposes are also arranged 

 similarly. 



2. Wood delivered to Contractors. 



Frequently a forest-owner is under agreements, more or 

 less binding, to supply wood to neighbouring industrial works ; 

 such as iron-foundries, smelting-furnaces, sawmills, factories 

 for furniture, pyroligenous acid, wood-pulp, etc. ; or to 

 contractors or wood-merchants. Wherever the manager is 

 bound to deliver a certain volume of wood to such establish- 

 ments, their claims must be satisfied after those of the 

 right-holders. 



As a rule, except after some extraordinary calamity such as 

 a storm, snowbreak, etc., the manager is not bound to deliver 

 any fixed quantity of wood to a contractor ; but an agreement 

 is made, to deliver to a factory or a wood-merchant all the 

 material over after satisfying the local demand, or all the 

 wood of a certain class, such as round billets, etc. Whether 

 or not a forest-owner should undertake such contracts, 

 especially in the case of timber, depends chiefly on the 

 market there is for his wood. In extensive forests which are 

 not opened-out sufficiently by roads or other means of com- 

 munication, managers of industries which utilise wood, and 

 wholesale wood-merchants, are often the only purchasers ; 

 the forest-owner is then willing to submit to an otherwise 

 burdensome agreement, in order to increase the forest 

 revenue. Wherever there is a good competition for the 

 wood, there can be no reason for contracting beforehand for 

 its disposal. Not unfrequently, however, the possibility of a 

 good sale of timber, even in the forest itself, depends on the 

 maintenance of such industries, especially sawmills, which 

 consequently do not reduce the prices of wood. This is due 

 to the fact that sawmills favour the transportability of wood 

 and convert it into actual merchandise. Even in this latter 

 case it is advantageous to the forest-owner, who wishes to 



