1 ( 18 )
2 60. The forests of the Godaveri, on the other hand, which
3 contain much valuable timber, may, it is hoped (though far from
4 any present market), prove workable on the completion of the
5 Warda and Chanda Railway. The Ahiri Forest, for the purchase
6 of which b¥ Government, negotiations are now in progress, con-
7 tains a good stock of teak, and can be calculated on for at
8 least 22,000 cubic feet of first class timber annually. The sleeper
9 operations for the above railway will do much towards the opening
10 up of this forest, while with the aid of machinery it will here.
11 after be practicable to supply timber for public works in scant-
12 ling, which will greatly reduce the cost of carriage. For these
13 works the felling of trees in the Ahiri Forest has been already
14 commenced, and up to the close of the year 381 trees had been
15 felled, logged, and brought to depét at Alapili. The yield from
16 these amountea to 13,872 cubic feet,or about 363 cubic feet per
17 tree. Upwards of 56,000 cubic feet of dry timber adapted for
18 sleeper purposes, which was lying in the forest, has also been
19 collected at the Alapili depét. An attempt was made to carry
20 out the collection of the timber by contract, but it was found
21 that the best carts procurable were not capable of transporting
22 the large logs, and that, on the whole, it was cheaper to work
23 with Government carts and cattle. A larger quantity of timber
24 would have been collected, had if not been necessary for the divi-
25 sional officer to be present at Kamti during the time that the
26 machinery for the sleeper work was bcing tested and put in order,
27 but on the whole the progress in this portion of the work is satis-
28 factory. Considering the compactness of the Ahiri Forest and the
29 possibility of collecting the timber felled at large depdts, it was
30 deemed expedient to have recourse to steam saw machinery for
31 the conversion of the wood into sleepers. A second-hand vertical
32 saw-frame and a ten-horse power engine were accordingly pur-
33 chased, and an old but workable engine and circular-saw bench
34 transferred to this department from the Godaveri works. The
35 circular saw is at work cutting sleepers from the small pieces,
36 and the vertical-saw frame is being set up, and will shortly be
37 ready for ripping up the large logs. It is hoped that the whole
38 of the sleepers for this railway will be delivered during the ensuing
39 year.
40 51. In Burma, during the year under review, the outturn
41 from the teak forests in British territory was as follows :—
42 Logs. Tons.
43 Logs = IEe2 sau We to Depdts by Government contractors in
44 ee ne eee e Tharrawaddi and Rangoon Divisions .. 16,907 16,200°2
45 Total ... 16,907 Obtained frem the sea-shore, drift, and miscella-
46 sai neous sources aoe “un ne: 6,2657
47 Worked out by permit-holdore sins «- 33,870 30,660°6
48 Total ... 56,204 62,126°6
49 These figures exhibit a fair annual outturn, the yield of
50 1870-71 being unusually high; that of the year undcr review
51 shows a decrease of about 4,900 tons. It is, however, 12,200 tons
52 in excess of the outturn for 1869-70.
53 52. <A decrease of 12,512 logs took placc in the quantity
54 of timber extracted from the Burma Forests under the permit
55 system, as compared with the outturn of 1870-71, viz. :—
56 Logs.
57 Prome and Rangoon sa es ev 1,732
58 Sittang wae nn in .-. 1,715
59 Saiween ons ane me ... 9,066
60 Total on A251
61 —_—— =
62 age dc ———— _~—yloeenne— ae
63 ® Heelies 6,427 pieces of dfift timber collected at depdts.