THE WORK OP THE FOREST DEPARTMENT IN INDIA. IJ 



" Having regard to these general principles, wliicli in their opinion 

 should govern the decision as to the form of agency to be employed, the 

 Government of India are inclined to believe that in some parts of India 

 departmental agency might perhaps be profitably employed more exten- 

 sively than at present." 



Extraction and transport. — The extraction and transport of 

 forest produce, and particularly of timber, is often attended 

 with much difficulty and, more especially where timber is con- 

 cerned, may involve engineering problems demanding a high 

 degree of technical skill. Timber is exploited either in the 

 round or after partial or total conversion in the forest : the 

 methods vary greatly according to local conditions, but fall 

 naturally under the two main heads of land and water trans- 

 port. 



Under land transport the following forms may be men- 

 tioned : — 



(i) By human agency. This includes the removal of head- 

 loads of fuel and bamboos to centres within a short 

 distance of the forest, the carriage of sleepers and 

 other scantlings in the Himalayas from the forests 

 down to slides or floating streams and the extraction 

 of heavy logs in the same localities with the help of 

 rolling roads and earth slides. The carriage of 

 sleepers is often a difficult and dangerous operation, 

 for a freshly cut broad gauge deodar sleeper weighs 

 about 150 lbs. or more and the men have to work on 

 very steep paths over difficult ground. 

 [it) By animals. This includes the removal of produce 

 by carts where suitable roads exist or by pack 

 animals where the produce can be handled by this 

 form of transport, the employment of elephants to 

 drag heavy timber to floating streams as in Burma 

 and the Andamans and to a lesser extent in other 

 localities. Buffaloes are also used for this purpose, 

 and their employment is extending in localities where 

 they can work owing to the steadily increasing cost of 

 purchase and upkeep of elephants. 

 (in) By mechanical appliances. These include tramways, 

 ropeways and skidders. Some of the most import- 



