METHODS OF FOREST POLICY. 249 



the Forestry Bureau of the Department of Agri- 

 culture another method of encouragement, which 

 is also practised in the old countries, namely, to 

 give to private owners specific advice as to the 

 management of forest properties, the government 

 bearing the larger share of the expense of securing 

 the data for these so-called working plans. But 

 for the educational feature involved, this would be 

 a violation of our principle that the state should 

 not do for the private citizen what he could do for 

 himself. If, however, the benefit to be expected 

 for the community at large is thereby secured, ex- 

 pediency would lend countenance to such a method. 

 The probability, however, is that in the absence of 

 an obligation to follow the working plan, and in 

 the absence of technical supervision in its execu- 

 tion, the results will be hardly commensurate. 



The one principle under which the community 

 can properly be called upon to tax itself — directly 

 by paying bounties, or indirectly by refunding or 

 reducing taxes and by imposing import duties — in 

 order to encourage private industry is that the 

 community will thereby secure extraordinary bene- 

 fit. But the benefit must be specific, demonstrable, 

 adequate, and, moreover, it must be evident that 

 mere private self-interest will not be sufficient to 

 secure incidentally the desired benefit. 



The power of adjusting taxes is a mighty lever 

 to industries, which can be used scientifically or 

 unskilfully, for good or for evil ; and those who 



