IO 
Crown Lands (whether reserved or unreserved) are to be treated as a single estate 
and reported on as such, all revenue and expenditure from or on account of them 
falling under one head “ Forests . 
But wherever the forest reserves have to be more than protected ; where works 
of improvement are called for or ystematic exploitation F squired, then the District 
Officer requires the assistance of men with a spe' knowledge of forest work. 
A trained European expert wh aid relieve him of i of his responsibility, such as 
is employed in Districts in L is out of the quest Four such Officials would 
be required for the Colony. ) ve considered what can be done under the circum- 
stances and have come to the conclusion that a certain number ol Rangers trained 
to forest work must be employed to assist the District Officers wherever required. 
Such men can only be obtained from the Dehra Dun Forest School. They may be 
either Straits men, who, under such inducements as Government may think fit to offer, 
go to Dehra and obtain certificates or they may be private students who have obtained 
certificates and accept appointments. These latter would be either of European 
parentage born in India, Eurasians or English speaking natives. They would probably 
not accept less than $65 a month to begin with and look for prospects of promotion. 
The Burma Government offers such men appointments on Rs. 100 a month. If the 
proposals made in this report are acted upon, there will be employment for four or 
five Rangers certificated to be qualified for forest work. They can be used as follows : — ■ 
i. Singapore. To arrange for the working of the mangrove tractsand weed gutta 
percha trees in reserves. 
1. Malacca. To carry out the Palaquium sp. plantation and tend the naturally 
growing gutta percha trees. 
2. Bindings. One stationed at Lumut, the other at Bruas, to look after ail 
forest work, leaving the Land Revenue Ranger to attend only to 
alienated lands or the alienation of forest lands. For the present one 
man vice the Forest Inspector would suffice, but in that case he should be 
at Bruas and do both the forest and land revenue work in the North 
leaving the Land Revenue Ranger to do both forest and land work from 
Lumut. It is, I think, a waste of energy to have two men, a Ranger (land 
revenue), and an Inspector (forest), dividing the work over the whole ter- 
ritory. It would be better to have one man in the North and the other in 
the South each doing both the land revenue and forest work of his division. 
t . Penang. To plant gutta percha and weed and tend the naturally growing trees. 
(Mr. Curtis can probably manage without this man for the present.) 
Mr. Curtis, Assistant Superintendent, Botanic Gardens, Penang, may well con- 
tinue to be employed to superintend the Paiixquium plantations both at Malacca and 
Penan o-. He has already commenced the work in Malacca, takes a keen interest in 
it, andls well qualified to carry it out successfully. For this purpose he must visit 
Malacca and give considerable time in Penang to raising plants and laying out suit- 
able areas for" plantation. The actual work both at Malacca and, I think, at Penang 
should be carried out by the District Officers and their Rangers, Mr. Curtis merely 
inspecting, advising and helping in any way in his power. 1 would not burden him 
with the control of the Ranger, payment of coolies, etc. 
But, if forest conservancy is to be properly carried out on a determined and last- 
ing policy and it is only in this way that any real progress may be looked for — I am 
strongly of opinion that the Government must have the benefit of professional advice 
on the spot, and the works must be under professional inspection and direction. I 
propose therefore that a Forest Officer, trained in Europe and with 8 or 10 years 
experience in Burma, should be appointed and his services divided between the 
Colony and the Federated Stales. Such an Officer could be obtained on 3 years’ 
deputation from the Government of India, on payment to that Government of his 
pension contribution. 
There are some Officers in the Colony who would not unnaturally prefer to have 
one or more of their own men. recruited for service in the Colony, trained in Forestry 
and rendered fit for the appointment of Chief Forest Officer. This, however, after 
careful consideration on my part does not seem to be feasible for two reasons. Only 
a Cadet or quite voung officer could be chosen as a student to go through a course of 2 
or 3 years’ training, whether in France, Germany or at Cooper’s Hill, and such officer 
would lack the administrative experience without which such a post could not be 
properly filled. Secondly, if a suitable officer were trained, there would always be the 
impossibility of replacing him when on leave by a thoroughly trained and experienced 
locum teneks. It must be clearly understood that nothing will be gained by creating 
the appointment and tilling it by any but a professionally educated Foresterol some age 
and standing. 
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