8 TIMBER 
important character, which was designed to enforce 
restrictions respecting the felling of trees and to prevent 
the conversion of afforested lands into agricultural 
acreage, being placed upon the Statue Book ten years 
later. Another enactment in 1558 was also passed, 
regulating and limiting the size in which wood could be 
utilized for smelting purposes, and in 1592 a further 
Act was instituted. 
Under the rapid development of the country by the 
introduction of steam power and its application to 
the means of transit by land and water, the native 
supplies of timber became wholly inadequate ; increased 
demands arose and, to fill these, timber from other 
European sources began to find its way into the country. 
It is recorded by some authorities that, as early as 
the sixteenth century, fir timber, in partially squared 
condition or balks as they were called, was brought 
from the Baltic, probably from Dantzig or other 
Prussian ports, and used on the East coast for masts, 
spars and other purposes. It was not however until 
later that supplies increased, when, together with this 
fir,—red or yellow deal as it is called in our days—oak 
from the same ports began to relieve the difficulties of 
consumers in finding sufficient native-grown wood. 
The imports, both of the above mentioned fir timber 
and of the oak, grew largely, and then, it is under- 
stood, through the enterprise of Dutch merchants, 
additional supplies of Norwegian and Swedish fir began 
to arrive. Later, oak and other woods from the 
acquired Colonial Possessions in America were first 
brought over. 
A new era in the history of the trade thus arrived : 
no longer was the community dependent on native 
woods, and, with the rapid development of the country, 
growing calls were forthcoming for the important 
