TIMBER TRADE IN THE DINDINGS. 



In the Dindings the principal species utilized for Timber are as 

 follows : — 



('lass I B. — Meranti, Niato, Medang, Manggis Hutan, MeraAyati 

 and Grongang. 



Class II. — Se'ptiere, Balong Ayam, Duriati Hutan, Jelutong, 



Some of the trees due to a c >mplete overhea 1 leaf canopy result- 

 ing in a thick layer of undecomposcd leaves, fail to show a better 

 seedling g/owth. Admission of light by interruptions in the canopy 

 seems advantageous as is evidenced in coupes where adjacent tree- 

 arc in bearing. 



The oniv drawbacks to a representative pole crop is that these 

 parts have never as yet been allowed a sufficient period of rest for 

 the seedling to establish themselves as frequent fellings over tin* 

 same area have left their traces on the present constitution of the 

 forests. 



Chenga!, Damar Laut, Petaling, Resak and other hard wood poles 

 are also sadly wanting as they wr.re not only much in demand for 

 the construction of the native houses, fencings, fishing stakes, masts 

 etc., locally, but also formed an export for ages past. 



The Crown lands are worked by Chinese kongsis consisting of 

 tindals, clerk, cook, buffalo drivers and the requisite number of 

 timber cutters and sawyers. Licences are issued and the royalty 

 is collected by tonnage (50 cubic feet= 1 ton) on the basis of 

 $3 per ton of converted Class I B. timber and $>2 for Class II. The 

 trees are marked for felling by the Forest Department and are then 

 logged into 16 feet length if convertible into planks. The loos are 

 trimmed into waney baulks and then sawn into transportable sizes. 

 Buffaloes drag it out over tracks made of jungle rollers laid at right 

 angles to the direction of the path. They are then built into rafts 

 and floated down to the sawyard and hand-sawn, different sized 

 planks, scantlings and battens being extracted so as to completely 

 utilize the wood. 



The coolies are paid according to qualifications ranging from ^8 

 to §12 per mensem, whenever possible. " Sinkehs " are employed, 

 the latter being cheap labour. Sawyers and cutters are paid at con- 

 tract rates. Coolies on daily wages of about 40 cents per day are 

 engaged in clearing paths, building rolling roads, turning over and 

 lifting logs into position for trimming and sawing in the forest. 

 Trimmed logs, if large, are sawn into transportable sizes by the 

 coolies at contract rates, their daily wages being stopped for the 

 time. 



Tindals align paths and supervise sawing in the forests and 

 sawyards so that the largest dimensioned planks may be obtained. 

 This requires some skill and is dependent on the peculiar defects in 

 the wood. 



All the inmates of the kongsi get free rations consisting of rice. 



