27 



timber auctions a great part of the lots of timber offered for sale has 

 either met with no bidding at all, or the bids have been so low that 

 it has been impossible to accept them. This is shown by the following 

 figures: 



A great part of the unsold trees was certainly sold after the 

 auctions by private agreement, but in any case and especially in 

 North Finland, the demand for even large timber-trees has been small- 

 er than the quantities available. Smaller trunks have met with an 

 extremely slight demand in North Finland, and it is just there that 

 the majority of the State forests are situated. This renders an increase 

 in the amount of cutting still more difficult in the present circumstan- 

 ces, as the additional cutting would thus have to be directed to trees 

 of greater calibre only, in the case of which additions of any magni- 

 tude cannot be made. 



The whole of the cuttings carried out during the latter years 

 will be seen from the following: 



Total cuttings Of which large 



Year in thousands timber 



cub. metres % 



1917 . 2 850 34.6 



1918 1 509 28.6 



1919 2 376 53.2 



1920 1 970 49.3 



In 1920 the percentage of large timber in the cuttings in the 

 Lapland inspection district reached 86.9 % and in the Kemi inspec- 

 tion district 72.5 %. 



The chief method of selling has been the public auction. 

 So-called general auctions have generally been held each year at 



