466 SALE OF WOOD. 



otherwise be merely rough conversion.* Finally, in the case of 

 extraordinary quantities of ])ro(luce, owing to damage by storms, 

 insects, Arc, when the trees may be considered as only partially 

 standing, it may be more advantageous to the owner to sell the 

 trees on the whole affected area to a wood-merchant, than to 

 convert it by the help of his own wood-cutters, and sell the 

 material by detail. 



As regards State forests and those belonging to corporate 

 bodies, the question between these two modes of sale has another 

 bearing. The forest official should generally pay maximum 

 wages for felling, conversion and removal of the wood. When, 

 however, in State forests from short-sighted financial economy, 

 wages are kept so low that even the industrious wood-cutter can 

 hardly earn a living wage, the work he effects must decrease 

 both in quantity and quality, and he loses all interest in the 

 well-being of the forest. The rich wood -merchant who under- 

 takes to fell and convert the trees on a felling- area usually pays 

 high wages, as his interest is bound-up with careful conversion, 

 &c. That he carefully considers this expense in the price 

 he pays for the trees cannot be denied. In such cases, 

 the general welfare is evidently better secured by selling the 

 wood standing than by converting it departmeutally, the balance 

 falling the other way for the forest owner. An example has 

 here been cited merely to show that there are many factors 

 affecting the question in any special case. 



Sale by sealed tender should be employed for standing trees, 

 or in sales by detail, for large lots of converted wood ; it is 

 especially suitable when only a few rich wood-merchants com- 

 pete. It also serves as a remedy against coalition of buyers 

 when trade is slack, and finally, in selling assortments for which 

 there are no local purchasers, for instance, hop-poles, osiers, &c. 



AVhenever only a few large dealers are present at a sale, they 

 can easily agree to keep down prices. By calling for sealed 



• [In the niiiialiiyan forests, export-works involving a large expenditure are 

 recjuired in order to work the forests econoinically and ])rolital)ly, and the trees 

 are simply converted into railway-sleepers or lirewood ; it has therefore proved 

 more proiitahle, after agreeing beforehand with a railway or the commissariat 

 department for the sale of the produce, to convert the trees departmcntally 

 rather than to sell them standing to purchasers, who are accustomed to work out 

 stinding trees from forests of native chiefs without any sylvicultural restrictions. 

 — Tr.1 



