20 POSITION OF AFFORESTATION QUESTION 



were prepared to provide money for afforesting suit- 

 able areas on the understanding that the land should 

 be reserved for afforestation on commercial principles 

 for at least one complete rotation. No rent would be 

 paid for the land, but the landowner would receive a 

 fair share of the proceeds for the timber grown on the 

 area. The Commissioners would advance the money 

 required for the planting work. The landowner's 

 share of the ultimate proceeds would be based on the 

 proportion which the value of the land bears to the 

 estimated capital expenditure required to produce the 

 crop. 



The proportion of the receipts to go to the owner 

 of the land were to be a matter of negotiation and 

 arrangement between the proprietor and the Develop- 

 ment Commissioners at the start in each case. It 

 would be based on the present rental value of the land, 

 its character and other circumstances affecting the 

 finance of the scheme. 



Owing to the necessarily great variation in these 

 data, it was not possible to draw up any general terms 

 of assistance. The only stipulations, or probably the 

 chief ones, laid down for advances of this nature were 

 that the land to be planted should be in a sufficiently 

 large block (500 to 1,000 acres) to be commercially 

 exploitable when the woods reached maturity, and 

 that these latter from the time of formation should 

 be skilfully managed in accordance with a previously 

 drawn up working plan and regular inspection by 

 the District Forestry Adviser. It was also laid down 

 that the afforested areas should be available as demon- 

 stration areas for the use of students and others 



