44 Government Forestry Abroad. [228 



Only the prime parts of trees were utilized. Im- 

 mense numbers of standing trees were killed, owing 

 to the practice of stripping from them large sheets 

 of bark to cover, perhaps, a mere temporary hut. 

 The committee called attention to the growing 

 scarcity of timber for props for mining purposes and 

 the necessity of measures to secure a permanent 

 supply. 



" In 1876 an act was passed, called the State Forest Act, which 

 provided, first, for the appointment of local forest boards, which 

 were to have the care of reserves and other Crown lands; secondly, 

 for the appointment of foresters by local forest boards; and thirdly, 

 for the promulgation by the Governor in Council of regulations 

 prescribing the duties of these boards. In 1884 this act was super- 

 seded by a new one, which deals with the formation of State forests 

 and timber reserves and their management, and with the manage- 

 ment and disposal of timber and other forest produce not included 

 in the State forests and timber reserves. 



"The forests generally are worked under the license system, 

 regulated by rules made under the act. There are licenses for 

 felling, splitting, clearing undergrowth, the erection of saw-mills, 

 grazing, the removal of bark, etc." 



Unfortunately, this law, which has much to recom- 

 mend it, has not resulted as well as was hoped, and 

 the reasons for its failure have been defined as follows: 



" The immediate causes of this failure are the bad license system, 

 the ill-arranged classification of State forests, timber reserves and 

 Crown lands, the absence of professional foresters to direct opera- 

 tions, and the neglect to reserve the best natural forests." 



Dr. Schlich has formulated the requirements of the 

 situation, as follows: First, the engagement of a thor- 

 oughly competent forest expert to be the head of the 

 Victorian Forest Department; secondly, the selection, 

 demarcation and legal formation of a sufficient area 

 of reserved State forest, suitably distributed over the 

 country, systematically managed, and efficiently pro- 

 tected; thirdly, the protection and disposal of forest 



