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be very advantageous, even should he not succeed in obtaining leases of any of the forests not at present under the management of the Forest Department. The evils resulting from the admixture of jurisdiction in neighbouring forests are evident, and I am glad to see that the Forest Officers are awake to the importance of bringing all the forests under one set of rules. It is not impossible that forest holders, without parting with their forests, might be induced to adopt for their own interests the rules of conservancy which have been laid down for the better administration of British forests; although, as Dr. Stewart remarks, we cannot expect that this concentration will be complete, it may, nevertheless, become more perfect than it is now, and every opportunity should be taken to make it so."

In his Report Stewart had also alluded to the necessity of having a sufficient supply of well-qualified officers "if permanency is to be given to the efforts which have been recently made towards establishing Forest Conservancy." Commenting on this remark the Secretary of State noted that Brandis' proposals on this head had already received the approval of the Government of India and himself.

The comfortable feeling of security which the introduction of Forest Conservancy into the Punjab and the acquisition of the leases of their forests from the Chamba and Bushahr Rajahs had induced in the mind of the Punjab Government was rudely disturbed by Reports drawn up by Stewart in 1866 on the resources of the Chenab and Ravi Divisions. It will be remembered that under the lease obtained from the Chamba Rajah the Punjab Government had to pay the former a sum of Rs.20,000 annually during the first twenty years of the operation of the lease. It appeared from Stewart's Reports of his subsequent investigations in these forests that they did not now contain sufficient trees of felling size to cover this annual payment. The Reports are of such importance that it will be necessary to reproduce portions of the Punjab Government's summary of them which was forwarded to the Government of India (Forests, No. 1760, dated Lahore, 19th July, 1866). Many of the remarks contained in this admirable précis by the Lieutenant-Governor (Sir Donald McLeod) applied equally at this period to other parts of India; and displayed the necessity of bringing the organisation of the forests under a more centralised management at this early period in the developing Forest Department,

Stewart's Report on the Chenab Forests showed that they contained the following estimated number of deodar trees divided into three classes :

(1) Number of first-class trees remaining in the forests where felling had been and was still being carried out

(2) Number of trees in forests as yet untouched and to open which expensive slides would have to be made

(3) Number of trees in situations where launching of the timber would be difficult, or the number in any one locality not sufficiently numerous to warrant the construction of safe slides

Estimated total deodar trees

=

5,585

8,900

=

2,505

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Under the above three categories Stewart estimated that the trees which would be actually available for use, excluding those inaccessible or required to be left for purposes of reproducing the forests, would be: (1) 4000; (2) 7000; (3) 1000; or a total of 12,000 first-class trees in all. This number had already on two previous occasions been exceeded by the fellings of a single year.

For the Ravi Forests Stewart also divided the trees into three categories :

(1) Deodar trees in compact forests, unworked,and trees still remaining in worked forests, all accessible to extraction

(2) Trees in inaccessible or difficult situations in forests either previously unworked or already partially worked

(3) Forests where the number of trees was only guessed at mostly from native information; and where the difficulties of extraction were known to be great

Estimated total deodar trees

= 5,900

1

3,625

=

2,900

= 12,425

Under these three classes Stewart estimated the number of trees which would be available for felling at 3000, 2500 and (with present information) o; the yield of the Ravi Forests

could only be counted at 5500 first-class deodar trees. This gave for the whole of the forests in the Chamba territory an approximate total of 17,500 first-class deodar trees fit for felling!

This exposition of the condition and resources of the Chamba Forests might well have disheartened the Punjab Government and put back the organisation of the forests and the introduction of a scientific conservancy for many years. The blow was, however, met in a most statesmanlike manner. The Lieutenant-Governor summarised the Reports in a Memorandum written by the Secretary.

The Lieutenant-Governor, after commenting upon the great value of Stewarts' Reports, owing to the detailed manner in which he had described the present position of the deodar forests and the financial prospects of the Department as influenced by the Report, stated that the Conservator had established four important factors: (1) Previous to the annexation of the Punjab there was little demand on the deodar forests, such demand as existed being probably supplied by drift timber from the rivers; (2) immediately after the annexation, a demand on the Forests of the Ravi ensued and later on those of the Chenab. These demands had since rapidly increased; (3) that the fellings had been in excess of the capacity of the forests and had been most wastefully carried out; (4) that future fellings in these forests, subject to a payment of Rs.20,000 annually to the Rajah of Chamba, could not prove remunerative at the existing sale prices of deodar, as sufficient trees did not exist; for, if 5000 trees were felled annually to provide the seigniorage due to the Rajah the forests would be cut out within five years. The productive powers of these forests, the Lieutenant-Governor considered, had been greatly exaggerated, since at the time of Longden's visit (I, p. 264) he (the Governor) himself remembered that they were considered inexhaustible. It was now realised, he said, that no forest, however large, subject to a great demand for railways, foundries, etc., could be so regarded unless under proper conservancy.

