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CHAPTER V. 



PRIVATE FORESTS. 



1. Reasons for State Supervision. 



It has been alleged that amongst the general tasks of the 

 State is comprised the duty of seeing that articles necessary 

 for the welfare of the people are forthcoming, and that they 

 are suitably distributed over the country. In the case of 

 forestry, such articles should be produced without occupying 

 more land than is necessary, unless indeed the absolute 

 forest soil is more than is required for the purpose. Wood, 

 it is said, is an important article of consumption which is 

 absohitely necessary. 



It is further maintained that measures taken in the above 

 direction for the public welfare do not constitute an illegal 

 interference with private interests, because forests have 

 always been subject to restrictions, so that present owners 

 obtained them burdened with the right of interference. 



Thirdly, it is said that by such interference the owner is 

 not deprived of anything to which he is entitled, since the 

 object of interference is to secure the best possible utilization 

 of the forests and to check abuse of the property. 



Hence, it is said, State supervision is necessary and 

 desirable because : — 



(a) The economic means of private persons are not sufficient 

 for regular forest management. It is said, that private persons 

 rarely have the necessary knowledge to introduce and conduct 

 a systematic management ; their properties are frequently too 

 small to secure the services of competent managers ; in other 

 cases they do not possess the necessary funds ; hence private 

 forestry, if uncontrolled, leads to devastation. 



