owned by this group rose in 1917 to 2 398000 hectares, of which 

 about 1,714,000 hectares were forest land. The forests alone thus cover 

 an area about equal in size to that of the Administrative District of 

 Hame (Tavastehus). In the main, these forests belong to the various 

 branches of the timber industries, having been purchased by the latter 

 during the last few decades in order to ensure their supply of raw 

 material and at the same time to hold prices for raw material at a 

 level favourable to themselves, and otherwise to assure their economi- 

 cal position; in certain cases, also to procure agricultural products 

 for their employees, to facilitate rafting, etc. The standpoint 

 against land-ownership by this group is based chiefly on social and 

 colonization ideas. A law passed in 1915 restricted the right of Joint 

 Stock Companies to own land, and another law has recently been 

 discussed by the Diet for the expropriation of lands procured against 

 the stipulations of the former law, while the proposed law re- 

 garding the procuring of land for colonization purposes will, in prac- 

 tice, be largely directed towards the Joint Stock Company lands. 



The forests of the Companies stand as a rule on a higher econo- 

 mical plane than the average private forest. The Companies employ 

 numerous forest superintendents with a higher forestry education 

 and also foremen who have passed through the forestry schools. 

 Many of the Companies have had regular working plans drawn up 

 for their forests. - The care of the Companies' forests is in 110 

 greater degree subject to the law than that of private forests. 



In this connection, it may be mentioned that the State owns 

 the majority of shares in two of the greatest firms engaged in the 

 timber industries, viz., 0. 7. Tornator and A. B. Gutzeit & C:o. 



Private Forests. 



The only law restricting the exploitation of private forests is 

 that of 1917, which forbids such cutting of forest, or the leaving of 

 forest land in such condition, that the natural regeneration of a 

 forest is endangered. The- cutting of young growing forest other- 

 wise than by thinning is also forbidden. The surveillance of this law 

 has been dealt with earlier. The breaking of these stipulations brings 

 with it the enforced protection of the forests against cutting and the 

 reafforesting of the area. For the facilitating of control in this re- 

 spect, the forest -owner is obliged to send in a list of the proposed 

 cuttings, before these are begun, to the Parish Forestry Committee, 

 unless the forest is managed according to a plan approved byv the 

 District Forest Committee. 



The District Forestry Committees commenced their activities 

 in 1918. As far as this was rendered possible by the state of war in 

 the first half of the year, the work done was of an organizatory nature. 



