31 



there were formerly. But perhaps the strongest argument against the con- 

 tinuance of free timber permits is that, apart from the value of the timber, they 

 are an expensive tax on the country, taking up much of the time of the staff 

 required to mark trees and adding to their already heavy travelling bill. Their 

 time is fully required for employment on more urgent work. The time has 

 now come when the privileges regarding the free issue of timber to settlers 

 should be rescinded, though they might be permitted to remain in force for a 

 further period of, say, five years in the case of soldier settlers who are 

 developing new land, as distinct from those who have taken over farms on 

 which buildings, fences, etc., are reasonably complete. 



14. FUEL SUPPLIES. 



34. No coal or oil has yet been discovered in the Colony, and the question 

 of maintaining supplies of wood fuel is therefore one of great importance. 

 Fuel supplies for the railway have been met by clear-felling the natural 

 forests within easy reach of the line. Replanting is carried out as far as 

 staff and labour permit, though this work is considerably in arrears. In con- 

 sidering the fuel problem economy of space is a most important factor. 

 Although the natural forests contain some excellent fuel woods, the yield per 

 acre is by no means high. Fuel plantations formed on areas cleared of 

 natural forest, therefore, should aim at producing the highest possible yield 

 of suitable fuel per acre per annum. 



Judging by the rapid rate of growth of some species of eucalyptus, and 

 particularly the blue gum (E. Globulus), in the highlands of Kenya Colony, it 

 is doubtful if plantations of any trees, indigenous or exotic, will give yields 

 in any way comparable to those of the eucalypts. But before finally deciding 

 on the extensive cultivation of eucalypts for railway or industrial fuel, it 

 would be well to test the steam-raising capacity of wood obtained from plan- 

 tations of different species and ages. Such tests have already been instituted, 

 but no results are yet to hand. The point is an important one, since it may 

 influence not only the choice of species, but also the rotation on which the 

 plantations are worked. Apart from this factor the rotation should be that 

 which will produce the highest volume yield per acre per annum under the 

 system of simple coppice, which is the most satisfactory one to adopt. 



In the Nilgiri hills of Southern India the average yields from blue gum 

 coppice worked on a rotation of 10, 15 and 20 years were ascertained in 1912 



to be as follows : 



Above the age of 20 years the data were too scanty to be of much value. 

 These figures indicate that a rotation of 20 years will give a higher yield 

 per acre per annum than one of 10 or 15 years, though the increase between 

 the yields for 15 and 20 years is not great. Similar figures are required for 

 Kenya Colony. Even if it is decided to burn oil on the railways the main- 

 tenance of fuel plantations, on a more limited scale, will be none the less 

 an important question, since regular supplies will be required not only for 

 domestic use but also for power production, lime-burning and other purposes. 



