On the occasion of the second session of the European Forestry and Forest Products Commission, delegates made a field trip to visit the communal forests owned by the small town of Bassins, in the Jura Vaudois region of Switzerland. The delegates were received by the Mayor of Bassins, who spoke on the communal property system, its origin and its influence on the people of the Jura mountains. A translation of his speech, in which he gave many interesting facts about tints communal system, peculiar to the Jura Vaudois, appears below.
I should like to point out in the first place that the communal lands have been gradually increased over the years by successive purchases of separate plots. It was not a question of gifts or appropriations, but of acts of foresight on the part of our ancestors. The original documents in our archives and the records of Council meetings of that period afford striking evidence of the desire on the part of our predecessors to assure the future of their community.
On investigating the matter, we find that communal lands were first established in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but chiefly in the latter, as the result of the break-up of manorial estates, the division of property, and the shrinkage of fortunes. Since the individual inhabitant in our village, as else where, was not rich enough to purchase these frequently large holdings, they were quite naturally acquired by the commune, which thus progressively added to its property. This now embraces 1,063 hectares of forests and 480 hectares of pasture land, making a total area of 1,543 hectares; to this should be added 32 hectares of meadowland, the hay from which is publicly auctioned each year. The road system which had to be built to serve this property comprises a total length of nearly 20 kilometers of paved roads. These are joined by numerous access roads - which enable forest products to be hauled entirely by trucks.
The communal property rises from 540 to 1,400 meters above sea level in a series of terraces, intersected by gullies. It stretches from the higher limit of the vineyards to the peaks of the Upper Jura. It is unbroken in its upper reaches, above 850 meters; lower down, wide stretches of forest and meadowland alternate with private estates. Control of this vast domain is vested directly in the Municipality which is responsible for forest management, the sale of products, and the general upkeep of the property, both silvicultural and pastoral. The district inspector of forests is the supervising and controlling authority and the representative of the State. He has picked forest rangers under his direct orders.
The wise foresight of those who patiently built up this magnificent domain over the years has already been mentioned. The possession of this property is closely bound up with the very life of the community whose existence it has directly ensured by providing agricultural and forest products and employment for the inhabitants. The distribution of communal profits is also worth mentioning. This practice of sharing a proportion of the income from the property among the local inhabitants goes back to the very establishment of the property early in the seventeenth century. At first, these distributions, which were also known as "droits," were made in kind. They were taken from the natural produce of the property: timber from the forests, butter and cheese from the pasture land. Fixed quantities of firewood and domestic or industrial timber were distributed annually among those entitled to them. The individual's share varied according to the number of beneficiaries. The Council also allocated the timber required for building and repairs when necessary. It checked the use of such timber and punished abuses. Butter and cheese were supplied by the lessees of the pasture land under the terms of the lease which fixed the quantity to be supplied annually.
The chief reason for these distributions was the need to give material assistance to the inhabitants whose life was hard and whose resources were limited. The practice arose from a need and was the logical consequence of the system. The communal property was acquired by joint effort, and its preservation was vital to the very existence of the communities. It is interesting to note that these "droits" were originally based or granted per "fire," in other words, by household. They could be claimed only by those-able to prove that they were responsible for a household. The intention to help the family and to encourage setting up of homes was very clear.
This basic principle was subsequently abandoned and eventually the individual and the equality of all, men and women alike, irrespective of family status, became the sole criteria. In the course of the years, profound changes were made in the method of distributing communal profits. Forest and pastoral products earmarked for distribution were publicly auctioned, and the proceeds handed to those entitled to receive them. By the end of the nineteenth century, as public charges increased, the communes one by one gave up the distributions, Bassins being one of the last to do so, in 1933.
This practice is now a thing of the past, of that blissful past before the communes were burdened with present-day charges. Originally, the communal administration provided help for the poor, but it was a less onerous charge than the present system of public assistance. The maintenance of roads and paths was reduced to its simplest form because of the limited extent, not to say inadequacy, of the road system and the simple requirements of the prevailing means of transport. Even communal buildings made very small demands on the budget. Material such as timber, stone, and lime was generally obtained locally and both labor and material were cheap. Administrative expenses were almost negligible, since public works in those times were more a matter of civic conscience and obligation than of self-interest.
Changed customs and the demands of modern life and civilization have profoundly transformed human relations. But, for us, one thing remains unchanged, namely, our age-old experience of collective living where each contributes freely and willingly to the management and preservation of communal property. From that property a man derives the necessities of life for himself and his family, and he benefits from the allocation of the entire income from the property to public requirements. It should also be noted that each man's individuality is fully respected and that no constraint is put on the individual beyond the obligation to observe those laws and regulations which govern relations between man and man and safeguard the rights of all.
Let us now look more closely at the influence of the forest on the local population. Its social role, like its function as a regulating force where employment is concerned, is undeniable. Most of the inhabitants of our villages are engaged in agriculture, usually on small farms which often fail to provide a living. The forest offers them an opportunity to supplement their income, particularly in the slack season and between periods of intensive agricultural work. The workers trim timber on behalf of the commune, which delivers it to the trade directly or through the "Association Forestière Vaudois" with which it is affiliated. The commune also sells, by public auction, lots of firewood and domestic timber to the inhabitants who use it for their own purposes or resell it.
The pasture land and meadow land, which lie within the forested area, supply summer pasture for cattle and additional winter fodder, and thus enable the farmers, and particularly the small farmers, to make good the deficiencies of their own farms and to feed more cattle. In addition, the commune provides a local syndicate with pasture for young cattle.
The forest is essential to man since it enables him to live in regions whose climate it tempers. It not only supplies him with the wood he needs for his fire, and for the building of his dwelling, but it shapes his character, which is strengthened by the living forces that it nurtures. It draws him as the sea draws the sailor. It protects him and sometimes it kills him. If it disappears, he disappears too. He should therefore seek to preserve it, create it, develop it for the sake of the survival of his race.
I have sought in these few words to explain our system of collective property and management to you. This experiment is already several centuries old. It will outlive us. It has kept successive generations in the country and in the villages by giving them an obvious reason for remaining there. This heritage was handed down to us by those who were wise enough to found it. We are merely the trustees responsible for passing it on intact, in our turn, to those who come after us.
Gentlemen, your responsibility is infinitely greater than ours. Your mission is to co-ordinate the efforts of diverse peoples of different races and customs. If you can find some inspiration in the experience of a small commune, something useful for the promotion of harmony among men, we shall be proud and happy. I conclude with these words, and hope that you will have a very pleasant memory of your short stay at Bassins.
