502 (4)
506
Fire Barriers.-New fire barriers 8,476 feet long were made to protect the new planta- tions in 9 A & B while all the old ones were cleaned a total length of 176,323 feet. This work was done for the first time by our own men at a cost slightly less than the contract price.
Protection. The most serious case of unauthorized cutting occurred near Pokfulam where the occupier of Farm Lot 29 felled several hundred pine trees on his lot although they are expressly reserved to the Government in the lease. The matter was settled after Police Court proceedings by the payment of $1,000 to the Crown and forfeiture of the felled timber.
The prevention of grass cutting in plantations, or on ground where natural regeneration was expected, gave rise to several petitions from grass cutters during the year. In propor- tion as the population of the Island has increased so has the demand for cut grass which is necessary for certain purposes such as the breaming of junks and the feeling of cattle. The best grass grows naturally on the upper parts of the hills, the lower parts especially at Kow- loon having been to a large extent denuded by over-cutting. Now however that the pine- plantations established by the Government have grown up, the grass is again growing among them and the Chinese grass cutters go there to get it and incidentally gather a great deal of pine fuel besides, cutting down moreover the pine tree seedlings concealed in the grass. This abuse has become more and more prevalent until it has been found necessary to exclude the grass cutters altogether from the plantations. The majority have now become accustomed to cut their grass from the uplandds as before, but these petitions show that a certain amount of dissatisfaction still reinains. In all cases in which I have been able to meet the petitioners the matter has been explained and the most convenient cutting ground for their needs point-
ed out to them.
Notices were posted in the Hongkong villages notifying that the cutting of grass' in plantations was prohibited, and in the case of Little Hongkong village a permit was issued to cut grass on certain hilltops at a convenient distance from the village.
Preservation of Natural Forest.-It is evident to the most casual observer that primeval · forest has almost ceased to exist in this part of China. There can be little doubt that our valleys and probably the greater part of our mountains were once plentifully clothed with luxuriant virgin forest. Patches of such forest can still be seen at Little Hongkong, in this island and in the more inaccessible parts of the New Territories. The Committee appointed to report on the forestry possibilities of the New Territories in 1904 recommended that certain of these areas should be reserved and protected by Government. During 1905 the areas of natural forest in the greater part of the New Territories were carefully examined and mapped by this department. The total extent of that mapped is about 4,000 acres. The creation of Government Forestry reserves would however probably involve consider- able expenditure in the acquisition of the trees, and in watching and preserving the reserves. Hitherto funds have not been available to meet this expenditure.
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Felling Authority had been obtained in 1906 to fell trees on the south slopes of Mount Kellet on the shelterwood strip system but the tenders for the purchase of standing pine trees received from timber contractors were so low that no felling was commenced until the beginning of 1907 and then only as an experiment with a staff of men felling, splitting and carrying under the direct control of the department. This was practically a test of the genuineness of the low tenders above mentioned. With the greatest care and economy how- ever it was not possible to obtain a profit on the wood sales in this way, and before the end of the year a return had been made to the former system. The failure of this experiment was due partly to the low price obtainable for split firewood delivered in Hongkong. The heaviest felling during the year was at Kai Lung Wan where the opening of a new Chinese Cemetery of 53 acres necessitated the clearing of some 10,000 pine and other trees.