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 APPENDIX VII. 



Letter No. 13491, dated Jubbulpore, the 8th March 1900, from E. E. FEHNANDEZ, Esq., 

 Officiating Conservator of Forests, Northern Circle, Central Provinces, to the Divisional 

 Forest Officer, Jubbulpore. 



* * * 



2. In reply I beg to say that conditions here do not in any respect differ from those 

 prevailing in the Bombay forests. With the class of khair forests we have to deal with, very 

 large areas would have to be cut over in a single season and as the katha-boilers will operate 

 only where khair trees suitable for their purpose are numerous enough, I fear that half-a- 

 dozen seasons' work would exhaust all the limited resources of the Jubbulpore Division. 

 Kestrictions are therefore absolutely necessary, but not such as those which were adopted in 

 Damoh, which I would never have assented to had they been submitted for my approval. 



3. In order to obtain a katha-boiling Working Circle we should probably have to combine 

 Jubbulpore, Damoh and Saugor together. Hence before your proposals can be considered you 

 should consult your colleagues of baugor and Damoh and elaborate a joint plan of operations. 



Letter No. G-10, dated Damoh, the 1th April 1900, from L. GISBORNE-SMITH, Esq., Divi- 

 sional Forest Officer, Damoh Division, to the Divisional Forest Officer, Jubbulpore. 



In reply to your endorsement No. Gr-1722. dated 19th March 1900, with enclosures, I have 

 the honour to inform you that the " khair " tracts in this Division cannot be systematically 

 improved through the agency of katha-boilers for two reasons, first, because of the irregu- 

 larity and scarcity of the water-supply, and second because the katha-boilers are natives of the 

 Panna State and only visit this district when it pleases them. 



2. The want of consideration of these facts led to the failure of Mr. Faiz Baksh's Work- 

 ing Plan. 



The katha-boilers will not commence operations unless they can get a plentiful supply 

 of water within reasonable distance of khair trees. If the improvement of khair is to depend 

 alone upon the katha industry, the best results will be obtained by binding the katha-boilers 

 to work over large areas in the vicinity of water and seeing that they fulfil this condition. 



A tract once cut over should not be re-opened for 15 years. 



3. The visits of the " Khairwas " to this district have been so irregular that every ad- 

 vantage has hitherto been taken of their advent to get as large areas improved as possible. 



The reduction of areas in my opinion would either result in over-felling or in no improve- 

 ment fellings being made by katha-boilers at all. 



Letter No. 786, dated Jubbulpm-e, the 2lst April 1900, fromE. E. FEKNANDEZ, Esq.. Officiating 

 Conservator of Forests, Northern Circle, Central Provinces, to the Divisional Forest 

 Officer, Jubbulpore. t 



With reference to your letter No. C-46, dated the loth April 1900, forwarding copy 

 of the Damoh Divisional Forest Officer's reply to your reference to him on the subject 

 of constituting a katha-boiling Working Circle by combining the two Divisions, I have the 

 honour to say that the Damoh Divisional Forest Officer's letter brings forward no cir- 

 cumstance against the feasibility of regularising katha-boiling operations in accordance 

 with a working plan. Indeed it gives no definite information whatsoever bearing on the 

 question. What is wanted is for each Divisional Officer to prepare a map of his 

 Division shoiviny all the areas suitable for such operations and the sites at which the 

 khairwas -may establish their camps. We can then see whether a continuous round of 

 operations is possible. It does not matter where the original home of the khairwas may 

 be; they will travel 100 miles to seek favourable grounds for their work. At present their 

 visits are irregular because we have done nothing to bring them over annually. Your 

 ideas are identical with mine ; but whereas I would introduce system, you would leave 

 everything to chance. From my previous experience I know that the latter procedure 

 leads to the certain deterioration of the forests. 



Letter No. C-76, dated Jubbulpore, the 2Gth April 1900, from R. S. HOLE, Esq., Divisional 

 Forest Officer, Jubbulpore Division, to the Conservator of Forests, Northern Circle, 

 Central Provinces. 



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2. In your letter under reply you say " at present their (speaking of the ktmirwas) 

 visits are irregular because we have done nothing to bring them over annually." It was 

 precisely the knowledge of the fact that the stagnation of the industry in the past was 



