52 



iL') Selection, demarcation, and legal formation of a sufficient area of 

 reserved State to rests, suitably distributed over the country, systematically man- 



i and ellicieiitly protected. 



(3) IV.'tection and disposal of forest produce on Crown lands not included 

 in the reserved State forests. 



If the Government makes up its mind to do this, all the details will settle 



themselves easily enOUgh. 



INDIA. 



India lias to provide an enormous population of 255,000,000 people with 

 timber and tire.wood, and, apart from a certain amount of teak and fancy woods, 

 thai country can probably do little towards an increased export of timber. 



There are certain reasons why State interference is more called for in the 

 ea-e of forestry than in most other branches of industry. Most of our valuable 

 timluT trees require long periods of time to ripen. Large-sized oak trees are from 

 one hundred to two hundred, and even more, years old. The teak, which comes 

 to England from India, is derived from trees which are on an average at least 150 

 years old. If forests are to yield a regular annual return of timber they 

 require to have trees of all ages, and consequently a considerable accumulation of 

 material . which has been produced in the course of a long period of time. To 

 maintain the forests in that condition only a quantity equal to that which grows 

 annually should be removed, and no more. If more is removed a reduction of 

 the producing capital must ensue. As long as the estates are in the hands of pri- 

 vate parties, they are at all times liable to be overworked, that is to say, more 

 than the annual increment is taken out ; and it is easy to see that in a compara- 

 tively short time the forests must cease to yield timber. Experience has proved 

 over and over again that this is generally the result. If we are to make over to 

 our children the forests in an unimpaired condition they must be treated in a sys- 

 tematic manner, and this can, as a rule, only be achieved for any length of time 

 by State interference. But the mere theory of such is by no means sufficient. 

 Nominal interference on the part of the State is the most disastrous of all. 

 In that case the forests are looked at as common property, and everybody tries to 

 get the most out of them and into his own pocket, the result being that they dis- 

 appear faster than ever, 



If the State, as such, has arrived at the conclusion that the maintenance 

 under forest of a certain proportion of the area is essential or desirable, it must 

 also, once for all, decide to do what is necessary to secure that area, and to see 

 that it is managed in a systematic and orderly manner. There are various ways 

 of doing this. Either the State establishes State forests by setting aside certain 

 areas at its disposal for forest purposes, or it passes laws which empower it to 

 supervise the management of communal and even private forests. The former 

 alternative is much the best wherever it can be adopted, and this is the case in 

 India and in most of the Colonies. 



Practically, only India has really and honestly dealt with the forest ques- 

 tion. Some of the Colonies are fairly in earnest, but too many have restricted 

 their action to nominal measures. 



India is situated between the 8th and 35th degrees of northern latitude, 

 hence the southern half of it lies within the tropic. Its length, as well as its 



