142 COLONIAL REPORTS- MISCELLANEOUS. 



exploitation of the forest, sucli management being necessarily 

 based on the assumption that it can be exercised without hostile 

 interference for at least several generations, if not centuries, 

 when the very existence of the forest as such is not guaranteed 

 for a sufficient length of time to realize the object of the manage- 

 ment. It is sheer loss of time and money to the State. On the 

 other hand, it is absolutely certain that without the legal pro- 

 tection afforded by reservation, the forests will in time cease to , 

 exist. No property of this sort regarding which the rights of 

 ownership and prescription have not been legally defined, limited, 

 and regulated, can exist for very long, more particularly in coun- 

 tries like our West African Colonies and Protectorates. What- 

 ever measures may be adopted for the general protection afforded 

 to the forests under enactments such as the Timber Rules, it will 

 be found in course of time that they are quite insufficient to meet 

 the demands of forest conservancy. The latter, without the 

 power to legally constitute reserved forests, is a mere ghost and 

 caricature of what it should be. 



PART II. 



B. SUGGESTIONS AS TO THE FOREST POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION 



TO BE ADOPTED ON THE GOLD COAST. 



Having dealt with the question of legislation, the next points 

 to consider are the means by which the provisions of the Ordi- 

 nance, Orders, Rules, &c., should be put into practice, and the 

 general policy to be followed in regard to Forest Conservancy 

 and Administration on the Gold Coast. 



These matters can be most conveniently dealt with under the 

 following heads: 



A. Establishments necessary for carrying out the provisions 



of the Forest Laws and for the systematic protection 

 and management of the forests. 



B. The selection of areas for reservation. 



C. The collection of data for the preparation of '"' Working 



Plans" and the methods under which the forests should 

 be managed. 



D. The botanical survey of the forests. 



E. The training of the subordinate staff. 



F. Forest plantations. 



G. The inspection and supervision of timber concessions and 



licensed areas. 

 H. General forest policy. 



Taking these in the order mentioned, as regards 



A. Forest Establishments. 



The Forest Administration of the Gold Coast should be carried 

 out by means of the staff, European and native, shown below ; 



