REID — ON THE ECONOMY OF TIMBER. 32T 



will soon exhaust our supplies, and demand from us an expenditure 

 of a far higher sum for its equivalent than we have received, besides 

 depending on a foreign or distant source for our supply. The ex- 

 ercise of a little judgment in this matter would be of great future 

 avail, without being a present hindrance. Take a case in point. 



The Province of Quebec has 1000 acres of valuable forest for 

 one that we have ; yet for years it had been the object of the old 

 Canadian Government while fostering the largest lumber trade to 

 provide for its ultimate continuance. 



To guard the future as well as the present is the duty of every 

 Government ; whereas the aim of the Commercial mind is to get the 

 largest amount of wealth in the shortest time, little heeding the pros- 

 pects of the successor. Thence the conflict between the Govern- 

 7nent and the individual, — the former, having commanding power, 

 should prevent the latter from injuring the commerce or trade of his 

 successor. 



The old Canadian Government did this by selling the land in 

 small quantity, by the acre, and in perpetuity to intending settlers 

 or cultivators, and by selling the timber by the square mile to those 

 who did not want the land, but what was on it. It was sold for a 

 term of years and by auction, so that the largest revenue was ob- 

 tained while shewing no partiality to intending speculators. The 

 object of this sale of timber, and not of land, was to favour the 

 growth of timber, because when the largest trees are removed from 

 a forest the smaller ones rapidly increase by growth, and the supply 

 will not much diminish. There is an additional tax on each log 

 that is brought down to the saw-mill. These regulations have been 

 in force for very many years, and have worked well for all parties. 



Nova Scotian legislation has not been of this conservative ten- 

 dency, because but little value had been put on timber, and compa- 

 ratively little had been introduced to market : — in fact our legisla- 

 tors did not know either the quantity or quality of Nova Scotian 

 timber. They are now awakened to the fact, when it is all but too 

 late ; however, much can yet be done to foster this industry, and I 

 will throw out a few suggestions. 



That all owners of 1000 acres of land, and upwards, who do not 

 carry on lumbering operations, shall be compelled to pay a tax of 



