The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-13
~ NEW GOVERNMENT HOUSE AT
ls.ANGOON.
The mansion IN in Il rolling park filled
With tronlc1lI rcKetntlOn.

= q 4
NEW GOVERNMENT HOu Sc AT
3lsANGOON.
The INFUSION IN in rolling park filled
with tropical vegetation.
clerks who are busy Keeping the books
Of the administration.
i Another big building Is that OF the
/ post-ofhce department This is sit
Iuated In the heart OF the city. It is a
three-story structure. withiron porches
running aroundeits two upper stories
1 The post-oftice department Is under
the director-Eeneral of the postt Of
India, and more Immediately under the
| postmaster-gener OF Burma. Some
of It's methods are antiquated. but the
business is enormous and growing. For
instance. the mail comes in from the
| steamers and railway stations in OK.
carts. Nevertheless, something like
2S.000,000 letters. 100000 books and
100000 newspapers go through the,
mails every year.
Burma has the same postal rates as
india The ordinary letter costs al
cent and O half of our money, and ono
Weighing an ounce and a half Is sent
for three cents. There is double
rate to Great Britain and the other
colonial possessions, while the postage
to other countries is about seven
cents. The post-office manages the
teleEraphs, and the larger Of the offices
| have postal savings banks comes ted
with them.
Villages and Their Headmen.
Every city In Burma outside the
capital has Its government establish
ment. There are courts in the princi-
pal towns, and also commissioners and
their deputies who act as district
magistrates. judges, collectors and re.
glstrars.
In addition are the village headmen,
who form the foundation of the whole
of the administration of the past, and
. they still come into close contact With
| the people. In the larger towns there
| Is a headman in each ward, and in some
sections lie Is assisted by certain oth-
ers called elders. The headnlen are
appointed by the people themselves,
| and they have the right to call others
to assist them, They act as tax gath.
erers and as local magistrates. Each
is responsible for good order in his
ward or village, and he has certain
s rights Of punishment No one can
take up a residence in village with
cut permission of the headman, and
bad characters may be ordered by him
to leave II he wishes. he can report
] them to the district magistrate, and
/ direct the latter to GUST them.
/ When the English first came into
! Burma the taxes We're farmed out to
/, the headmen, but later on the revenue
1 was fixed by the government. and the
4 headr..en received percentage for
/ collecting it. In addition to this tax,
! married men and about 90 cents on
|, ba To- nd. o,,o
property of the country are fairly
i assessed by the government and the
| taxes are Justly collected. a large
! number Of the people are landed pro-
prietors, and all are far better
| treated than they were during the
! days when they had their own kings.
| How Durn:n Cares For Its Forests.
During our conversation, the SUBJ
ject of the forest came up, and I told
'thorities estimated that at the present
rate of cutting, our forests would all
be consumed within twenty years.
The governor replied that the Indian
| empire was doing everything possible
| to preserve its forests. and that they
area. Wien lie cane s' to Oh Burm rah the
! state reserves Were less than $50
square miles. In 1890 they had In
/ creased in lower Buhanl clone no
| almost 5000 square miles, and tho
1 government was then getting*ga rev-
enue OF about s1,000,000 a. year from
them. In upper Burma the reserva-
lions have grown until the govern
ment forests Of the whole province
are now more than 10000 square
/ miles,
The woods are watched. 1t costs
/ something like a million dollars per
annum to take care OF them, but their
gbafs m i e reeepts
/ oreasing steadily from year to year.
i The government has set aside some OF
! the best tracts Of teak wood and It.
Is planting teak seeds In suitable los
caltties where such WOOD is scarce.
1t has also induced the Villagers liy-i
ling near the state forests to set out
plantattonsi payiag. them SO much, fo q
at certain Intervals
The teak forests are worked with
o view to saving the trees. Those
picked out for lumber are glrdlod,
under the direction of the officials.
They are then cut down by the natives
ut contract prices and ore drag gel
out by elephants and buffaloes. The
timber8is shipped to Itangoon or Man
! dalay and sold periodically at auction.
the r. IOreStSt S uTc ulSu Et1 SdScu 10 SA1o
| natives, under such terms that for q
term Of years they have tho right to
! take out the glrdled trees nt&n fixed
royalty per ton, such parties use ele-
plants, by Witch they draG. the y tim q
down to Rahgoon. Under both sys-
Items the forestrY department. super-
Intends tbs. girdling OF the trees, and
n9nH hn1 B Bus
is in government forest reserve,
Rurn,n's New Railways.
asked Sir Herbert White to tell
mo something about the railway
movements going Oh In the country
IIol replied TINT q numberof 8 roads
were III contemplation and prolection,
| saying that The day would come when
there would be ono through llroad
8 out me Building 81 4 road 70 con-
lsnect With. the II mes now elng; pushed
lsnorthwagd from Ban Is la aAothegl