The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-03-13

governing system. They were a part of tie administration of the past, and they still come into close contact with
 the people. In the larger towns there is headman in each ward. and in some sections he Is assisted by certain others called elders. The headmen are appointed by the people themselves
 and they have the right to call others to assist them. They act as tax gcth- erers and as local magistrates Each lis responsible for good order in his ward or village. and he has certain rights of punishment. No one can take up residence in village with out permisison of the headman. and bad characters may be ordered by him to leave. If he wishes. he can report them to the district magistrate, and direct the latter to oust them.
 When the English first came into Burma the taxes were, farmed out to the headmen, but later on the revenue was fixed by the government and the headmen received a percentage for col lecting it. In addition to this tax, there is a poll tax of s1.65 on all mar ried men and about 90 cents on bachelors. At present the lands and property of the country are fairly as- sessed by the government and the taxes are justly collected. A large number of the people are landed proprietors, and all are far better treated than they were during the days when they had their own kings.
 How Burma Cares for It's Forests l During our conversation, the subject of the forests came up, and I told the lieutenant governor that our authori- ties estimated that at the present rate | of cutting our forests would all be consumed within twenty years. The , governor replied that the Indian em- pire was doing everything possible to preserve its forests, and that they were steadily growing, increasing in area. When he came to Burma the state re- serves were less than 150 square miles. In 1890 ethey had increased in lower 1 Burma alone to almost 5000 square miles, and the government was then getting revenue of about S1,000, 900 year from them. In upper Burma government forests of the whole pro- the reservations have grown until the vince are now mora than 10000 square miles.
 The woods are watched. It costs some thing like $1.0oo.o0o per annum to take Icare of them, but their gross income is almost three times that amount. The re- ceipts are increasing steadily from year to year. The government has set aside some of the best tracts of teak wood and 1t IS planting teak seeds in suitable To- calities where such wood Is scarce It has also induced the villagers living near the state forests to set out plantations, paying them so much for every 100 teak trees found alive at certain intervals. The teak forests are worked with view to saving the trees. Those picked out fof lumber are girdled, under the d- rection of the officials. They are then cut down by the natives at contract prices and are dragged out by elephants and buffaloes. The timber is shipped to Ran goon or Mandalay and sold periodically at auction. The forests are also leased to the natives under such terms that for a term of years they have the right to take out the girdled trees at fixed roy alty per ton. Such parties use elephants, by which they drag the timber to the Streams, where 1t is rafted down to Ran goon. Under both systems the forestry department superintendns the girdling of the trees, and none but those it selects may be cut. As it is now about one-tenth of Burma Is in government forest re- serve.
 Burma's New Railways
 l asked Sir Herbert White 10 tell me