214 LEGISLATION ON TORRENTS. 



the Forest Administration will only exert its power to investigate or to execute 

 operations for restoring the sward on hilly ground, looking exclusively to 

 the public utility in the regulation of the water-courses, and the consolida- 

 tion of the soil — that is to say, in conditions identical with those which led 

 to its being invested with the power of encouraging or executing the 

 reboisements. 



" Art. 2, for the arrangement of preparatory formalities, refers simply to 

 the law of 28th July 1860 ; it could not do otherwise, for in most oases the 

 question is, how to accomplish the formation of mixed p6rimfetres composed 

 of woods and tracts of new turf ; the directions ought to be combined for 

 this double object, and consequently should be subjected to the same 

 regulations. 



"A temporary arrangement authorises the Forest Administration, in 

 regard to ground included for the first time in the area of reboisement 

 oUigatoire, to substitute operations for renewal of the turf for operations 

 for reboisement in such measure as they my deem fit. 



"Art. 3 relates to art. 9 of the law of 38th July 1860. This last ai-ticle 

 enacts that, in cases where the State executes operations of reboisement 

 upon communal lands, the communes may relieve themselves of the burden 

 of repayment by giving up the proprietorship of half of the lands reboised. 

 It has appeared that, when operations oiregazonnement only are in question, 

 the proportion of one-half is nearly always too great, taking into considera- 

 tion the expense of the work. Hence, an arrangement by which the 

 communes may always get exemption, by giving up land in proportion to 

 the advances made for their benefit. 



" Art. 4 fixes the different executive measures which should fee specified 

 by regulation of the public administration. This statute should determine 

 the mode of certifying the advances made by the State, and the measures 

 necessary for securing the repayment of these ; it should also lay down 

 rules for the allocation and settlement of grants of money which it may be 

 necessary to allot, to communes which are too poor to submit to even a 

 temporary deprivation of pasture, though in the view of its improve- 

 ment, — grants of money, which, besides in certain cases, will constitute the 

 greatest part, or even the whole, of the expense of restoration, and which 

 should only be granted in cases of absolute necessity by a decree declaring 

 the public utility of the measure. 



" Finally, Art. 5 creates the financial resources required for the operation 

 of the law. The Government is referred, for the specification of the nature 

 of these, to the law of 28th July 1860, and in proposing to obtain these 

 resources from extraordinary fellings it has only followed the line of action 

 indicated by your Commission four years ago. 



" Such, gentlemen, are the principal arrangements of the Project de loi 

 which we have the honour to submit to you ; they have a special reference 

 to the mountain lands, because the Forest Administration, with whom the 

 execution of them will lie, has only, in what relates to the regeneration of 

 pasture lands which are not wooded, for its work, to carry out measures 

 complementary to the law Siir le Heboisement des Montagnes ] they have 

 also a special reference to communal lands, because the improvement of 

 meadows belonging to private proprietors have not appeared of a character 

 to warrant either the application of coercive measures, or the employment 

 of the funds of the State ; these arrangements do not the less apply to 

 numerous localties, and to areas of very great extent ; they will produoe 



