The Crown Lands of British Guiana. 337 



lated in my opinion to injure the trade in one way or 

 another, or to oppress or injure the licenced wood-cutter. 

 The people who really have to pay this royalty are the 

 owners of constru6lions in timber, &c., that have been 

 made since i8go, and also the consumers of charcoal 

 and other produ6ls of the bush. Greenheart, wallaba, 

 mora, charcoal, cordwood, &c., are only used for pur- 

 poses that no other wood or articles can be imported to 

 profitably serve ; hence these woods and articles are 

 bound to be used whether the tax of royalty be on them 

 or not. If the wood-cutter does not see this and pays 

 the royalty for the consumer then he has himself to 

 blame for his want of foresight and should" stand easy" 

 and try on the first opportunity to make the consumer 

 pay. I look upon the royalty as making no more difference 

 to the licenced wood-cutter and timber merchant than 

 does the duty on rum to an estate or a rumshop keeper ; 

 moreover the royalty is nothing very great when done; 

 even if the wood-cutter had to pay it adlually himself ! 

 It often occurs to me that the casual observer of 

 the industry ignores ihe following curious faft re- 

 lating to the subje6l, that is, that in certain construc- 

 tions, were colony wood selling at the same price as 

 imported wood, it would be cheaper in making a 

 constru6lion to pay a cent or two more for imported 

 wood as it would answer the purpose better with an 

 expenditure of less labour on the job ; particularly so 

 would this be the case with anything requiring lightness 

 combined with the capability of resisting the a6lion of 

 the natural elements. 



One dollar per acre of security is far too little for a 

 grant to cut wood ; the higher this bond is the fewer the 



