Cape National Forests. 5D 
but it is accepted in the forest schools and universities of EKurope : 
1. That the proportion of woodlands to the total area of a country 
should not be less than 25 per cent. in populous countries like 
Europe. 2. The woodlands of a country to be scientifically worked 
and effectively maintained must be either owned or managed by the 
State. The latter proposition may sound bureaucratic, and to trench 
on that liberty of the subject on which an Englishman prides 
himself; but this is not so. It is simply an outcome of the fact that 
forest management to be effective must be perpetual. It is accepted, 
equally in the military Republic of France, in Imperial Germany, 
in Austria, and even in democratic Switzerland, where no official 
can legally be appointed for more than three years at atime. As 
the outcome of this principle the valuable forests, owned by 
municipalities in France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are 
managed by the Government forest officers, the net forest revenues 
only being paid to the owners. And asa result, the very considerable 
municipal forests of these countries form part of the effective and 
permanent forest areas of these countries. Italy, Spain, Sweden, 
and the minor States follow the same policy more or less completely. 
The proportion between the area under forest and the total area of 
a country is an important consideration. What that proportion 
should be will, of course, vary with the circumstances of the 
country. A damp insular country suffers less from the want of 
forest than a dry inland country. England pays the foreigner 
£14,000,000 yearly for imported wood which, on almost every 
ground, would be better produced at home. Climatically, however, 
England suffers nothing from the loss of its forests. But for 
inland or arid countries the loss of forest means loss every 
way. Germany and Russia have 26 per cent. and 42 per 
cent. respectively of their area under forest. In Russia the 
forests are badly distributed. In Germany the forests are well 
distributed, and are a perpetual source of wealth and strength to the 
country: of wealth in the wood they produce; of strength in the 
million or so of strong men who work in, and live by the forests. 
Now in Germany the forest reserves are most jealously guarded. 
It is held that there are some minor defects of distribution, but that 
the total area cannot be reduced, and that 25 per cent. is the 
minimum quantity of forest area necessary for a country situated 
as is Germany. It is calculated that one million people live directly 
on the forests of Germany, and three millions indirectly, 7.e., on 
forest industries. Directly and indirectly the German forests support 
12 per cent. of the population. The area under forest in Cape 
Colony (including the Transkei) is barely over + per cent. 
