152 BRITISH POSSESSIONS IN AMERICA. 



The data seem to show that during a period of 35 years 

 the exports have increased only by about ^ per cent, a year. 

 They further bring out the fact that the exports to the 

 United Kingdom have fallen off, while those to the United 

 States have greatly increased. As the price per ton 

 has also risen, it may safely be said that the quantity of 

 exports has been practically stationary, if it has not 

 fallen off. 



Deducting the exports, which represent about two million 

 tons, it is clear that every inhabitant of Canada consumes 

 annually timber to the amount of about 60 cubic feet, quarter 

 girth measurement, as against 15 cubic feet in Britain. In 

 addition, each person consumes 132 cubic feet of firewood. 



Since Mr. Johnson wrote some ten years ago, the forest 

 question has attracted more attention. Measures have been 

 taken to introduce a more economic system of lumbering, and 

 particularly to check fires, but as far as can be judged the 

 results are as yet anything but satisfactory. In order to 

 illustrate this remark, attention is invited to the appended 

 five illustrations, prepared from photographs which were 

 taken about two years ago by Mr. Milward, an Indian 

 forest officer, on his way home from India. They explain 

 themselves. 



It is of the utmost importance, not only for Canada but for 

 the Empire generally, that the Canadian forests should, at 

 an early date, be taken under systematic management. The 

 Governments of the several provinces must make up their 

 minds to select and demarcate a sufficient proportion of the area 

 as permanent State forests and bring them under complete 

 control and a rational and systematic management. There 

 are large areas to choose from, so that no difficulties are likely 

 to present themselves in selecting out of the one and a quarter 

 million square miles, say, 150,000 square miles to be reserved, 

 leaving more than one million square miles for unrestricted 

 lumbering and extension of cultivation. The annual revenue 

 from the forests in the immediate past has been about 



