Lecoy. — The Forest Question in New Zealand. 9 



and in Germany the primitive woodland areas, though much reduced, 

 still represent in both coimtries a sm'face eqnal to about 24 per cent, of 

 the total area of the country, but notwithstanding this the people there 

 are complaining of climatic distm-bances as the result of the clearing of the 

 woodlands. 



IV. — Revenue deer^able feom State Foeests. 



This most interesting part of the whole question has, it seems, been 

 altogether misunderstood in this colony. Semi-official statements relating 

 to the forest revenue in Germany, had the effect of representing the amount 

 of the said revenue as not being above a few shillings per acre, from which 

 a large amount of expenditure had to be deducted. Upon the admitted 

 value of that source of information, it was resolved, in the House of Repre- 

 sentatives, a few years ago, that, "judging from the results attained in 

 Germany, the conservation or regeneration of the indigenous forests in this 

 colony would not pay." * '•' * * 



In the said statements the forest revenue, arising from the annual 

 acreage of fellings, has been ascribed to the whole forest area, through 

 an erroneous analogy between the productive value of high timber State 

 forests and those of freehold property, but the dissimilarity in the respective 

 conditions pertaining to each kind of property does not admit of comparison; 

 besides which, the annual acreage being calculated on only a portion of the 

 whole arboreal stock, it cannot be taken as the revenue or produce of the 

 whole forest area. However, the essential point to be observed is the actual 

 result or total amount of revenue derivable from State forests, when managed 

 under such principles as are generally adopted in Europe. The item of the 

 amount of expenditure involved in the management of those forests also 

 requires consideration. 



All State forests in Europe have been, and many are still, encumbered 

 with forest rights and servitudes of feudal origin, the commutation of which, 

 necessitates expenses generally included in the expenditm-e of the Forest 

 Department; which, with other causes of expense, such as the preservation 

 of game, the collection of the forest revenue, etc., etc., are in Germany also 

 included in the departmental expenditure. In France, the Forest Department 

 has nothing to do with the preservation of game, nor with financial mat- 

 ters ; besides which all forest rights and servitudes have been redeemed, and 

 the departmental expenditm'e is thus confined to the salaries of the staff and 

 forest guards, and does not exceed five per cent, of the revenue ; whilst in 

 Germany, owing to causes just stated, the average forest expenditure in the 

 German States hereafter named is above 30 per cent. On the other hand, as 

 may be observed in the following tables, the gross retmiis h-om the annual sales 

 of the standing timber have hitherto been less in France than in Germany, the 



