2 FORESTRY IN AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. 



lands, and these again are divided into imperial (state), municipal, and pri- 

 vate forests, as follows: Imperial forests, 952,689.96 hectares; municipal 

 forests, r, 29 7, 238. 2 1 hectares. The private forests, therefore, cover about 

 32 per cent, of the total area of the productive land of the Empire. 



COMMON FORESTS AND PRIVILEGES OF THE POPULATION IN THEM. 



As common forests of the Empire only the woodlands belonging to the 

 several cities and villages can properly be denominated. The residents of 

 these cities and villages undoubtedly enjoy certain privileges as to the use of 

 these forests by virtue of the local laws and regulations. I am not in a po- 

 sition, however, to have access to these local regulations, which undoubtedly 

 differ in the different communities, but are one and all subject to the general 

 law on forest culture and preservation hereinafter cited. This general law, 

 if strictly enforced, furnishes the means of ample protection against any in- 

 jury that may possibly threaten these common forests by the wasteful or care- 

 less exercise of any privilege granted by local enactment. 



ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS OF GOVERNMENT FOREST BUREAUS. 



The cultivation and preservation of the forests of the Empire of Austria 

 and the administration of the laws with reference thereto are intrusted to the 

 Ministry of Agriculture. The right of appeal, however, in certain contested 

 cases to the Ministry of the Interior is reserved. 



Under the supervision bf the Minister of Agriculture the several provin- 

 cial presidents {statthalters) are authorized to execute the forest laws and 

 regulations, and as next in authority to these statthalters the several district 

 captains are empowered to enforce the laws in question and to exercise a gen- 

 eral authority, supervision, and control over all the subordinate officers 

 charged with the execution of the forest laws and forest police regulations. 

 This subordinate class of forestry officers is composed of two classes : 



1. The officers who have entered the service permanently, after passing 

 the requisite examination, and are in the line of promotion like officers of 

 the regular army. 



2. The volunteer officers who for the sake of pursuing their studies and 

 adding practical experience to theoretical knowledge accept the position in 

 the forest service as an honorable distinction, but receive a salary in propor- 

 tion to the extent of their field of action and responsibility. 



This latter class, however, like the first, must have passed certain exami- 

 nations, proving their qualifications, before they can enter the service as such 

 volunteers. 



The professional and regular forest officers in the Empire are classified as 

 follows : 



A. Forest Inspectors. 



2. Chief forest counsellors (called oberforestrSihe). 



5. Forest counsellors {or forestrdthe). 



7. Chief forest commissaries (called oberforestcommissare). 



