loS SALE OF WOOD 



only iu purely local newspapers. If, however, valuable timber 

 is to be sold for which there is a good demand or which 

 is suitable for export, or in sales of large quantities of mer- 

 chantable firewood and especially of standing trees, the sale 

 notices should be more widely published. In such cases the 

 forest manager should select the best newspapers for his 

 advertisements, and too much economy would be out of place. 

 Whenever purchasers from a distance may be expected, they 

 should be informed by advertisements of the chief conditions of 

 the sale. 



Whether the sale should be conducted by Forest or Accounts 

 officials, depends on the special administrative arrangements 

 of difl'erent countries. Although unnecessary expense in this 

 matter cannot be justified, it is, on the other hand, un- 

 desirable to leave all responsibility for the sale to the Forest 

 Department. The Accounts officials are, in any case, better 

 acquainted with the buyers than the foresters and should 

 therefore be responsible for their solvency ; this is the case in 

 Prussia, where the Forest Accountant attends all State forest 

 auctions.* 



The auction commences by an official reading out and explain- 

 ing the conditions of sale. These include : a statement whether 

 the sale is with or without reserve ; the terms of security for 

 payment to be off"ered by the purchasers ; conditions under 

 which unknown strangers are allowed to bid ; measures of 

 security against a conspiracy among the buyers to keep down 

 prices ; dates of payment, and limit to which credit is given ; a 

 list of roads by which the wood may be removed, and the condi- 

 tions of removal; si)ecial political and sylvicultural conditions 

 which are considered advisable ; finally, that no complaint will 

 be entertained as regards any lot after it has once been knocked 

 down. 



The upset-price at which the lots are offered for sale must 

 evidently be less than that expected from the purchaser. How 

 much lower it should be is a question not without importance as 

 regards the obtainable price. Too high an upset-price fre- 



* [In Fiiiiice, the Trefd or Suus-prefcl presides at State forest auctions. In 

 Belgium, sales of standing trees in jirivate forests are conducted by a Nutnirc, or 

 notary public, who charges 11% commission, 3% of which is a vState tax, and 

 guarantees the solvency of the jmrchasers. Iu France, tlic cliargc is I'o'j^. — Ti;.] 



