134 COLONIAL REPORTS MISCELLANEOUS. 



u (d,) In such areas as the Local Government directs, all 

 unmarked timber; 



" shall be deemed to the the property of the Government unless 

 and until any person establishes his rights thereto, as provided 

 in this chapter." (See quotations of sections following this 

 one.) 



' (2.) Such timber may be collected by any forest officer or 

 other person entitled to collect the same, and may be brought to 

 such stations as a forest officer, specially empowered in this 

 behalf, may from time to time notify as stations for the recep- 

 tion of drift timber. 



' (3.) The Local Government may, by notification in the local 

 Official Gazette, exempt any class of timber from the provisions 

 of this section. 



" 47. .(1.) Public notice will from time to time, as occasion 

 may require, be given by a forest officer, specially empowered 

 in this behalf, of timber collected under the last foregoing section. 



" (2.) Such notice shall contain a description of the timber and 

 shall require any person claiming the same to present to such 

 officer, within a period not less ( ? more) than one month from 

 the date on which such notice is given, a written statement of 

 such claim. 



' 48. (1.) When any such statement is presented as aforesaid, 

 the forest officer may, after making such enquiry as he thinks 

 fit, either reject the claim, after recording his reasons for doing 

 so, or deliver the timber to the claimant. 



'' (2.) If such timber is claimed by more than one person, the 

 forest officer may either deliver the same to any such person 

 whom he deems entitled thereto, or may refer the claimants to 

 the Civil Court, and retain the timber pending the receipt of an 

 order from the Court for its disposal. 



"(3.) Any person whose claim has been rejected under this 

 section may, within six months from the date of such rejection, 

 institute a suit to recover possession of the timber claimed by 

 him, but no person shall recover any compensation against the 

 Government or against any forest officer on account of such 

 rejection, or the detention or removal of any timber, or the 

 delivery thereof to any person under this section. 



" (4.) No such timber will be subject to the process of any Civil 

 Court until it has been delivered or until a suit brought under 

 this section has been decided. 



"(6-) Every suit instituted under this section shall be subject to 

 the provisions of Section 424 of the Code of Civil Procedure. 



" Provided that the notice required by the said provision shall 

 be g^ven within three months from the date of the rejection, 

 under Sub-section (1), of the intending plaintiff's claim. 



"49. Where no statement is presented in the manner and 

 within the period prescribed by notice issued under Section 47, 

 or where such statement having been so presented and the claim 

 rejected the claimant omits to institute a suit to recover posses- 



