156 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 



aries with the necessary marks, which also appear in the licence. 

 Within six months after the granting of the area, work has to be begun. 

 The first proceeding is to send in a list of trees, numbered serially 

 from one upwards, stating the species, size (girth at 10 feet above ground), 

 where situated, name of nearest village and chief occupying land in 

 the vicinity, together with the amount of fees and ro5'alties payable 

 on the trees. The trees have been marked and numbered previous 

 to the duplicate lists being sent in. It is usual to pay a cheque or bill 

 for the fees and cash for the royalties, then one of the two lists sent 

 in is returned to the sender marked " Permission granted." Felling 

 can now begin. On the whole, the general practice is to cut the trees 

 down in the earlier months of the year and have nearly all completed 

 by March or April. Logging, with a cross-cut saw or axe, and squaring 

 with an axe and adze, follows as soon as the trees are felled, and, as 

 it takes longer, continues afterwards right into May or June. Hauling 

 begins as soon as sufficient logs are ready to be drawn and the hauling 

 roads have been cleared. Usually different gangs haul to those em- 

 ployed on the tree-felling and squaring. Eighty or a hundred boys 

 are lined up and haul on two ropes attached to the end of the log. The 

 log, having been shaped at the end to allow easy hauling over the rollers 

 or ground, is "snaked" along to the nearest waterside, river bank or 

 creek. Here two timber-dogs are driven in the end for attaching the 

 cane or rope to hold several together. In the smaller streams or 

 creeks, single logs, or two joined together, float down to another station, 

 where a bigger raft of 40 to 100 logs is made up. In a good many 

 rivers the rise of the water takes place in July, and it is then that 

 the largest number of logs float out. Another lesser rise for the 

 most part, except in the largest, such as the Cross or Niger Rivers, 

 occurs in October, when all logs possible are got out for that season. 



Logs left by this last flood usually have to stay until the following 

 year, when the river will rise again. Sometimes as many as three 

 seasons elapse before it is possible to get out some logs. The higher 

 reaches of the Owenna have an unenviable reputation in this respect. 

 Several short rainy seasons following each other successively cause 

 the same result. The Ijors are the chief " Waterboys," who contract 

 to take logs down the creeks at 5s., 10s. or 15s. a log, according to 

 distance and nature of the creek. The Ossiomo has also a bad name, 

 owing to its swift current and the liability of losing the logs. 



Most labour is engaged direct, though handed over to a contractor 

 who is paid Hd. to Ifd. per foot of timber squared or logged brought to 

 the nearest waterside. The labour, however, is paid by the European 

 firm, which is entirely responsible for the payment. 



The shipment of the logs is made at Koko, Warri or Forcados from 

 Lagos and at Lagos itself, the first-named port taking the majority. 

 Many firms have a branch store and office at this port, or another firm 



