The Dickinson press., 1895-11-02
GREAT FORESTS OF INDIA.

A System Which Affords q Revenue
to the Government
b. Ribbentrop, Inspector General Of
Forests for India, is ut the Occidental.
Mr.. Ribbentrop Is away on an eigh-
teen months leave Of absence. and 10
showing his daughter the sights to be
seen or a tour of the world. They
have been through Australia, and ar
rived yesterday on the steamer Mono
wal for a tour Of the United States
and Europe. incidentally, Mr.. Ribben-
trOp proposes to see something of the
big forests of the world.
AFTER eighteen years Of legislation"
he said, at the Occidental Hotel last
evening, I'VE have succeeded in get
ting the kind Of laws we need In India
for the preservation Of the forests.
Under the system now in vogue tho
permanency Of the big forests in India
Is assured, and the government will
get a handsome and permanent income
from them. Last year the government
received 10 lakhs of rupees from the
sale Of timber. One lakh Is supposed
to he 10000. hut it isn't, on account Of
the depreciation of silver. However,
the profit Is large. OF the ITO lakhs
Of rupees, 20 lakhs were clear profit.
The Government Of India is grad
ually obtaining possession Of all the
forest lands. We now have $1,000
square miles of wooded country under
Il supervision, in which all claims
have been proved and permanently
settled. When the English took India
the forests were in a bad way. Under
the Hindoos they were well cared for,
and then followed 500 years under Mo
hammedan sway, when vast tracts Of
woodland were burned to create graz
ing lads for focks. When the Eng.
fish came a tide of western civilization
set in. Railroads were built and
houses were constructed, and these i'm.
provements wrought such a sad de.
struction Of the forests Of the country
that the government deemed it ad-
visable to take prudential steps.
"The government at intervals gives
notice that 1t intends to take a certain
piece Of forest land SO many miles in
size, and claimants have six months In
which to appear and prove their
claims. An individual or q town, pro-
5ally. has a prescriptive right to take
DuiluluS llulDeF from tue forest IN
question. That right is proved and
settled permanently, and thereafter
only such trees as Ire marked by the
Inspector can be cut. We handle the
scientifically, and in such a
manner that the forests are being con-
renewed.
1.-THE study of forestry In India is
different from what 1t is in Europe.
In all Europe there are not more than
different kinds Of forest trees.
In Rurmah alone we have between
1000 and 100. Some are very valua-
bic. and many are not, and It Is the
propagation Of the valuable species
and the wedding out of those that ire
useless that requires much Of at
tention.
II spent some time in inspecting the
forests Of Australia. I admired them
greatly. but I can not say that I admir-
ed the manner In which they are look
ed after. The first question I was ask
cd when I arrived in Australia was in
relation to Australia's prospects for
shipping timber to foreign markets.
The people there would cut down any
stick of timber IL they could profit by
it. In India we think first Of preserv-
ing our forests and look to the profit
afterward."-San Francisco Chronicle.