Forestry and Taxation 223 



hand, the difficulties arising out of the assessment 

 of lands by the local authorities would disappear. 

 It is true that not all timber-lands held for lumber- 

 ing on a large scale are owned by corporations. 

 But if individual holders wish to avail themselves 

 of the benefits of the law, they may easily organize 

 corporations to take the title, while they retain a 

 controlling interest in the stock. To make the law 

 directly applicable to individuals would probably be 

 impracticable, for the reason that individuals would 

 ordinarily have other sources of income, and it might 

 be impossible to separate the income arising out of 

 their lumber interests from other revenues. 



A system such as this would, in the author's 

 opinion, solve the taxation question in a manner 

 satisfactory to everybody. Until it has been intro- 

 duced only palliatives are available, which must look 

 principally in the direction of a fairer method of 

 assessing woodlands, especially those from which 

 the merchantable timber has been removed. These 

 means lie partly with the courts. After a somewhat 

 careful study of the authorities the author has come 

 to the conclusion that it will be held, if the matter 

 is brought before a court in proper shape, that an 

 assessment of such lands based upon what agricul- 

 tural lands will sell for, is of itself unfair and will be 

 reduced. The legal reasons for this conclusion can- 

 not, of course, be set forth in a volume like this. 

 There is another feature of the taxation of forest 

 products which, on account of the frequency with 

 which it is discussed, deserves notice. That is the 



