234 REPORT OF THE No. 3 



"The timber cut from and upon sucli reserves shall be sold at public 

 auction." 



No action was, ever taken under this Act as at first adopted, but in 1883 

 it was amended by the addition of several sections. The new legislation 

 gave the Lieutenant-Governor in Council authority to set apart as a Forest 

 -Reserve "all the ungranted lands of the Crown now held under licenses to 

 cut timber, except such parts of such licensed lands on which no merchant- 

 able pine or spruce timber grows, and which are fit for settlement, and 

 also such other portions of the ungranted lands of the Crown as the Lieuten- 

 ant-Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the Commissioner of 

 Crown Lands, may think fit to set apart." No land so set apart was to be 

 sold or appropriated for settlement purposes until after the expiration of 

 at least ten years, and not then until it was established to the satisfaction 

 of the Lieutenant-Governor in Council that the whole or any part of such 

 territory could be thrown open with advantage. It was provided that in 

 the renewals of licenses after a forest reserve had been created all land pre- 

 viously under license in the locality and not included in the reserve should 

 be excluded. 



Under the provisions of this measure a very large area in the western 

 portion of the Province of Quebec running north to the Height of Land 

 was by Order in Council dated September 10th, 1883, set apart as a forest 

 reserve, with the exception of all lots situated in a number of townships 

 included "which hereafter may be found (from inspection made by com- 

 petent and authorized persons) fit for settlement and destitute of merchant-, 

 able timber." 



This action of the Government excited a great deal of opposition, espe- 

 cially on the part of promoters of Colonization Societies, and the objections 

 raised to the operation of the system were so strong that in 1888 the legis- 

 lation authorizing the setting apart of timber reserves was repealed and 

 the following substituted : 



"In future a timber reserve of twenty per cent, of each lot sold shall 

 be made at the time of the granting of the location ticket or permit of 

 occupation for public lands. 



"The Commissioner of Crown Lands may determine, through hia 

 agent, the locality where the reserve shall be situated. 



"The Lieutenant-Governor in Council may make all regulations not 

 incompatible with this Act for the right to cut timber upon the reserve 

 indicated ; but the proprietor or the occupant of the lot upon which it exists 

 shall, together wih his assigns, remain the perpetual usufructary of such 

 land, with all the rights he may have as such." 



This measure proved no more effective or satisfactory than previous 

 attempts to solve the problem, as it altogether lost sight of the principle of 

 distinguishing between agricultural and non-cultivable lands, and apply- 

 ing radically different methods of management. Its repeal in 1889 closes 

 the chapter of Quebec's forest reserve legislation. 



Regulations of 1S66. 



New Regulations for granting licenses to cut timber were issued on 

 13th of June, 1866, by which some important alterations were made as 

 will, be seen by a comparison of the following with the text of those issued 

 io 1851. 



