CO885-(11-12) — Page 366

*LOBLU

PECORD

OFFICE

༅། ༄། །།

Reference

C.O.882/12

| PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON,

| ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE

BF REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO|

!

,

88

a ring able to fix its own prices; to compete with this ring it would be necessary to open retail depots with all their risks and expenses; nevertheless, it is hoped that the State timber will find purchasers outside the ring. The fuel is in similar case; the right to remove fuel, when sold by the State, never fetches its full value, but is the object of private arrangements between the trades, or else falls to the nearest estate. The calculation of revenue to be expected must therefore take account of these things."

"

Five years later the Director of Forests informed the Royal Com- mission of 1909 that Mr. Gleadow's recommendations had not been carried out to any serious extent. The only change brought about was an increase of the pay of the Director and of the Inspectors and the increase in the number of Rangers." The Commission held that the revenue, then Rs.22,000, was **an altogether inadequate return for such large annual expenditure," and had every reason to believe that if the forests were worked on a scientific and commercial basis a very much larger revenue would be obtained.' It appeared to them, however, that having regard to the financial circumstances of the Colony the staff of Forest Officers was exceedingly large.

11

In the last 30 years since 1901 more than one million rupees have been spent on plantation and half a million on the purchase of land, while the bill for the staff approaches three million rupees. Yet the commercial development of the forests is still as remote as it was at Mr. Thompson's visit 50 years ago. We have described in the Conservator's own words the present qualifications of his staff, and we have heard from him that nothing as yet is ready for the advance which from the forestry point of view he quite rightly hopes to make. There is no working plan, and there cannot be one without heavy expenses on survey and enumeration. A little timber is extracted, some part of which may make a profit and some not, but there is no costing. The amounts are exceedingly small; in the best season of the present year the sums hitherto allotted to the Midlands division have been Rs.4,000 for timber on the contract with the match company, Rs.2,000 for other timber, and Rs.2,000 for fuel. There are some good plantations of pine which are ready to cut, but the whole system of plantation through contractors has had to be abandoned and a new system is now being tried. "The machine," says the Conservator, " is not running yet, but is making experimental trial runs "-this after, 50 years!

7. We have felt it necessary to review the history of forest development in Mauritius; the past cannot be ignored when the Government is again invited to look forward and to follow through 50 years a scheme for which there are neither figures nor finance and of which nothing exists except the imaginary glow of 1980. We know that it is necessary in forest work to have long views.

89

but long views must eventually be brought to the test; there comes a time when an unprofitable forest department must cease to be regarded as the hopeful agents of a golden future, and can and must be treated as a luxury which the Colony can no longer afford. Mauritius has had a full period of test and has reached this stage.

We therefore recommend that forest development schemes should cease, and that the policy of the Government should be limited to the training of a small but really expert staff whose objective should be, not the development, but the preservation of the forests, this being an object which is undoubtedly beneficial to the climate of the Colony, though not perhaps vital, owing to the small area of the forests and the much more dominant effect of the mountain ranges. No further land should be acquired for afforestation, and there should be no plantation on a large scale on the lands already acquired; the reports of the experts who have inspected the forests --and Mr. Sale is inclined to agree with them-leave little doubt that the jungle will develop naturally and will of itself be sufficient Some of the land already to protect the higher watershed. acquired in the lower Highlands can without danger, be released if required for the cultivation of tea, but the real forest area must be safeguarded against any other encroachment for cultivation. Extraction should continue on the present limited scale, and the extracted timber should be replaced by plantation in such cases as may be necessary; these cases-should be few.

8. It is clear that with so restricted a policy the staff required will be very small. Mr. Thompson, who had the same main objective, declared that the existing staff of thirty-two men would be sufficient, and he was dealing with a Guardian of Woods and Forests on Rs.1,500 a year, two Rangers on Rs.1,080, two on Rs.900, five on Rs.700, two on Rs.480, and nineteen on Rs.360. The case becomes more evident if we consider what actually are the areas which must be protected, and what is their situation. The real forests of the island fall into two groups, the larger being the present forest divisions of Midlands and Grand Bassin, and the smaller the livision of Nouvelle Découverte; the larger group is well protected on the west by the natural features of the Black River District,. the population of which is very small; these natural features have been sufficient to preserve on this side some of the original forest of the island. On the north, in Plaines Wilhems, there is some danger from the depredations of squatters, but on the south and east this forest either adjoins large sugar estates, which cannot be regarded as likely to make illicit encroachment, or else is pro- tected by areas of scrub land privately-owned. Nouvelle Découverte lies between the hills which form the watershed of La Nicoliere and a large tract of scrub land, and thus enjoys a considerable measure of protection. To preserve these two areas against serious

288