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transferring the property to some person who can obtain the con- 

 cession or by cancelling the transaction. If the applicant fails to do this 

 before the lapse of the time allowed, the property will be sold by the 

 public authorities to some one who can obtain the concession. 



As a result of the comparatively low concession-limits, the number 

 of concession cases that come before the Department for consideration 

 is very large, on an average between 2500 and 3000 applications per year. 



The above-mentioned Concession Laws contain provisions giving to 

 the local authorities in whose district the property subject to concession 

 is situate^d the right of pre-emption of that property, that 

 is to say, the right to take over the property on the terms of the con- 

 tract of purchase. The object in giving the local authorities this right 

 of pre-emption is to enable them in this way to acquire properties which 

 it may be deemed expedient for them to acquire, either in order to 

 retain same in their own hands or to transfer them to people in the 

 district who are in want of land, forest or other possessions. This right 

 of pre-emption has to a large extent been availed of by the local authori- 

 ties, especially in case of forest and land-properties. Several of the 

 local bodies have in this manner acquired large stretches of forest, which 

 they work for the benefit of the district, and these communal acquisi- 

 tions, in addition to their great public utility, have almost without ex- 

 ception proved to be excellent business undertakings from a purely eco- 

 nomic point of view. The local authorities have likewise to a large 

 extent exercised the right of pre-emption to large land-properties, which 

 they have then divided up into small-holdings and allotted same to 

 people in the districts who were in want of land. In this manner a large 

 number of self-owned holdings have been created throughout the countr>. 



In the case of large properties the State is entitled to exercise the 

 right of pre-emption to the property, if the local authority concerned does 

 not desire to avail of the pre-emption rights. 



Amongsit other laws concerning agriculture may be mentioned: 

 The Act of Juli I4th 1894 (cf. the Acts of May 26th 1899 and 

 May I4th 1918) regarding contagious diseases of live-stock, which gives 

 authority for taking the necessary measures to prevent the spread of 

 such diseases. Amongst other things, the slaughtering of the animals 

 may be prescribed and prohibition issued against the importation of 

 live-stock, while other prescribtions and regulations may be established in 

 order to prevent infection. 



The Act of July 2 I s t 1916 concerning the combating of noxious 

 insects and plant-diseases, which authorises the King to prescribe the 

 measures necessary for combating and preventing the diffusion within 

 the country of such insects and diseases. Thus, amongst other things, 

 there can be issued a prohibition against the import of plants, bushes or 

 trees, or parts thereof, herein also included berries, rodts, potatoes, corn 

 and other seeds. 



There is further an act, dated July 4th 1919, imposing restrictions 



