THE NETHERLANDS 195 



Malay Peninsula 



On the Malay Peninsula there are about 22,000,000 acres of forest 

 land, the great bulk belonging to the State. There is an annual cut 

 of about 250 million cubic feet but there is an excess of imports over 

 exports. At present the Federated Malay States and the Straits 

 Settlements have a forest conservator and subordinate officials super- 

 vising forestry problems. Some research is carried on and there is 

 an attempt to better develop the methods of exploitations. 



Mesopotamia 



Once fairly rich in forests, Mesopotamia, under British mandate, 

 boasts practically no tree growth and faces the task of reforesting 

 from the ground up. There is some importation and what scrub 

 growth there is supplies the demands for fuel wood. 



Mexico 



The forest acreage of Mexico is set at 50,000,000 acres, with 

 perhaps another 25,000,000 acres of inferior growth, a large pro- 

 portion of both being in the hands of the government. There is 

 considerable American ownership as the result of mining and oil 

 operations in Mexico. The country is an important exporter of high 

 grade woods, and has a large domestic consumption in indus- 

 trial operations. 



Mexico has a Forest Service charged with the work of fire pro- 

 tection and the administration of the public forests. There are two 

 nurseries, a ranger school and a technical forestry school. The country 

 has adopted a definite forest policy of protection of streams and 

 for reforestation. 



The Netherlands 



In three-quarters of a century the Netherlands have been growing 

 timber, increasing their forest assets from about 415,000 acres to 

 610,000 acres, at present. In fact, they went even further, but the 

 war resulted in draining some of the resource. This increase has been 

 brought about with about 70 per cent, of the forests in the hands of 

 private owners, who have practised forestry with profit. The cut 

 from the forests is estimated at about 30,000,000 cubic feet a year 

 and the total domestic consumption is approximately three and one- 

 third times this amount. The forest work is administered by a small 



