92 



WEIGHTS, MEASURES AND CURRENCY. 



Cental Equals 220 pounds. 



Centner meter 221.5 pounds. 



Florin " 35.9 cents. 



Franc 19.3 cents. 



Hectare 2.471 acres. 



Joch 1.42 acres. 



Kilogram 2.2046 pounds. 



Mark 23.8 cents. 



AUSTRIA HUNGARY. REPORT OF CONSUL-GENERAL JUSSEN. 



GOVERNMENT CONTROL. 



The forest laws of Austria prescribe and control not only the culture of the 

 forests belonging to the imperial domain, but also all woodlands which are the 

 property of municipalities, private corporations or private individuals, and are 

 based upon the theory of paternal government. 



If the law as it stands is enforced not a tree can be cut nor a load of dry 

 leaves gathered in a forest which is situated in Austria except in accordance with 

 certain rules and restrictions, and although there may be much in these laws 

 which may serve for framing future forestry legislation in the United States, the 

 greater portion of the enactment is in direct conflict with the American idea of 

 home government and propert}^ rights. 



The Austrian Empire is unusually rich in forest lands. There is no lack of 

 dense woods in any of its Provinces, except in Dalmatia and Istria and in the 

 territory near Trieste, and the culture of forest lands may be called exemplary, 

 especially in Bohemia, Moravia, Upper Austria, Silesia and Salzburg. 



The yield of these vast forests, although it is said to be on the decline, still 

 far exceeds the home demands, and large quantities are exported. 



AREAS UNDER FORESTS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE. 



The latest statistics place the total area of the productive land of the Empire 

 at 28,406,530 hectares ; of these total numbers of hectares 9,227,061.20 hectares 

 are forest lands, and these again are divided into imperial (State), municipal and 

 private forests, as follows : Imperial forests, 952,689.96 hectares ; municipal 

 forests, 1,297,238.21 hectares. The private forests, therefore, cover about 32 per 

 cent, of the total area of the productive land of the Empire. 



COMMON FORESTS AND PRIVILEGES OF THE POPULATION IN THEM. 



As common forests of the Empire only the woodlands belonging to the 

 several cities and villages can properly be denominated. The residents of these 

 cities and villages undoubtedly enjoy certain privileges as to the use of these 

 forests, by virtue of the local laws and regulations. I am not in a position, 

 however, to have access to these local regulations, which undoubtedly differ in 

 the different communities, but are one and all subject to the general law on 

 forest culture and preservation hereinafter cited. This general law, if strictly 

 enforced, furnishes the means of ample protection against any injury that may 

 possibly threaten these common forests by the wasteful or careless exercise of 

 any privilege granted by local enactment. 



