COST. 423 



it produces, in quantity or quality. The cost of transport is, 

 however, greatly aftected by the cost of construction of the 

 necessary works, their effectiveness and durability, and the cost 

 of their maintenance. It should be noted that the crucial point 

 lies rather with the actual current charges for transport and 

 maintenance of the works, than with the original capital 

 expenditure on construction. From these considerations, how- 

 ever, it cannot be laid-down as a general rule, which method will 

 be cheaper, or which dearer. 



If only the cost of construction when compared with current 

 charges were to decide the question in mountain-districts, a well 

 designed net-work of cart-roads and slides must be abandoned 

 for ever, for such works, especially among high mountains, 

 require a very large capital expenditure ; all ideas of constructing 

 forest-tramways would also then be illusory. Whilst, however, 

 the original cost of other works, such as wooden slides or wooden 

 works on a floating-channel, is comparatively low, the cost of 

 maintenance in their case is very high. This is also the case 

 as regards the cost of using wood instead of stone in works on 

 roads or floating-channels. In most cases an estimate of the 

 cost of the works will show, that unless the price of wood 

 is very low, the greatest attention must be paid to solid 

 construction and durable material. Even where the prices of 

 wood in the forest are locally and temporarily depreciated, there 

 can be no reason for neglecting modern and rational modes of 

 transport, improvement in transport being always followed by 

 higher prices. 



How illogical it is that a forest owner should be frightened 

 by the prospect of large initial expenditure on durable means 

 of transport, is borne out by actual experience in the case of 

 forest tramways. Independently of the great advantages they 

 ensure for expediting the transport of forest produce to the 

 centres of the timber-trade, for facilitating the sale of inferior 

 assortments, for a rapid clearance of the felling-areas, preventing 

 a loss of wood, &c., the transport charges are actually much 

 lessened when compared with ordinary cart-traffic, so that good 

 interest is obtained for the capital which has been thus invested. 

 In the Grimmnig forest range near Potsdam, the cost of trans- 

 porting a cubic meter (35*3 cubic feet) of Scotch pine timber on 



