1 ( 16 )
2 &3. The expenditure under AI, timber ex-
3 Expenditure. 2 .
4 penses in Assain, was Rx. 1,302.
5 84. The subject of how best to manage the rubber forests and ¢ollect the
6 revenuc 1s @ very important one. A momorandum
7 hus been submitted to Government, in which propo-
8 sals were made for the management and improvement of the India-rubber forests.
9 The ditticulty in the management arises from the fact of our territory on all sides
10 being surrounded by India-rubber-producing country, on which no import duty is
11 levied. If our trees are tapped, and a man is found in possession of the gum, he
12 imnediately states that he collected it outside of English territory, and there is
13 no means of proving that he did not, as it would be impossible to keep a strict
14 wutch over our trees, which are scattered along the whole line of frontier, begin-
15 ning at Nepal and going round the whole of Assam and Cachar. If any import
16 duty were levied, even only as a means of check, it would greatly tacilitate
17 mutters; but there appear to be objections to this. On tho other hand, it
18 must be admitted that we got higher prices from the native mahajuns, who
19 bid for and purchase the right to collect India-rubber in British territory, as
20 it pee) gives them a monopoly of the imported gum, all of which they
21 purchuse.
22 85. Civil officers’ collections on India-rubber by sule of mehiuls were a
23 follows during the year :—
24 Management of India-rubber foreats
25 Davision. District. Amount collected.
26 Rs. A. P.
27 Naga Hills cece eae see eae 1,050 0 0
28 Durrung ee nae we “ne .. 142159 0 O
29 Nowgong ... oes ae as ine 168 0 O
30 Luuckimpore ... vei oes se .. 4,000 0 O
31 Assam
32 Total oo. 19,437 0 0
33 e
34 86. If properly managed, and the planting of trees carcfully attended
35 to, there is no doubt that the produce would return a very large revenue in
36 sume 30 or 40 years’ time, for India-rubber is coming more into use year by
37 year in almost every species of manufacture and for all kinds of purposes.
38 87. The collections on forest produce coming down the rivers of this
39 division amounted to Rs. 47,271, of which
40 Pr Hee bt ea ada ci alae 5 41,544 were paid into the treasury, the balance
41 Rs. 5,553 being in transit to treasuries ut the end
42 of the year. Formerly Government received little more than Rs. 10,000.
43 88. Five of the river toll stations were taken charge of by the Forest
44 arate ee ar Department on the Ist April 1871, with the sanc-
45 Forest Departuent, ’ Sstion of the Commissioner of the division, and the
46 new rates of toll, sanctioned by Government Ictter
47 No. 367, dated 27th January 1871, were immediately intruduced. At first some
48 opposition was shown by the wood-cutters, but this under judicious treatment
49 sae ieee and the collections of revenue were made without loss. As no
50 establishment had been sanctioned for the stations (for the revenue was formerly
51 collected by the local Rajahs, who farmed the tolls,) the forest establishment
52 sunctioned for the forests and not then required for conservancy purposes was,
53 with the sanction of Government, employed under Mr. H. H. Davis, the Assist-
54 ant Conservator of the division, to alia the tolls.
55 89. The Fenny river tolls were not taken over, as it will be neccssa
56 Fenny river tolls not collected by before doing so to come to some arrangement with
57 Forest Departmont. the Tipperah Rajah, whose territory lies along the
58 east bank of the river, in order to prevent confusion. The collections on this
59 river are still made by a local Rajah, and are not shown in forest accounts.
60 They will probably show considerable increase if a proper establishment be
61 appointed to take charge.