It was not possible to ascertain the amount of timber which had been cut on the Ravi, but 81,873 trees had been felled on the Chenab. Seventeen thousand trees now only remained, and therefore the Lieutenant-Governor agreed that the Government of India was right (Resol. of 15th September, 1863) in expressing doubts as to the expediency of agreeing to

pay a minimum seigniorage of Rs.20,000 to the Rajah; but he adds that this was done on the supposition that the trees actually existed in sufficient numbers in the forests. The Lieutenant-Governor did not, however, despair of the position. From enquiries he had instituted he had discovered that the prices paid for timber in the Punjab were unaccountably low as compared with those in other provinces. It had been ascertained that the rate paid in Meerut for rough sâl beams was Rs.2.6 (rupees two and annas six) per cubic foot and for sawn sâl beams Rs.4.4 to Rs.4.8, and in the Fort William (Calcutta) Executive Division rough sâl R.1.12 and sawn sâl Rs.2.8 per cubic foot against a general average for good deodar in the Punjab, increasing in the case of logs under 20 feet in length from about eight annas in 1850 to R.1 per cubic foot in 1866. For lengths 20-30 feet, which were very scarce, II annas in 1850 (Lahore) had now risen to Rs.2.8. At Attock the price was R.1 per cubic foot. Beams of fir of these lengths were still quoted at 12 annas per cubic foot, the rate in 1850 being 6 annas. For shorter lengths the rate was 8 annas. These low prices were due to the fact that under other Governments there had been little demand for timber, and it was obtained at small cost, trees growing on the river banks in the plains being cut, as also mulberry, mango and other species in groves in villages under the former Sikh rulers. The demand arose after the arrival of the British and was created by them. The cost of extraction increased and was now heavy. And yet the prices had shown little rise. The existing demand was not only for the wants of the people, the greater part of the material being required for public works such as railways, cantonments and so forth, both timber and fuel being wanted. For the latter prices had rapidly risen and the same upward trend must follow for constructional timber. The Governor quoted a recent instance of a large firm of railway contractors having paid Mr. Arratoon for the privilege of cutting 8000 deodar trees on the Sutlej at the rate of Rs.11 per tree (the price per tree paid to the Chamba Rajah by Government, after deducting R.I for conservancy purposes was Rs.3 per tree on the Chenab and Rs.4 on the Ravi for first-class deodar trees).The above firm of contractors had had to pay the enhanced price for the trees owing to the shortness of supplies and the necessity of fulfilling their contract. The Governor held that the demand for deodar was increasing and would continue to do so, and that consequently the price of the timber would

greatly rise. He therefore intimated that in future a certain amount of timber should be set aside for the Public Works Department (to be paid for at current rates) and that the rest be auctioned each year, full notice being given of the sales, and ordered that this system should be introduced at once. Further, that the other timbers of the hills, Pinus excelsa, Cupressus torrulosa, Juniperus excelsa, walnut, maple, ash, yew and others, should be brought down and sold in the same fashion.

In conclusion, the Lieutenant-Governor saw no reason to doubt that under the new methods it would be possible to pay the sum due annually to the Rajah out of current forest revenue. He also pointed out that in any event under the agreement up to one-fourth of the sum was to be held available for the improvement of the forests and opening out communications, both objects of high utility to the State of Chamba. That this amount should accordingly be annually spent on these works. The Secretary's Memorandum on the Lieutenant-Governor's policy concluded as follows:

"His Honour thinks it impossible to read the accompanying Reports without perceiving what important and difficult problems are involved in the management of forests, and how little hope there is of this management being really successful, unless conducted by skilled persons more or less trained and accustomed to this special duty. This remark applies to the 'rukhs' and plantations of the plains equally with the forests of the hills, and it may be hoped that it will hereafter be found possible to utilise to some extent in the former, during the cold season, the establishment employed in the latter during the hot weather and the rains.

Next to the arrangements necessary for, and principles to be observed in, the felling and bringing down the timber, there can, His Honour observes, be no doubt that the matter most urgently requiring the careful attention of the Forest Officers is the carrying out of planting on a large scale. The experiments heretofore made have, for the most part, as shown by Dr. Stewart, been productive of but very inadequate results. One trial, however, made some years ago at Dhurmsalla, has succeeded admirably, and there can, His Honour thinks, be no reasonable doubt that yet greater and more unfailing success will be ensured when the best mode of conducting these operations shall have been fully determined;

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