9 
and unpopular, and it has been at times difficult to induce the Guard to remain when 
sent to these places, , 
6, An additional Forest Ranger lor the Reserves to be stationed at Bruas at 
S6 5 per month was sanctioned for 1901 and Mr. A. HOWELL was appointed tempo- 
rarily on 5th April. He was transferred to Lumut on 23rd April ; his place at Bruas 
bein'" taken by WAN Chi, formerly Assistant Forest Ranger in the Northern District 
of Province Wellesley. The appointment has proved a very useful one and the 
present holder (Wan Chi) has done his work very satisfactorily, though his igno- 
rance of English makes written communication with him at times not as clear as it 
mi"ht be. He has combined the duties of Forest Ranger and Forest Inspector for 
fhe Forest Reserves at Bruas. 
y. Mr. Howell’S services as Forest Ranger, Lumut, were dispensed with on 
^ist July, and his place was taken by Mr. T. De SOUZA, Forest Inspector. The latter 
appointment was left vacant till the end of the year in order to see whether one man 
could not advantageously perform the duties of Forest Ranger and Forest Inspector, 
as at Bruas. The duties overlap to a great extent, but it was found that the extent 
of the district and the distances between the Reserves and other places to be visited, 
combined with the fact that much of the travelling has to be clone by boat and is 
therefore slow and uncertain, rendered the amalgamation of the two appointments 
undesirable. The vacancy of Forest Inspector was tilled up late in December by the 
appointment of S. ALLAGAPPEN, Assistant Forest Ranger, Bukit Mertajam, on 3 months* 
probation. 
8. In 1901 for the first time a certain amount of revenue, other than from the 
undesirable source of fines for illicit cutting was derived from the Reserves, Passes 
to cut jungle produce in the Reserves, (rotans, mengkuangs andbertams) were issued 
from September at double rates and the total amount of revenue so derived was 
§246.00. By far the greater number of the passes were for rotan in the Telok Sera 
and Bukit Segari Reserve. Passes for nibong were not allowed in the Reserves as 
the cutting and removing entails a considerable amount of damage to the young forest 
growth. This is not so much the case with rotan or mengkuang, where hardly any 
damage is done. 
g[ Two small fires occurred during the year in the Reserves — one at Pangkor 
near Pasir Boga in September and the other in December at Tanjong Hantu. The 
origin in each case was not discovered. In the former case about 25 acres of brushwood 
forming the fringe of the Reserve were damaged, but no trees of any value were in- 
cluded in the area burnt. In the fire at Tanjong Hantu the Reserve was just touched 
and no appreciable damage was done. This was due to a strong wind fortunately 
blowing the flames away from the Reserves and to a heavy downpour of rain which 
quenched the fire after it had been burning for about half a day. There are no 
houses in the vicinity of the spots where the fire seemed to have started ; they must 
have been caused by the careless throwing of a match by a passer by. 
10. The much needed survey of the Forest Reserves has been begun this year. 
A surveyor has been stationed here for the last six months of the year. He was 
occupied for some time in surveying a private estate at Bruas, but since the comple- 
tion of that work has been engaged exclusively on the Reserves. Ulu Bruas and 
Lumut Reserves have been completely surveyed with the theodolite and Pangkor 
with the prismatic compass. The work has taken longer than I anticipated. The 
very rough and hilly nature of the country makes chaining and measurement very 
slow work. It may be possible after survey to alter the boundaries so as to avoid 
the steeper hills and so as to have less. tortuous lines. If so, it would be advisable 
to do so. At present the task of patrolling and inspecting the boundaries is a very 
arduous one. 
r I. The proposed creation of new Reserves of all the bakau land in the Din- 
dings has been deferred till the country has been surveyed, A proper working plan 
of these Reserves with a view to their being economically exploited could not possib- 
ly precede a survey, and the proposal was premature. It would have killed the fire- 
wood trade and would have caused considerable loss of revenue if the bakau forests had 
been closed to timber cutters as completely as the other Reserves of ordinary forest 
land. 
F. J. HALLIFAX, 
Acting District Officer . 
D hidings, / 5th January , 1902. 
I 
