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The forstmeister resides at the seat of the district government as a technical 

 member of it. He has to personally inspect every part of the district at 

 least three times a year, assist in carrying out the regulations of work and in 

 adjusting the finance, in controlling and fixing the annual plans of culture and 

 the felling of the forest, subject to the supervision of the (her forstmeister. 

 Further, he has to examine all the work done in the forest and its protection, 

 inspect the book of the dberforxter, and the accounts of the treasurer, check the 

 forest cash account and the inventories, and inspect once in every five years all 

 the forest boundaries of every forest district within his district and report as to- 

 their condition. As a member of the district government he has to work out all 

 business matters which directly concern his inspection district, except in cases 

 where the work is specially provided for. All reports of the oberforster to the 

 government must be sent through the hands of the forstmeister. 



The forstmeisters are appointed by His Majesty the Emperor and King, on 

 the proposal of the Minister for Agriculture, Domain, and Forest, of the ober- 

 forsters who have distinguished themselves by their superior technical education, 

 and business management of forests. They have not to pass any special 

 examination for this promotion beyond the forest scientific examination originally 

 passed and required by the government for oberforsters. 



Forstmeisters rank as regierungs rathe (government councillors). The 

 number of forstmeisters at present in Prussia is 92, which is on an average of 

 about 6 to 7 oberforstereien (chief forest districts) to each forstmeister. This 

 estimate, however, does not include the communal forests of Westphalia and the 

 Rhineland nor the 80 royal ober/orstersien under the supervision of 2G oberforst- 

 meisters who are the directors of the whole administration of the entire govern- 

 ment district, and, as such, are the superior officers of the forstmeister. 



Accordingly, there is one ober forstmeister for each government district, who 

 is, by virtue of his office, a member of its department. The ober forstmeister is 

 selected out of a number of the most capable forstmeisters, who is proposed by 

 the Minister for Agriculture, Domain and Forest, with the sanction of the 

 State Ministry, and appointed by His Majesty, the Emperor and King. The 

 ober forstmeister, having the entire forest administration of the government dis- 

 trict, has to make annually, in conjunction with the forstmeister, an inspection 

 tour and to see that the management of the forest is properly carried out. He 

 has, under the direction of the government district president the appointment and 

 arrangement of the pay of the forest police according to the general instructions 

 issued by the Minister. He has, further, the regulating of the general business, 

 the preparing of the budget, the super-revision and approval of the annual fell- 

 ing and cultivation plans, the distribution of the means for the cultivation of the 

 forests, and the disposition of the funds set apart for the entire district. 



The Ministry for Agriculture, Domain and Forest contains in its depart- 

 ment for forest the central direction for the entire state forest administration, con- 

 sisting of an oberland- forstmeister (head State forester) a ministerial director 

 and four forest technical ministerial councillors, whose departments of business are 

 arranged according to the Province. The general regulations for the mainten- 

 ance and utilization of the State property, consisting in forests, are fixed by 

 Minister, who also takes care that they are properly executed. 



